Odessa Bernice Stice's Obituary
Services will be 2:00 pm Tuesday, July 5, 2016 in the First United Methodist Church in Shamrock with Rev. Lloyd Stice and Norman Rushing, officiating.
Burial will follow in Dozier Cemetery in Dozier.
Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Shamrock.
Odessa Bernice (Francies) Stice passed from this life on June 29, 2016 in Lubbock, Texas. She was born on August 21, 1923 in Wynnewood, Oklahoma to Homer and Ida Belle Francies. She was the fifth of twelve children.
In Bernice’s childhood years her family moved back and forth between Oklahoma and Texas until her mother finally said, “I am going to live in one place or the other. I am not going to keep moving these twelve kids back and forth.” That is when they settled in the Abra Community west of Dozier, Texas.
In the 40's Bernice met a young man who had moved into the community with his father Jesse Stice and in January of 1944 she married Noah Madden Stice. Noah serviced in World War II and when he was discharged from the service he and Bernice started farming for Pat Bradley down on the river place, the Salt Fork of Red River, along with her father-in-law, Jesse Stice who lived with them until his death in 1970. All five children were born while living on the river place. Bernice was involved in the total farm life with her gardens, hoeing and pulling cotton, milking cows, raising chickens, canning fruit and vegetables and keeping a house running while raising five children. Bernice lived in that community until 1967 when she and Noah bought the Brown store in Samnorwood, Texas.
Bernice and her family was active in the Glen Davis Memorial Methodist Church of Dozier. Even after her family were married and gone and the Methodist Conference had officially closed the Church she and her sister, Zola was responsible for the church continuing for many years. Bernice was also very active in her community. She was PTA President, drove a school bus and traveled many miles watching the Samnorwood Eagles play basketball, loving and supporting the Eagles even after her children had finished playing for the Eagles.
Bernice ran the store which served as a gas station, country convenient store, and cafe. The cafe was a place where the Samnorwood school kids came to eat lunch if they didn’t like what was being served in the cafeteria. Even if the kids didn’t eat with her at lunch many of them still came to the store to buy candy and soft drinks resembling a swarm of bees around a hive at lunch time according to Bernice. The local farmers and ranchers and other community members would come to Bernice’s to eat her hamburgers and other sandwiches she fixed around noon. In the later years Bernice became the postmistress of the Samnorwood Post Office which was a CPO for the Shamrock Post Office. To keep her busy when there was no one in the store or when “the bull shooters,” as she called them were not there she had a quilting frame set up in the store and would sit and quilt for hours. She quilted for friends and family members who had tops but didn’t know how to quilt them. She did her best to make sure all her children and grandchildren had a quilt she had quilted for them.
Bernice ran the store until 2004, when she moved to Holliday, Texas to live with her son, Joe. She missed living in Samnorwood until her memory failed her and she was just happy to be where she was. When Joe retired and moved to Arkansas the family moved her to Lubbock where Lloyd who had retired was living. She lived in the Garrison Care Center in Lubbock, Texas until her passing.
Bernice was preceded in death by her parents, 10 brothers and sisters, her husband of 50 years Noah Madden Stice, and a daughter Odessa Marie Glazner.
Bernice is survived by four children, a son Lloyd Stice and wife Shirley of Wolfforth, a daughter Eunice Dickson and husband Johnny of Hedley, a son Joe Stice of Wickes, Ar., and a daughter Ida Beth “IB” Rushing and husband Norman of Pampa.
She is survived by seven grandchildren, Will Stice and wife Mandy of Lewisville, TX; Justin Stice and wife Jamie of Lubbock, TX; Donna Ashley of Amarillo, TX; Leah Tippin and husband Larry of Willow Park, TX; Tamara Burrell and husband Jeremy of Gastonia, NC; Mary Thomas and partner Vickie Brown of Holliday, TX; David Saxour and wife Jessica of Wickes, AR; Bob Hicks of Oklahoma City, OK; Julie Wirt and husband Jared of Canyon, TX; and Billy Rushing of Canyon, 22 great grandchildren and 19 great great grandchildren.
One brother Joe B. Francies and wife Marvine of Possom Kingdom, TX, numerous nieces and nephews and many friends all around the country.
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