Lelia Lucille Chalker

Mrs. Chalker was a kind, gentle, and soft-spoken soul whose family and faith were extremely important to her. She was the best Memaw, especially when she cooked her blackberry cobbler. She enjoyed traveling and loved gardening and cooking. At the age of 5 Lucille's family moved to the tight-knit community of Lufkin, allowing her to attend Lufkin High School and later business school. She moved away for a number of years before returning to Lufkin where she met and married the love of her life, Herman Chalker, on August 3, 1963. She worked as a secretary at Lufkin State School and Unity Baptist Association until she retired to help with the care of her father. In later years she was a homemaker and a member of Denman Avenue Baptist Church. Mrs Chalker was also a member of Gideons International, Good Sam's Club and Volunteer Christian Builders. She was a Sunday School teacher and active in her church and WMU.

Survivors include her husband, Herman Chalker of Lufkin; daughters and sons-in-law, Judy and Sherman Minter of Kimball, MN and Kathy and Mike McDonald of Cypress, TX; step-daughters and husbands, Mary Jane and John Baldwin of College Station, TX, Mildred and Larry Wright of Lufkin, TX; step-sons and wives, Larry and Margie Jo Chalker of Irving, TX and Jerry and Marty Chalker of Lufkin, TX; sisters and brother-in-law, Oleta Stewart of Lufkin and Madelyn and Ray Casper of Burton, TX; brother, Bob Mitchell of Ennis, TX; 15 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mrs. Chalker is preceded in death by sister, Retha Means; brother-in-law, John Means; brother, James Mitchell; sister-in-law, Eileen Mitchell; brother-in-law, Bill Stewart; and grandson, Gary Minter.

Serving as pallbearers will be John Baldwin, II, Danny Chalker, Joel McDonald, Jim Mangum, Rusty Mangum, John Wisinger, Matt Gowen, James Gray and Jimmy Mangum.

Memorial contributions may be offered to Gideons International, P. O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN, 37214-0800, Hospice in the Pines,1504 W. Frank, Lufkin, TX 75904 or a charity of your choice.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 3, 2011 at Denman Avenue Baptist Church with Rev. Charles Roberts and Rev. Larry Chalker officiating. Interment will follow in the Garden of Memories Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday evening at Gipson Funeral Home.

Condolences may be offered at www.gipsonfuneralhome.com

Services have been placed in the trust of Gipson Funeral Home.