August 28, 1923-January 29, 2022
May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent from one another.
Genesis 31:49
After a life well lived, Maudell Elizabeth Webb Whitfield, 98, of Beaumont, Texas ended her journey on earth and went home to our Lord and Savior. She was born on August 28,1923 to Maude Ellen Webb and Harvey Webb in Orangefield, Texas. After graduating from French High School in 1942 she worked at the theater in downtown Beaumont, where she met her loving husband of 52 years, Reid Whitfield. After Reid’s service in World War II, the couple was blessed with five children. Together they enjoyed a young marriage filled with raising children, and a retirement spent traveling, tending to their rental business, and fishing; as Reid was an avid fisherman. Through Maudell’s love and adoration, it was clear that her husband, children, and subsequent grandchildren were her pride and joy.
Maudell’s two most important titles were mother and grandmother. She dedicated her life to loving her family well. Her children boast about their mother’s selflessness, focus on family, and playful spirit. She loved playing games with her children and grandchildren. A game of Gold Fish, Monopoly, or Uno would never be boring if Maudell was playing! She was able to bring the simplest moments to life. From shopping with her daughters, to helping her sons skin a deer or build a fort, she knew that time with family was her most treasured blessing.
Her heart was one of servitude. One way she displayed her love was through her home cooked meals. If family were visiting, everyone ate well at Maudell’s. Her made-to-order breakfast, SOS, and shrimp gumbo are impossible to forget. She didn’t limit her cooking to her family. Friends of her children became family, and they ate well too! It wasn’t uncommon for her to feed a group of teens when her children were in high school on any given Saturday morning. The gift of food and fellowship were abundant in her home.
Her animals became her children as well. Maudell’s pets hit the jackpot when she became their owner. Not only did she provide her dogs, and at one time pot belly pigs, with homemade meals, she never let them endure the weather or go a day without her love and kind words.
Her additional accomplishments were earning the title of co-tennis county champs at French High School with her best friend, Joya Babin, Cub scout den mother, PTA member at Roy Guess Elementary, and serving on the board at Sabine Oaks Nursing Home. Aside from these, at one time she served on a bowling league at Village Lanes where she competed at the state competition. She also helped her husband, Reid, to accumulate rental property for their business to help in retirement years.
Maudell accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age. In reflection of her life, she shared many times with others that the Lord blessed her tremendously with a good life. When saying goodbyes after a visit with her family, she would often remind them to say their prayers daily, noting that she would say her prayers every single night. She was confident in the power of prayer and the impact it had on her life.
Maudell Whitfield is preceded in death by her parents Maud and Harvey Webb; brothers, James (Jimmy) Webb, AJ Webb, Macky Webb; her loving husband, William Reid Whitfield; and Grandson, Steven Reid Whitfield. She is survived by her five children, daughter Cynthia Duerer and husband Bob Duerer of Houston; their Children Debbi, and Derrick "Chip"; daughter; Sue Atlas and husband Lewis Atlas of Chapel Hill, N. Carolina; their children Todd and Chad; son Steve Whitfield and wife Suzie of Beaumont; their children Lauren, Anna and Nichole; daughter Janet Murphy and husband Bob Murphy of Conroe, Texas; son James Whitfield and wife Anita Whitfield of Beaumont; their children Travis and Trenton; and numerous great grandchildren.
