Obituary of Lois Oah Hawthorne

Lois Oah (Billie) Hawthorne, 94, of Silsbee, Texas, passed away on April 30, 2019, at Spanish Trails Assisted Living facility in Silsbee.

A Celebration of Billie’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, May 4, 2019, at Farmers Funeral Home, 415 North 4th Street, Silsbee, Texas, with Reverend Mark Carpenter of First Baptist Church of Silsbee officiating.  Interment will follow the services at R.S. Farmer Memorial Cemetery on South 3rd Street, Silsbee, Texas.  Visitation with the family will be one hour prior to the service.

Billie was born in Jasper County, TX, to Ruth (Newton) and Jesse Oah Allbritton, on July 30, 1924.  She went to high school at Kirbyville High School and graduated in 1942.  When WWII ended and her husband Lenox returned from the Japanese Theater in early 1946, they settled in Silsbee after he found a job with Silsbee Auto Company, the Ford dealership.  Shortly after moving to Silsbee, Billie started attending First Baptist Church, where she taught 3rd grade Sunday School for many years.  Billie worked outside the home as a secretary after her three sons were all enrolled in school.  She ended her secretarial career at Southwestern Settlement and Development in 1973, to take care of her mother, due to her failing health.  She enjoyed reading, traveling, and needle work.

Mrs. Hawthorne was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 62 years, Lenox, Sr.; son Richard Timothy Hawthorne, granddaughter Nichole Payne, grandson Jason Hawthorne, great-grandson Taylor Wages, and her three sisters, Jesse Ruth Hawthorne, Norma Lee Lemons, and Catherine McNeil.  

Surviving her are her sons Lenox Hawthorne, Jr. and wife Carolyn of Silsbee, Jesse Walter Hawthorne and wife, Sharon of Buna, daughter-in-law, Sherry Hawthorne of Nacogdoches, TX; four grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to both the staff of Spanish Trails Assisted Living facility and the staff of Kindred Hospice for their care and attention to the needs of our mother during her final days.

Serving as pallbearers will be two grandsons and four great-grandsons: Lenox Hawthorne III, Ben Hawthorne, Kael Hawthorne, Ethan Frazier, Tye Frazier, and Jackson Payne.