|
Greta Angeline Little Weatherby was born March 5, 1911 to Annie Trent and John C. Little, in Hamilton and completed her earthly life on Dec. 3, 2006, in Austin. The Little family owned Dry Goods stores in Hamilton and Goldthwaite.
The family returned to Goldthwaite soon after her birth. One of the highlights of her life during her years in Goldthwaite was the honor of representing her local area of Goldthwaite and meeting Col. Charles Lindberg at a celebration in Abilene after his non-stop Atlantic flight. She then attended Southwestern University in Georgetown and the University of Texas at Austin where she pledged Zeta Tau Alpha. She was blessed to live long enough to receive her 75th Anniversary pendant this past spring.
After leaving the University of Texas, she taught school in Brady and Goldthwaite before marrying Clyde L. Weatherby of Goldthwaite on December 25, 1935. The following quotation is from a newspaper clipping found last year in an old family scrapbook. It was written in the Personalities column of the Friday, August 19, 1949, Hamilton Herald-News of Hamilton. The writer was Frankie Golightly, who was one of Greta’s close friends, her neighbor, and as the wife of the Chevrolet dealer, was the Weatherby’s closest business competitor.
“Greta recalls that she can’t remember the time when she didn’t love Clyde Weatherby. Even when they were tow-heads in the primary grades she had her eyes on Clyde, and claims she didn’t take them off during the grades through high school and even during their college years.”
Clyde bought the Ford Motor Company dealership in Hamilton, and they returned to her birthplace to live for the next twenty-four years. During that time, they had two daughters, (Caralan) Ann and (Greta) Nan; and established an Army Surplus store in the same location as her family’s dry goods store; a daytime AM radio station with the call letters KCLW, which is still in operation; a stamp redemption center; and other small businesses, and opened the first Central Texas UHF television station (KANG).
After the sale of the dealership and radio station in the late 1950’s, the opportunity came to return to Austin in 1959. They both became licensed Real Estate Brokers starting Clyde Weatherby Real Estate Company. Greta was always active in all their business endeavors. She was a member of the University United Methodist Church.
Greta was predeceased by her parents; her daughter Nan; her husband Clyde; and her brother Raymond Little. She is survived by her daughter Ann deGraffenried and husband Brian of Austin; granddaughter Julie Grimes Early and husband Mike and sons David and Tim of Goldthwaite; step-grand-daughter Susan deGraffenried and her children Brian and Casey Sumner of Austin; step-grandson Leslie deGraffenried and wife Katie and children Tess and Drew of Rome, Italy; step-grandson Ray Grimes of Tolar; and sister-in-law Billie Weatherby Ledbetter of Goldthwaite, her son Jamie Ledbetter and wife Pam of San Angelo and Goldthwaite, and their son Tab Ledbetter of McGregor.
A visitation will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home in Austin.
Thursday, Dec. 7, the body will lie-in-state at Stacy-Wilkins Funeral Home in Goldthwaite. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m., with Dr. Jack Riley of Belton officiating, at the Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to your favorite charity.
Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com