Opal Boutwell

Mrs. Opal I. Boutwell, wife of Roy L. Boutwell passed away at Scott and White Hospital on December 22, 2007. Graveside services will be held for her at Bellwood Memorial Park at 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, December 27, 2007. She was predeceased by her husband, Roy L. Boutwell. Mrs. Boutwell was born at noon on February 27, 1920 on her grandfathers farm in Coleman County, Texas during a blinding dust storm. She was the daughter of Thomas R. Nicholson and Francis Rebecca Rawlins Nicholson. All the branches of Mrs. Boutwell's family were in the Colony of Virginia by the early 1600's. She had direct ancestors in the North Carolina Continental Line and in the South Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War who fought in the decisive battles of the Revolutionary war that were fought in South Carolina in 1780 and 1781. She had three great grandfathers who were in the Confederate Army from Tennessee and South Carolina. Both sets of her grandparents came to Texas in the late 1880's to Milam and San Saba Counties. She was a decendent of John Pigg who was a direct ancestor of Harry Truman and a decendent of William Golden who was a friend and neighbor of Zachary Taylor the grandfather of Presidents James Madison and Zachary Taylor. She was a great lady that loved life, her friends and her family. During the severe drought and depression in the 1930's Mrs. Boutwell's family lived on the grandparent's farm in both Bell County and Coleman County. She attended school at Red Bank and Shields in Coleman County and at New Colony and Temple in Bell County. Her family moved to Temple in the early 1930's and she met her future husband when they were children. They were married on September 1, 1938 upon Mr. Boutwell's first discharge from service in the Army with the 1st Calvary Division at Ft. Clark, Texas. During World War II, Mrs. Boutwell and her sons saw her husband depart for service in India and Burma in 1944 from the Katy depot in Temple and they saw him return home at the Santa Fe depot in Temple in 1946. Mrs. Boutwell was a devoted homemaker and she assisted Mr. Boutwell in running his auditorium seating installation business for 36 years. Mrs. Boutwell loved supporting her sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren in all their educational and sporting endeavors and up to shortly before her death she supported her great grandson, Rayn Boutwell and the China Spring Cougars in their games this year. Mrs. Boutwell was a Christian who belonged to the Immanuel Baptist Church her in Temple for 55 years. She lived her life in a manner that reflected this as she treated people from every walk of life with respect and dignity. She was a good neighbor and she was a devoted friend to ther friendss. She dearly loved her family and she in teturn was loved by her family. She is survived by her sons Lester G. Boutwell of Temple, Texsas and Roy Lynn Boutwell and his wife Charlene Boutwell of Cameron, Texas, her grandchildren and their spouses, Jeff and Cecilia Boutwell of China Spring, Texas, David and Julia Boutwell of Hay Market, Virginia, Elizabeth and Anthony McDaniel of Tulia, Texas and great grandchildrfen, Ryan and Cullen Boutwell, Hannah and Kaley Boutwell, and Andrew, Rebecca, Zakery and Carson McDaniel. She is also survived by her dear friends Sharon McClish of Austin, Texas who she thought of as a daughter and May Proctor, a life long friend of Temple, Texas. She was attended by Pat Havlik from Vista Care of Temple and Brandon Lunsford of Temple, Texas who helped her by pushing her wheelchair at football games. The family requests that all memorials be made to the Scott and White Foundation. Scanio Harper Funeral Home is in charge of arranagments.