Freestone County, Texas Obituaries Gay Gilliam Mew (January 7, 1927 - March 23, 2007) Fuenral services for Mrs. Gay Mew, formerly of Donie, are pending at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague. Mrs. Mew passed away on Friday, March 23, 2007 in Dallas. -------------------- Bowers Funeral Home website: GAY GILLIAM MEW Gay Gilliam Mew died on Friday, March 23, 2007, in Dallas, Texas. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, March 29, 2007, at Highland Park United Methodist Church, Cox Chapel, Dallas, Texas. Visitation will be held at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., March 30, 2007, at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague, Texas. The funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., March 31, 2007, in her hometown church, Donie Baptist Church, Donie, Texas, followed by a graveside burial service at Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions to be made to The American Lung Association, Mended Hearts of the American Cancer Society, The Susan Komen Foundation, American Diabetes Association, Alzheimer's Association, The Salvation Army or St. Judes, all organizations she supported with her resources throughout her lifetime. Gay was born on January 7, 1927, in Donie, Texas. She was the seventh of nine children born to Robert Stanley Gilliam and Ida Bell Sandifer Gilliam. She attended school across the road from her home in Donie until her senior year of high school when she and her younger sister, Bobbie, moved to Lufkin, Texas to live with her sister, Adrid Bell, where she graduated from Lufkin High School. After graduation she moved to Corpus Christi, Texas and was employed during the war with the United States Navel Base Department as a typist. Some of Gay's happiest days were spent in Mrs. Weldon's boarding house where she met life long friends. She handpicked some of the music for her burial service; "My Way" and "Sentimental Journey" were chosen as a remembrance of those happy days in Corpus. On April 3, 1954, she married Ben G. Mew, Jr. in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1956, she and her husband decided to move to San Diego, Texas and live on the Mew Family Ranch. Ben, with Gay's help, tore down the existing two story family home which they "recycled" to the home they would move into with their infant, Michelle, in 1958. Gay was widowed on August 8, 1966. She was the true backbone of Cardoza Ranch where she lived and raised Santa Gertrudis cattle until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1975. After successfully beating the battle with cancer, she returned to San Diego, Texas to enjoy her daughter's senior year of high school and to send her off to college. Gay's illness and recovery never slowed her down; she never missed a celebration or event relating to the last year she and her daughter would live under the same roof. In addition to being a "lady" rancher she was a slumber party hostess, a Girl Scout leader, classroom sponsor, booster club president and a driver down bumpy ranch roads to get her daughter, Michelle, to activities. Many nights the school bus would pull up to the school parking lot after midnight and Gay would be the only parent waiting to pick up her child. Gay served in many positions in PTA including president of the San Diego PTA; District Vice President for the Texas Congress of PTAs and received numerous awards for service to the education and support of children. Later, she served as Service Unit Director over all the Girl Scout Council serving the area from Corpus Christi to Laredo. Gay became involved with The American Cancer Society prior to finding out she herself had breast cancer. While recovering from breast cancer, she was asked to serve as president of the local chapter, which she did for many years. Gay moved to Donie, Texas in 1982, to care for her aging mother. After her mother's death she worked with the Bluebonnet Girl Scout Council serving as Field Director for three counties surrounding Donie. Gay moved to Dallas in 1990, after her first battle with pneumonia. She worked with the May Company until 1999, when she retired as a member of both the Diamond Star and Presidents Councils. On a personal note, Gay Gilliam Mew truly did it "Her Way." She was a woman of great strength and dignity. Gay was her daughter's truest supporter. Her daughter never lacked for anything and always knew that she was a part of a wonderful team. She and her daughter were the "Mew Ladies." Michelle owes all that she is to the love, education and support her mother gave her up until the last day of her life. Gay was predeceased by her parents, her husband Ben G. Mew, Jr., her brother Dwain, her sister and brother-in-law Vernis and Joe Strawn, her brother Cloner Gilliam, her brothers-in-law John Charles Faught, Luther Bell, and her step- sister and husband Nell and Bill Reidy, her great niece Robin O'Dell Strawn and special friends and extended family members. She is survived by her daughter Michelle Mew of Dallas, Texas and Steve Beckman of Arlington, Texas. Other survivors include her sister Adrid Bell and her children, her daughter and son-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren, her son and daughter-in-law and their children, her brother Wade Gilliam and his wife Jean and their children, son-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren, her brother Bob Gilliam and wife Lucille and their son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren, her sister-in-law Beulah Gilliam, her sons and daughter-in-law, grandchildren and one great granddaughter, her sister Bobbie Huffman and husband Keith, their sons and daughters-in-law and grandchildren, her brother Glyn Gilliam and wife Martha, their daughter and son-in-law and grandchildren, her half-sister Robbie Faught, her children and son-in-law, one granddaughter and a nephew Ricky Reidy. She is also survived by nephews Joe and Bill Strawn, the sons of Vernis and Joe Strawn, deceased, along with their wives and children and grandchildren. Thanks to family and friends for caring and loving my mother and Michelle. Special thanks to Betty and Laura Pettegrue for the countless hours they devoted to caring for my mother. A heartfelt appreciation to Dr. David R. Winter for the years of medical care he lovingly gave my mother and recognition of how blessed I was to spend my mothers last days and hours at Baylor Specialty Hospital. Letting go of my mother was and will be one of the hardest things I will ever do but the staff's honesty and caring allowed me to let Mama go with no regrets. Thank you Terrice McClurg, her longtime friend and hair dresser, who drove to Teague to prepare mother's hair one last time and Lisa who wanted to do her nails as she had for years in Dallas. Also thanks to mothers nephews, David Meiner and Bill Allen, my special friends, for taking Mama to her final resting place.