Roland Wilson Chamblee

Funeral services for Roland Chamblee, age 93 of Mineola, Texas, will be on Saturday, September 5, 2015, at 1 p.m. at Eubank Funeral Home Chapel in Canton, Texas with Rev. Steve Glosup officiating. Burial will follow in Old Bethel Cemetery.

The family will greet friends on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Roland went to be with the Lord on September 1, 2015, in Quitman, Texas.

Roland was born July 4, 1922 to the late R F (Dutch) Chamblee and Oma Thormahlen Chamblee.

He grew up in the Old Bethel Community. He attended school at Old Bethel, Canton, Texas and attended North Texas Agriculture College in Arlington, Texas.

Roland worked in Defense Plants in California and Garland, Texas before going into the Air Force in World War II. He served three years in the Air Force Transport Command. One of which was in Libya, North Africa. While stationed in North Africa, he was blessed with the opportunity to spend 10 days in the Holy Land and to visit Cairo, Egypt and the Pyramids.

After World War II, he was employed with Coca Cola Co. as Fleet Supervisor and mechanic for seventeen years. He was elected Smith County Commissioner in 1969 and served in that office for 8 years. However, he began growing roses in the fifties and in 1979, Roland and his wife, Sarah, opened a national award winning gift and floral shop, (Chamblee’s RoseArama).

Roland was active in his faith and a member of First Baptist Church of Mineola, Texas, as well as many civic organizations over the years. He has served over 36 years as trustee of the Old Bethel Cemetery Association and Smith County Farm Bureau.

He is preceded in death by his father and mother, three brothers, Jamie Cain, Truett Chamblee and Bobby Joe Chamblee and sister Marium Marshall.

Roland is survived by his sweet wife of 66 years, Emma Sarah Chamblee, a son Mark and daughter-in-law Sharon of Mineola, two Grandchildren, Heather and Chris, 3 Great-Grandchildren, Colby, BayLee and Spencer. He is also survived by two brothers Adrian Chamblee of Athens, Texas and Gerald Dee & Dana Beth of Mabank, Texas, Two sisters, Peggy Ann & Leon Black of Austin, Texas and Katie Stout of Canton, Texas, Caregiver, Gabby, and a host of friends and relatives.

Pall bearers will be Burt Stout, Jay Settle, Bill Crook, Ron Hill, Chris Chamblee Jimmy Haynes.