Opal Jo Damerall

Opal Jo Damerall was born on April 15, 1919 to Mary and Brintz Hays of Wichita Falls, Texas and passed away on February 6, 2013, just shy of her 94th birthday. She grew up in the oil fields of north Texas and learned a lot about tornadoes, rattlesnakes and the joys of living in company houses. When she was 20, she married Odell, her high school sweetheart. Like so many other young women of this era, she followed her husband to San Francisco when he enlisted in the navy during World War II. Their life together would take them to Aurora, Colorado; Bryan/College Station,Texas and San Antonio where Odell worked as a fire chief on air bases. She recalled her life in storybook fashion and would describe her adventures in vivid detail. She was a great mother to her children, David and Sue, and provided a loving home accented by sweet and savory smells from the kitchen. She was an excellent seamstress and quilter. She could play the piano with great flair. Opal Jo never gave up on life, even as she became weaker and more infirm in her later years. She was always anxious to see what would happen next, particularly where the lives of her children were concerned. Guided by a true Christian heart, she lived her life serving the Lord and caring about the lives of others.

Her husband preceded her in death as did her younger brother, Jack. Those surviving and charged with remembering her many stories are her son David and his wife Lynda; her daughter Sue Kyle and her husband John; her grandchildren Rachel (Royce) Hayes, Jeff (Alison) Damerall, Marissa (Tyler) Capron and Christen Amundsen; her great grandchildren Marian and Alice Hayes and Miles and Simon Damerall; her nieces Jackie Lyles and Sharon (Johnny) Baird, her nephew Howard Hays and numerous great and great great nieces and nephews.

Her service will be held at 11 a.m. on February 20 at Porter Loring Mortuary North. She will be buried alongside her husband at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. The committal service will begin at 12:30 p.m.