Ladema Bunting Esarey

Memorial Service: 1:15 p.m., July 18, 2017, at St. Barnabas United Methodist Church, 5011 W. Pleasant Ridge Rd., Arlington, Texas, 76016. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, Lee’s family requests that donations be made to St. Barnabas United Methodist Church, to Mission Arlington (210 W. South St., Arlington, TX 76010), or to your favorite charity.

Lee was born near Gibson City, Illinois, on April 25, 1924, to John and Dorothea Bunting. Lee and her parents moved to a farm near Danforth where Lee attended elementary school. She attended high school in Gibson City where she participated in many activities, including National Honor Society. After graduating as Salutatorian of her class, Lee attended Illinois Business College, in Champaign. Following graduation, Lee worked as an administrative assistant in a law firm in Champaign until she married Kermit E. Esarey, a student at the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana campus. Shortly before their marriage, Kermit was drafted into the Army because of WWII. They married on May 11, 1944, at the height of WWII. Lee stayed with her parents during most of the war, and, during this time, she gave birth to their daughter, Gail. Following the end of war, Kermit and Lee lived at the University of Illinois campus (Champaign/Urbana) while Kermit finished his college degree. After his graduation, the family moved first to southern Illinois (Scotland and Cisne) where Kermit taught high school agriculture, and then to St. Joseph in central Illinois, where Kermit also taught high school agriculture for 30 years. During these years, Lee was first a homemaker and later worked at the University of Illinois, Champaign, for more than 20 years, where she initially worked as an administrative assistant at the Student Union building for one year, and then as departmental secretary of the Child Development Department for the remainder of her working career. Following their retirement, Kermit and Lee moved to south Texas (Mission) to be near their daughter and her family, where they lived for a number of years. In 1995, they moved to Arlington, Texas, where they have resided ever since, also to be near their daughter and family. In addition to her business expertise and skill, Lee has been a very prolific and talented artist for many years. Lee has painted over 100 beautiful paintings throughout her lifetime. Additionally, she was an accomplished seamstress and crafts expert. In addition to her Methodist church activities, Lee valued spending time with her family.

Survivors: Husband, Kermit Esarey of Arlington; daughter, Gail Yovanovitch, and husband, John, of Arlington; grandchildren, John Lasher Yovanovitch, and wife Nettie, of Alvord; Daniel Yovanovitch of Arlington; Ana Moore, and husband, David, of Arlington; Bianca Lopez, and husband, James, of Fort Worth; Carrie Yovanovitch, and husband, Joseph Ferguson, of Fort Worth; Nicole Yovanovitch of Arlington; Liliane Duran, and husband, Andrew, of Bedford; David Yovanovitch, and wife, Tanya, of Dallas, Georgia; Leslie Yovanovitch of Arlington; Melissa Jones, and husband, Tim, of Grand Prairie; Laura Yovanovitch, of Lewisville; Rowina Yovanovitch, of Grand Prairie; Logan Yovanovitch of Elmira Heights New York; great grandchildren AnnMarie Yovanovitch of Arlington; John Lasher Yovanovitch, Junior, of Alvord; Madelyn Belt, and husband, Trevor, of Fort Worth; Brianna Rivers of Fayettville, North Carolina; Ariana Bouldin of Arlington; Justine Easley of Arlington; David Blake, Junior, of Arlington; Kai Lopez of Fort Worth; Zoey Ferguson of Fort Worth; Zander Ferguson of Fort Worth; Kiana Yovanovitch of Arlington; Miles Yovanovitch of Dallas, Georgia; Koen Jones of Grand Prairie; Miles Jones of Grand Prairie; Lea Jones of Grand Prairie; Markus Blackwell of Grand Prairie; Andrew Bortzfield of Grand Prairie; great great grandchildren Jason Yovanovitch of Alvord; Brayden Yovanovitch of Alvord; Brantley Belt of Fort Worth; and special family friends Oscar Rogers of Arlington; Wesley Lue of Lewisville; Robert Bortzfield of Grand Prairie; Larry McKeever of Elmira Heights.

Lastly, the family wishes to thank the staff of Freedom Hospice Care, DFW office, for the exceptional care and services they have provided.