Karnes Co. TX - OBITUARIES - March 2004 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kimm Antell Copyright. All rights reserved. http://files.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************ All obituaries are copyright 2003 Victoria Advocate Online (http://victoriaadvocate.com) March 4, 2004 Aurora C. GARZA KENEDY - Aurora Caballero Garza, 90, of Kenedy, died March 2, 2004. She was born September 6, 1913, in Sebastian, to the late Francisco and Hilda Benavides Caballero. She was a homemaker and child care provider. She was a member of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church and First Mexican Baptist Church. Survivors: daughters, Lydia Downey of Houston, Santos Patricia Salais, Elvira Caballero Garza, and Cynthia Seals, all of Kenedy, and Alice Sanchez of Beeville; sons, Fidenico Garza of Tyler, Raul Garza, Manuel Garza, Diego Garza Jr., and James Garza, all of Kenedy, Albert Garza of Ingleside, and Leroy Garza of Lake Jackson; 39 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by: husband, Diego Garza Sr., four sisters, seven brothers; and two grandsons. A rosary will be recited 7 p.m. tonight at Eckols Funeral Home chapel. Services will be 2 p.m. Friday at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, the Rev. Mauricio Lopez officiating. Burial will be at Runge Cemetery. Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, 830- 583-2533. ************************************************ March 5, 2004 Aurora C. GARZA KENEDY - Services for Aurora Caballero Garza, 90, of Kenedy, who died Tuesday, will be 2 p.m. today at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, the Rev. Mauricio Lopez officiating. Burial will be at Runge Cemetery. Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, 830- 583-2533. Pallbearers: Leroy Garcia, Fidencio Garza, Albert Garza, Dan Saldis, David Sanchez, and Patrick Seals. ************************************************ March 8, 2004 Bill H. MERRITT KENEDY - Bill H. Merritt, 96, of Kenedy, died Saturday, March 6, 2004. He was born Oct. 20, 1907, in Lott, to the late Charlie H. and Mary Emma Birkes Merritt. He was a farmer and rancher and a member of the First Baptist Church. Survivors: wife, Thelma Merritt; sons, C.J. Merritt of Grand Prairie and Billy Merritt of Choate; brother, Lonnie Merritt of Corpus Christi; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by: four sisters; and brothers, Jay Merritt, Wellard Merritt, and Roy Merritt. Visitation will be 7:30 p.m. tonight at Eckols Funeral Home chapel. Services will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home chapel, the Rev. Homer Hanna officiating. Burial will be at Choate Cemetery in Choate. Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, 830-583-2533. Memorials: First Baptist Church. Kenedy man is remembered as a prankster, protector KENEDY - Always cracking jokes and pulling practical ones, Travis Whitman took a "don't sweat the small stuff" approach to life - a life he was willing to sacrifice for his country and the betterment of others. A former U.S. Marine, Whitman, 24, was killed in a car wreck last month in Iraq while working for a private firm providing security for government contractors trying to rebuild the war-torn country. "He was going over and making a difference in these Iraqi people's lives, giving them the opportunities that we have here that they have never had. He was real passionate about that," said longtime friend Mike Ramirez, Whitman's team leader at the company. "He loved his job. He loved what he was doing, and he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else." Ramirez, who is from Kenedy, emphasized that the wreck had nothing to do with the fighting going on in Iraq. On Saturday, friends and family from Texas to Oregon remembered Whitman, a 1997 graduate of Kenedy High School, as a protector and prankster at services at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Kenedy. Diana Goodrich, who introduced herself as Whitman's "crazy" aunt during a morning rosary, told about her nephew's infamous pranks. She told about the "purse trick," where a string of some sort was tied to a purse and then the purse was placed in the street. When someone stopped their car, got out and reached down to pick up the purse, the string was yanked. One time Goodrich was elected to stop the shenanigans of the youngsters, but, somehow, she ended up joining in. "I got such a charge out of running into the bushes and hiding," Goodrich laughed as she stood at the front of the church. To her left was Whitman's casket draped with a U.S. flag. It was surrounded by bouquets of predominantly red, white and blue flowers. "I have a lot of these just crazy, funny little moments with him," Goodrich, who lives in Portland, Ore. added. "He was a card, but he was my inspiration." Stan Howard, who coached Whitman in football and track in high school, said he was honored and humbled "to be able to coach a kid like that." Whitman attended Kenedy High School from 1993 to 1997, the only years he lived in the city. Prior to that he lived in Salem, Ore., with his mom, Elaine Premo, who now lives in Portland, Ore. In Kenedy he lived with his dad, Henry Whitman. His dad, a Texas Ranger, now lives in El Paso. Whitman played guard on the football team, and he was a member of the 1995-96 team that won district and went two rounds in the playoffs. Howard, the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator in Kenedy in the 1990s, said Whitman was a big reason why the team did so well that season. "Travis wasn't overly talented, but he was one of those kids that gave 110 percent no matter what he did. He was a winner. I mean he was going to leave it all on the field. God bless, Travis," Howard said at the rosary as he asked Whitman's high school teammates to stand. People clapped as about 15 guys stood. One of the 15 was Clint Kasprzyk, who played quarterback. "Travis was definitely the guy that didn't let you take anything too seriously. You might have had something going on in class, you might have had something at home, but he was the guy you could talk to. He could teach you how to live life half-heartedly, let it roll down your back," said Kasprzyk, a 25- year-old Houston resident. "Like I said, he would always do the little things in class, like say off-the-wall comments to break the tension. It didn't matter where you were. Even if we were in the middle of a game and frustrated, he would say anything, from mamma jokes to anything off the wall. "He was a great guy," Kasprzyk said. Friend and fellow teammate Ramon Reyna agreed. "He was just an all-around great guy," said Reyna, a 24-year-old San Antonio resident. "I will tell you one thing, if you saw him one time, you'd never forget him. He was that type of person." Whitman joined the Marines after graduating from high school in 1997. His father, a former Marine - as is his mother - said his son was an expert marksman. Henry Whitman said that at one time Travis was one of the top 20 pistol shooters in the Marines, and for his efforts he was picked up by the 3rd Marine Division Pistol Team. He left the pistol team to attend embassy guard school, or Marine Security Guard school in Quantico, Va. Whitman then served at the embassy in Germany for 15 months before rotating to the embassy in Bolivia. Whitman was discharged from the Marines in October. U.S. Marine Stephen Bazzle, who served with Whitman in the 7th Comm Battalion, said he was like a brother to him. And for Marine Sgt. Carl Martin, who helped fold the U.S. flag that covered Whitman's casket at the cemetery, that thought really rings true. Martin married Whitman's sister, Heather, a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Whitman introduced the two. Martin, who is stationed in Germany, as is his wife, described Whitman as a picture perfect Marine. "I tell you what. When I first met Travis he was locked on. He carried himself a certain way. He was just a well-rounded Marine," Martin said. "We all went through a lot, and he definitely made the best out of it, always with a smile." Bill White of McKinney, Whitman's uncle, called his nephew a protector during the rosary. As a guard in football, he protected the quarterback and running backs, White said. In the Marines, he protected the embassies, and as a brother he protected his older sister by introducing her only to someone he believed worthy enough for her to go out with, White said. "And then the final chapter was when he took on this position in which he went over in the security service industry protecting those who wanted to make Iraq a better place. And he put his life on the line once again without any recognition," White said. "He was just one of those guys that just did his job just to help others, and you've got to admire that." He closed his remarks with the words "Semper Fi," the Marine Corps motto, which means "always faithful," and he asked "can I get a hoo-ah?" The Marine battle cry resonated through the church. Ann Rundle is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-277- 6319 or cueroadv@txcr.net . ************************************************ March 9, 2004 Soledad D. DELEON KENEDY - Soledad Davila DeLeon, 91, of Kenedy, died Sunday, March 7, 2004. She was born May 28, 1912, in Nava Coah, Mexico, to the late Vicente Cantu and Juanita Balderas Cantu Santos. She was a housewife and member of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. Survivors: daughters, Delia D. Martinez of Floresville, and Estella D. Gutierrez and Lilly D. Garibay, both of Kenedy; son, Everardo Davila of Houston; 12 grandchildren; 34 great- grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by: husband, Guadalupe Davila DeLeon; and brother, Manuel Cantu. A rosary will be recited 7 p.m. tonight at Eckols Funeral Home chapel. Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, the Revs. Mauricio Lopez and Walter Hill III officiating. Burial will be at De Ntra Sra De Guadalupe near Pawnee. Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, 830-583-2533. Bill H. MERRITT KENEDY - Services for Bill H. Merritt, 96, of Kenedy, who died Saturday, will be 10 a.m. today at Eckols Funeral Home chapel, the Rev. Homer Hanna officiating. Burial will be at Choate Cemetery in Choate. Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, 830-583-2533. Pallbearers: Trey Merritt, Pat Merritt, Mike Merritt, Clay Merritt, Jason Merritt, and Duane Suehs. Honorary pallbearers: Josh Merritt, Jacob Merritt, Tyler Merritt, and Allen Cannon. Memorials: First Baptist Church. ************************************************ March 10, 2004 Soledad D. DELEON KENEDY - Services for Soledad Davila DeLeon, 91, of Kenedy, who died Sunday, will be 2 p.m. today at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, the Revs. Mauricio Lopez and Walter Hill III officiating. Burial will be at De Ntra Sra De Guadalupe near Pawnee. Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, 830-583-2533. Pallbearers: Robert Martinez, Leonel Martinez, Guadalupe Martinez, Roy Gutierrez, Danny Davila and Leroy Martinez. Honorary pallbearers: Louis Garibay, Ronnie Davila and Lesander Martinez. ************************************************ March 12, 2004 Georgia A. HAILEY KENEDY - Georgia Ann Hailey, 74, of Kenedy, died Saturday, March 6, 2004. She was born Feb. 16, 1930, in Kenedy, to the late William and Mattie Schroeder Borroum. She was a homemaker, co-owner of Ken Kream, and a member of Community Bible Church, where she volunteered as pianist and organist. Survivors: son, Tom Hailey of San Antonio; grandson, I.B. Hailey Preceded in death by: husband, Berkley Hailey; and brother, Billy Borroum. Family will receive friends 5:30-7:30 p.m. tonight at Eckols Funeral Home chapel. Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, the Rev. Alex Mandes officiating. Burial will be at Kenedy Cemetery. Eckols Funeral Home, Kenedy, 830- 583-2533. Memorials: American Cancer Society or Kenedy Public Library.