Ava Jewel was born on a summer day June 10, 1924, to Joseph Wiley and Lois Mable Waldrip Futrell on the Futrell family farm outside of Heath, Texas. Ava was welcomed by brother Weldon, Sister Dorothy, and half-sister Amedrith. The Futrell’s farmed many crops but most often cotton, wheat, barley, and grains. Ava's mother, Lois Futrell, was known for miles around for her magnificent garden, Ava spent a lot of time working that garden under her mother's watchful eye while growing up.
Ava attended Heath Elementary, and Middle school and later graduating from Forney High School in 1941. She played softball and basketball. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Forney and was predominantly Baptist most of her life. After all, her father and grandfather were both Deacons. Ava attended secretarial schools and later worked as a legal secretary with incredible typing skills. She could smoke a keyboard rarely if ever, making an error.
The first of October, 1949, Ava Jewel Futrell married James Clifford Norred, a struggling petroleum engineering studying at the University of Texas at Austin, becoming Ava Jewel Futrell Norred, or Mrs. James C Norred. Once he graduated Clifford landed a job with Sun Oil Company, and they promptly moved to Beaumont, Texas in 1951. While there they had their first Son, James Christopher on December 14th, 1953. Cliff transferred to a field engineering job outside of Markham, Texas in 1955 where they had their second son, Paul Michael Norred who was born September 17th, of that year. They later moved to Bay City Texas where, in 1959, they built a home in the Burkner Subdivision on 1713 Tech Street. Ava was active in the PTA, a Den Mother for Boy Scout Pack 53, and she studied charcoal, pastels, and oil painting with her son James with an artist by the name of Mr. Michaels’ out of Rockport, Texas. He visited Bay City three times a week. Later, moving to Baytown, Texas, Ava studied and received her Realtors license and worked as a successful real estate agent for many years. Finally, after being transferred many times, including two years in Lafayette, Louisiana, they settled down in Houston, Texas in the early 1970s when Clifford moved into an upper management position in the Houston office.
Loving the beach and fishing Cliff and Ava bought a vacation home, a beach house in Jamaica Beach, Texas which is just west of Galveston proper on Galveston Island. Cliff purchased a boat and many a wonderful time was had with family and friends over the years at that wonderful beach house.
On the 13th of July, 1981, Clifford suffered a fatal heart attack in his sleep while attending a company seminar in Beaumont, Texas, and Ava was a widow. But, not being one to give up, Ava bounced back finding new friends and getting back into real estate. She also followed a lifelong passion for ballroom dancing, even competing, and winning with more than one dance partner. As if that weren't enough, Ava became a travel agent for Trask Travel at the time, among others, including cruise lines. As a travel agent, she is sent, on the expense account, to the many destinations, all over the world, for which she would be booking clients. This perk let her, as an agent; experience firsthand the various resorts therefore better able to customize travel for many different types of travel clients. What a job! Always loving the craft of writing Ava also wrote poetry, and dabbled with writing travel books and blogs, but never publishing anything. Ava Jewel was one of a kind.
On March 16th, 2019, Ava Jewel Futrell, died peacefully, at her home, of natural causes and old age with her two sons nearby. She was 94 years old, lived a glorious and inspirational life, and may she rest in peace. Ava is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Wiley and Lois Mabel Waldrip Futrell, sisters, Dorothy Nell Peoples, Toinette Marie Kidd, and Emily Faye Futrell, half-sisters, Amedrith Lone Peck, and Allegra Belle, Chapman. Brother Joseph Weldon and half-brother, James Lowe Futrell. Yes, she is the last one after his older sister Dorothy, and I think she was lonely missing her sisters. Ava is survived by her two sons, James Christopher and Paul Michael Norred, grandsons Michael (Paul & Linda) James Carl and Eric David Norred (James & Joy) and great-grandson, James Christian Norred (James Carl), Granddaughters Savanna (Paul & Linda) and Sarah Faye (James & Laura Lee).
Services are being held Saturday, April 6th at 2:00 PM, Brookside Cypress Creek Funeral Home, 9149 Highway 6 N. Houston, Texas 77095. Ava is being cremated with interment being at a later date still to be announced. The family will have a reception with food and beverage after the service at the funeral home to visit and become reacquainted.
For those who like to donate, Ava thought the world of Herman Children's Hospital for the excellent care they always took of her special needs granddaughter, Sarah Faye Norred
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