Ms Annie Pearl Ray Carrell

Annie Peal Ray Carrell was a woman who was not afraid of nothing and had more backbone than most men you meet. She was born on September 13, 1928 in Wynnewood, Oklahoma to parents, Gerald and Ruth Ray. She moved to Texas in 1936 and was raised on hard work and a dairy farm in Houston, Tx. She quit school in the 9th grade to become a wife and mother.

She married Warren Sellers in 1943. Annie gave birth to two boys, Jimmy Wayne, and Billy Warren. Billy was killed in accident in the fall of 1947. Annie married John Carrell in 1949 and had six boys, Jerry William who served a tour of duty in Vietnam, Rowland Thomas, Ricky Lee, David Ray, Cecil Herman and Paul Edward. In 1974 she moved to Pineland, Texas.

Proverbs 31:25-30, says, “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and her praises her. Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

When Annie worked she did whatever she could do, anything from paper routes, princess diner, taxi cabs, school busses, city buses, hot shot trucks, 18 wheelers, whatever it took to "float the raft". She worked so hard raising boys and making a living, probably didn’t have five minutes for herself, and truth be told, wouldn’t know what to do with it if she had it. She could make the best meals with hardly anything, but when that’s what you are used to, that’s what you do.

Annie loved to read and taught her kids that if there was someplace you wanted to go pick up a book and go there. She said she had been all over the world and never left her chair. She loved to county western dance and could cut a pretty good rug when the music started. She raised her kids to be kind, considerate of others, respectful of their elders and anyone else deserving of it. When the boys were young, mama was right there with them playing football, baseball, or whatever it might be. Some of them had motorcycles and fast cars and she would ride or drive them just like they did!

To us, Mama will always be a face on our mind, a smile we have seen a million times, two eyes that would light up the sky at night. Now we look at a photo to see her smile and keep her number on speed dial and watch a video to hear her voice, but great memories we will always keep with us, her love is in our hearts for eternity

Annie is preceded in death by her late husband JW Carrell; son Billy; parents Gerald and Ruth Ray; brothers Henry and Tommy Ray; and two grandchildren Jack and Angie.

She is survived by sister, Della Mae and husband James; seven sons, Jimmy and wife Minnie, William and wife Pam, Rowland and wife Dorthy, Ricky and wife Judy, David and wife Karen, Cecil and wife Alana, Paul and wife Cindy; 27 grandchildren and 41 great grandchildren.

A Funeral Service will be conducted on Saturday, April 25 at 2:00 pm with Pastor Charles William of Restoration Worship Center officiating at Gibson Funeral Home located on 1515 S Chestnut St in Lufkin Texas Friends and family are invited to visitation from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm prior to the service. A private burial will take place at Zion Hill Community Cemetery in Peaster, Parker County, Texas at a later date.