Naomi Lynn Buchanan Batten

Services for Naomi Lynn Buchanan Batten, 89, of Lufkin, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, January 12, 2015 in the Gipson Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Aubrey Knox officiating. Interment will follow in the Garden of Memories Memorial Park.

Mrs. Batten was born May 22, 1925 and died Wednesday, January 7, 2015 in a local hospice facility.

She was born in Houston County, Texas to Ruth (Long) and Lynn Buchanan. She lived there until she graduated salutatorian from Weldon High School in 1942 at the age of sixteen. After attending business school in Houston, she worked for Howard Hughes Tool Company. In 1946, she married Hollice Batten when he returned from World War II and was honorably discharged from the United States Army Corp of Engineers. They lived in the East Texas area and moved to Lufkin in 1954, where they raised their three children, Peggy, Doug and Randy, and enjoyed many happy years until his death in 1994.

After moving to Lufkin, Naomi attended Angelina College and Stephen F. Austin University and worked for Lufkin Independent School District, retiring in 1988. She liked to travel and in her early retirement was able to make numerous trips abroad, as well as in the United States. Naomi was a member of several travel clubs, Angelina Retired Teachers/School Personnel and Lufkin’s First Baptist Church for more than fifty years.

She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend to many. Her legacy is her family that she dearly loved and supported in their educational and athletic accomplishments. She attended many of the grandchildren’s sports events in high school and to the collegiate level in softball. She was known as “Nana” to her immediate family.

Survivors include her daughter, Peggy and son-in-law, Charles Albritton of Huntington; sons, Doug Batten of Lufkin, Randy and daughter-in-law, Sherri Batten of Huntington; sister, Dona Qualls of Diana; grandchildren, Ashley and her husband, Steve Bratton, Caitlyn and her husband, Kris Kirkland, Rachel Albritton, Brittney, Kelsie and Jeremy Batten; and great-grandchildren, Barrett and Briley Bratton; nephew, Donnie Qualls; and numerous other relatives and friends.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Hollice Batten.

Pallbearers will be Jeremy Batten, Kris Kirkland, Steven Bratton, Reagan Walker, Bruce Jasperson, David Young, and Donnie Qualls.

Honorary pallbearer will be David Morgan.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Batten’s memory may be made to Lufkin’s First Baptist Church Van Fund, 106 E. Bremond, Lufkin, TX 75901 or University of Texas at Tyler, Softball Team, 3300 University Boulevard, Tyler, TX 75799.

The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday evening at Gipson Funeral Home.

Condolences may be offered at www.gipsonfuneralhome.com

Services have been placed in the trust of Gipson Funeral Home