Earma Jean Underwood

Earma Jean Underwood (Wells) was born in Daley, Kentucky on April 21, 1943. She was the youngest of 3 children and the only daughter of Howard and Minerva Wells (Callahan). Her family moved to Lebanon, Indiana when she was 5. She graduated from Lebanon High School in 1961 and attended Methodist Hospital School of Nursing on a full scholarship from the Lebanon American Legion Forty and Eight Chapter. After graduating, she worked in her hometown before moving to Denver, Colorado with her best friend Amy Herman. Over the next two years, she worked as a nurse, and made numerous friends and memories.

After Colorado, she worked in Indianapolis before accepting a Naval commission in May of 1970 as an Ensign. She attended Officer Indoctrination School in Newport News, Rhode Island. Her first duty station was Parris Island, SC followed by the Naval Regional Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA and Great Lakes, Illinois. While she was stationed in Great Lakes, she met her husband, Jesse Underwood. They were married on November 13, 1976 and moved to Guam in 1977. During their tour in Guam, she became a mother with the adoption of their oldest daughter Rachel Anne. She and Jesse moved back stateside in 1980 where she had a long and decorated Naval career. In 1987, while stationed in Jacksonville, NC, they adopted their youngest daughter Tabitha Margaret.

Throughout her career, Earma was well respected by everyone she worked with ranging from hospital janitors, Corpsman and peers. Throughout her distinguished career, she was Chief of Nursing, head of the Ambulatory care unit, Operating Room and Emergency Room departments. NAS Corpus Christi was her final duty station; she retired in 1992 after Operation Desert Storm as a Naval Commander with 22 years of service.

After retirement, she put her nursing experience and knowledge to use in multiple settings. She retired in 2005 to be a full-time grandma when her first grandchild, Stephen McCray Moffitt, was born. She thoroughly enjoyed retirement and was a “hands on” grandma and active in her local church and Daughters of the King chapter. She and Jesse traveled the world together with some of her most memorable places being the Grand Canyon, Hawaii and Europe.

Earma was an excellent cook and loved a good Southern Comfort Sour or margarita. She enjoyed watching sappy Hallmark movies, cuddling with her grandchildren and volunteering in her community. She was the perfect combination of tenderness, strength, compassion and courage. She was gracious, humble and filled the world with kindness. She had a great sense of humor and the uncanny ability to calm you down and make you feel everything was going to be ok; even if you felt the sky was falling. She loved surprising people with a special gift just because and could plan a great party at the drop of a hat. Her favorite color was blue and she enjoyed weekend shopping trips with her girls. She loved a good book and passed her love of “tea time” to her granddaughter Nora. You could always find her quietly, or not so quietly, watching her children or grandchildren from the audience be it band, basketball, swimming, softball, Tigerettes, soccer, flag football, T-ball—the list goes on. Sunday dinners with the whole family were her favorite time of the week and she was known to pull a prank or two just for giggles.

Above all, Earma was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. There was no doubt her family was the most important thing to her. She was fiercely protective and loving; she is the familial glue that holds everyone together. She loved GOD and was steadfast in her faith. She truly enjoyed serving others and her kindness has left a lasting legacy and indelible mark on everyone around her.

Earma passed away peacefully on May 3, 2025 surrounded by her family. She is survived by her husband Jesse of 48 years of marriage, her step son Tom Underwood and daughter in law Laurie (Emery and Etta), her daughter Rachel de Moose and son in law Norman (Stephen & Nora), her daughter Tabitha Walker (Caleb), sisters in law Pamela Sanders, Ellen Underwood, Nancy Underwood and multiple nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at Brookside Funeral Home on May 13th from 5-8 pm (9149 Hwy 6 North Houston, TX 77095.) Funeral service will be May 14th, 10:00 am at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church (13131 Fry Road Cypress, Texas 77433. A graveside burial with military honors will follow directly after the service at Houston National Cemetery at 12:30 PM (10410 Veterans Memorial Drive Houston, Texas 77038.)

The family will host a reception immediately following the burial at Brookside Funeral home and welcomes all to share in celebrating Earma’s wonderful life.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association or St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church.