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Duane Tyler DeMello, 60, died Sept. 23, 2006. Services will be Thursday, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Shive.
Mr. DeMello was born in Oakland, Calif. on Dec. 24, 1945, and grew up in Shive. He and his wife lived in Tallahassee for the past 21 years.
He graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in English and journalism and a master's degree in interdisciplinary study-writing. He also completed post-graduate course work in the Creative Writing Ph.D. program at Florida State University.
Mr. DeMello served in the U.S. Air Force before working for the Weekly Livestock Reporter in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Bill Sandy Corp. He also owned Business Publication Service in Fort Worth and the Cameron Sun in Cameron.
He was the publications manager for Tenneco Inc., before returning to school for his master's degree. He was a writer in Tallahassee and won numerous awards for his fiction and business writing.
Mr. DeMello enjoyed all aspects of creative writing, listening to Bob Dylan and quoting the Rolling Stones' lyric, “You can't always get what you want, but you get what you need.”
He was preceded in death by his father, George DeMello.
Survivors include his wife of 23 years. Bev DeMello; his mother and father, Lola and Ernest Peters of Shive; a sister, Loni Roberts of Fort Worth; a brother, Steven and wife Rita of Hamilton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.
Mrs. Dungan
Diana Dungan of Crystal Beach died Sept. 19 at UTMB Medical Center following a lengthy and valiant battle against cancer. Funeral services were held Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Giddings. Burial was in Giddings.
Mrs. Dungan was born Jan. 30, 1938 in Giddings, the daughter of Eddie and Anna Mae Witte.
She was married to Vernon Dungan on July 17, 1955. He preceded her in death on March 22, 1987.
She was long on compassion and quick to offer aid and Mrs. Dungan easily developed many strong and lasting friendships. She was a resident of Hamilton and Giddings before relocating to Crystal Beach where she lived the past 12 years.
Survivors include her daughter, Dana Christopher and husband Dee; a son, Gordon Dungan and wife Laura and son James Dungan and wife Cristi; seven grandchildren, Lauren Christopher, John Christopher, Kyle Christopher, Zachary Dungan, Emma Dungan, Reed Dungan and Mikayla Dungan; her mother and two brothers, Edward and Royce Witte.
Phillips and Lucky Funeral Home
Mr. Herzog
Theodore Paul Herzog died Sept. 20, 2006. Funeral services were held Sept. 24 at St. John’s Lutheran Church.
He was born on March 22, 1920, the son of Paul and Emma (Reich) Herzog of Copperas Cove the third in a family of seven children.
The Herzog family was faithful members of Immanuel Copperas Cove. Pastor L. J. Werner arrived at the Herzog home on the day after Mr. Herzog’s birth and with the family gathered around he held Mr. Herzog in his arms, poured water, and spoke the name of God. At this very moment, Mr. Herzog was born as a child of God and for his entire life of eighty-six years he knew he was loved and eternity was secure for him.
Mr. Herzog attended confirmation under the instruction of Pastor Werner and on April 14, 1934, which was Good Friday, he made the bold confession and was confirmed as a communicant member of the Lutheran Church.
When he was 22 years old, he joined the United States Army and served until the end of World War II. During a portion of his time in the military, Mr. Herzog served as a Military Police Officer.
While in Europe, he was injured and this resulted in Mr. Herzog being transferred to a medical unit where he served as a medical technician ministering to the injured that were being transported to safer locations. Mr. Herzog received the Purple Heart for his injuries and he was honorably discharged from the Army following the war in 1945.
When he returned home, Mr. Herzog worked as a roughneck on oil rigs until he met and married Delphine Ruth Hahn in June of 1946. They settled in Hamilton and joined St. John Lutheran Church. They were faithful members through-out their life together.
Mr. Herzog was also active in the community of Hamilton. He was a member of the Jr. Chamber of Commerce, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Posse, where he served as a board member and as president. He was also a member of the Disabled American Veterans.
Mr. Herzog applied for a carrier's position with the United States Postal Service and received the best score of all who took the exam required for the job. Mr. Herzog served as a postal clerk and carrier for 41 years before his retirement.
Upon his retirement, his fellow workers calculated the number of miles Mr. Herzog had driven and found that the total number of miles driven during his forty-one years was over 1,000,000 miles.
After retiring from the post office, he decided he was not ready to fully retire. He and his close friend, Carl Luker worked part time making dealer exchanges for the Chevrolet dealer in Hamilton.
Mr. Herzog was blessed with four children. One daughter, Rhonda, passed away at the age of three months. He sought to give his remaining three children a solid foundation for their life. He led the youth group of St. John for eighteen years and served as the Walther League Bluebonnet Zone Fair director.
Throughout his years in the church, Mr. Herzog served in almost every capacity possible. He served as congregation president, elder, trustee, and as the congregational treasurer during the transition when St. John moved from Leslie street to its current location.
When Mr. Herzog and his wife moved to Hamilton, their neighbors across the street were R.J. and Valene Williams. The two couples became close friends, never knowing the future would bring great changes to their relationship. When Delphine passed away in 1993, the opportunity arose for Mr. Herzog and Valene to renew their friendship. Valene's husband had also passed away and they found great joy in remembering their times together as couples. Their friendship turned to love and in 1997 they were married. For the past nine years they have been inseparable.
Valene stood by Mr. Herzog and loved him. Together they faced the struggle with cancer and Valene never left his side as he slowly succumbed to the cancer. Through the blessing of marriage, two families were drawn together to be one. Valene and Mr. Herzog's children; Ken, J.P., and Miriam along with other family members were present with Mr. Herzog when he died. As a family, they loved him in life and they were faithful to love him through life's end.
Mr. Herzog was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Herman, Arthur, Adolph and one sister, Freida Herzog; his first wife, Delphine, and their daughter, Rhonda Kay Herzog.
He is survived by his wife Valene Herzog of Hamilton; sons, Ken Herzog and wife Ann of Lubbock, John Paul Herzog and wife Margaret of Flower Mound, and his daughter Miriam Koether and husband Johnny of Evant; two sisters: Ella Agee and Bertha Harris; six grandchildren, Brady Herzog, Trace Koether, Trenton Koether, Travis Koether, Jacob Herzog, and Gretta Herzog; and three great-grand children: Patrick Herzog, Bailey Herzog, and Jordan Herzog. Through his marriage to Valene, Mr. Herzog is also survived by three step-children; Rodney Williams and wife Connie, Deborah Hammond and husband Gerald, and D'Anna Dendy and husband Doak, along with six step grandchildren.
Riley Funeral Home
Mrs. Massingill
Sandra Darlene Massingill, 56, died Sept. 21, 2006 from complications from her illness. Funeral services were held Sept. 25, in the Riley Funeral Home Chapel with Danny Weems and Charles Waldrop officiating. Burial followed in the Oakwood Cemetery.
Mrs. Massingill was born May 22, 1950 in Hamilton, the daughter of Vernon Allen and Nita French. She attended elementary through high school in Hamilton.
On July 2, 1966 she was married to Bobby Massingill and soon after moved to Lewisville.
Mrs. Massingill was a devoted wife and mother. She was constantly on the go as she juggled taking the boys to football practices, keeping an immaculate home and a hot meal on the table at the end of the day. She also worked as an insurance claims examiner for 25 years.
She was a friend to many and a woman very strong in her faith. On June 22, 2005 she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and only given a short time to live. With her strength and faith and love for life she was able to survive twice as long as expected.
Survivors include her husband Bobby; three sons, Danny and wife Angie, Darrin and wife Ginger, and Justin; four grandchildren, Gage Allen, Megan May, Kade Ryan, and Kirby Lynn.
Riley Funeral Home
Mr. Mize
Karl Kelly Mize, 47, died in Stephenville on Sept. 19, 2006. Graveside memorial services were held Sept. 24 in Oakwood Cemetery with Rev. Marvin Andrews officiating.
Mr. Mize was born May 26, 1959 in Jacksonville, Fla., the son of Kelly Marcus Mize Jr. and Phyllis Jerrine Duncan Mize.
In 1970 the family moved to Hamilton where they were engaged in the restaurant supply business.
Throughout his high school he excelled in football and rodeo. He had a love for life and he loved the outdoors. He was an excellent turkey and deer hunter, a fisherman, and loved to hunt rattlesnakes. What ever endeavor Mr. Mize undertook he went at it with passion.
For a number of years he owned and operated a gun store in Hamilton. He also worked for the Riley Funeral Home, and served as a reserve deputy for the Hamilton County Sheriff Department and later worked for a multi-county law enforcement agency.
After leaving law enforcement he entered the construction business serving as foreman for a concert company that built the Hamilton High School, Hamilton School Kindergarten, Hamilton Special Education Co-Op and the Hamilton General Hospital along with many other building in and around Central Texas. At the time of his death he was employed by Blackwell Electric.
Mr. Mize is preceded in death by his father; his grandmother, Mina J. Duncan, and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Mize Sr.
Survivors include his two children, Maranda Augusta Mize of Hamilton and Montana Kinsey Mize and his wife Josie Katherine (Katie) and grandson Hunter Marcus Mize all of Hamilton; his mother, Jerry Mize of Hamilton; a sister, Sharon Benton and her husband Jimmy of Hamilton; one brother Mike Mize and his wife Sandy of Mississippi and his girlfriend Cathy Shelton of Stephenville as well as several nieces and nephews.
Riley Funeral Home
Mrs. Sills
Freddie Lorraine Sills, 94, of Hamilton, passed away Thursday Sept. 14, 2006 in the Hamilton General Hospital. Funeral Services were held Sunday, Sept. 17 at in the Lamkin Methodist Church with James Ballard officiating and Dale Sills delivering the eulogy. Burial was in the Toliver Cemetery under the direction of Riley Funeral Home of Hamilton.
Mrs. Sills was born Dec. 7, 1911 in Lamkin, the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Albert K. Taylor. She was married Robert Mark Sills in April 1930.
Mrs. Sills was an elementary school teacher for many years in several Central Texas schools.
She was the editor for the Lamkin News in the Hamilton Herald Newspaper for many years. She was past president of the Hamilton chapter of the Texas Retired Teachers Association, and was a member of the Lamkin Methodist Church where she was a pianist for the church.
She taught music for many years and played for many services and weddings.
Survivors include, a son, Dale Sills of Hamilton; grandson, David Kenmark Sills of Dallas, and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by: her husband, Robert Mark Sills; two brothers, Mack Taylor and Geye Taylor.
Pallbearers were Danny Sparks, Dale Sparks, T.P. Metlock, Bill Funderburk, Randy Mills, and C. W. Lambert.
The family requests that those wishing to give honorariums make them to the Lamkin Methodist Church in Mrs. Sill’s memory.
Riley Funeral Home