Eudell Cowley Sims

Dell was the loving mother of Sherry and Velma, grandmother of John, Mike, Shane and Paul; and great grandmother of Taylor, Taryn, Brandon, Austin and Matthew, Dell loved being surrounded by her family.

Dell was born in Anson, Texas in 1929, Dell and her twin brother Bud, were the youngest of 6 children born to Mary Ethel Crow and Furmer Burton Cowley. She retired from Frito Lay Corporation after more than 18 years to spend more time with family, of whom she was immensely proud.

Always shy, Dell was a quiet presence at family functions, preferring to sit back and soak in the activity around her, rather than be in the middle of it. However, she always kept a sharp eye on the roughhousing and antics that come with large families and the kids would often catch her chuckling in her chair at something they’d done.

Dell loved cooking for her family who always looked forward to her signature dishes: “mushy fried potatoes,” which taste much better than they sound, barbecue chicken, and her famous holiday stuffing, often imitated but never duplicated, although her daughter Sherry is coming very close with practice.

Dell loved watching her “stories” in the afternoon, playing Bingo with her friends, fishing with her daughter Velma, and occasionally “going gambling,” which consisted solely of playing the slots. Out of everything she would receive for Christmas or birthday gifts, scratch-off cards from her son-in-law Ed were usually her favorite and she would go right to work on them before the rest of the gifts were even open.

The one thing Dell loved more than scratch-off cards (and almost as much as her family,) was her protective dachshund Heidi, who always seemed to be in her lap or at her heel. You rarely saw one without the other.

She is survived by her daughters Sherry Barry of Houston; Velma Jean Appleman of New Market, AL; Grandsons John Barry of Houston and his wife Michelle; Mike Barry of Cypress, TX, and his wife Stacy; Shane Appleman of New Market, AL, and his wife Tammie; and Paul Appleman of Houston; Great Grandchildren Taylor, Brandon & Austin Barry of Houston; and Taryn and Matthew Barry of Cypress, TX; Step Great Granddaughters Stephanie Martin of New Market, AL and Holly Buchanan of Huntsville, AL; and Son-in-law Ed Barry of Waller, TX; all of whom brought her great joy in her later years.

She is preceded in death by her parents Mary Ethel Crow and Furmer Burton Cowley; and her siblings Nollie Mae Turner, James William Leon Cowley, Robert “R.B.” Burton; Imogene Falknor, and her twin Richard “Bud” Cowley.

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