Lillie Whitton Obituary

October 4, 1936 ~ May 18, 2024

87 Years Old

Obituary

Funeral service for Mrs. Lillie Belle (Gray) Whitton, 87, of Nacogdoches will be held at 2:00pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at Laird Funeral Home with Bro. Jerry Wilson and Bro. Bret Maisel officiating.  Interment will follow at Rock Springs Cemetery.  Visitation will be held from 5-7pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at Laird Funeral Home.

Mrs. Whitton passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2024 in Nacogdoches.  She was born on October 4, 1936 in the Trawick Community.  

Lillie Belle Gray Whitton was born and raised in Nacogdoches County.  She was the youngest child of a large family, born to Walter and Ollie Mae Gray.  As was typical of her generation, she was raised to be a lady and she was exactly that for the entire span of her life.  However, she was also taught the value of a hard day’s work.  As a teenager, she learned to drive a dump truck and that was where she met her beloved Allen.  One day, as she was driving that big ole’ truck, she had a flat and her “knight in shining armor” showed up and rescued her from a flat tire.  That exact day began a love story worth telling.  She and Allen were married the day after she graduated high school, on June 1, 1955 and were completely devoted to each other until his passing in 2007.  During their 52 years of marriage, they raised their two sons, smiled as they gained the title of grandparents, and made sure their family was taken care of. 

Lillie was a wonderful cook and had a green thumb when it came to her plants and flowers.  She also enjoyed traveling to her favorite places …Branson, Eureka Springs and Mountain View, to name a few.  During her travels, she often stopped to get a “cutting” from beautiful blooms that she found, even if they were from some of the strangest places.  She would come home and find the perfect spot for them.   She remained active in her yard and on the “farm” that she and Allen loved so dearly up until the past few years of her life.  Working outside and taking care of her land and house finally came to a stop when her sons had to take away her ladders to keep her from climbing onto her roof to clean it off!  She was a hard worker and there wasn’t much she did not do for herself.   

Beyond her love of family, the only thing that stood before them, was her love and dedication to Christ.  She was a longtime member of Harmony Baptist Church where she was involved in the ladies’ group, helped with Vacation Bible School and Sunday School and was always bringing food when they had a gathering.  She consistently lived her life as a servant of her Lord and Savior. 

Lillie is survived by her sons, David Whitton and wife, Cheryl and Paul Whitton and wife, LaDon; grandchildren, Lonnie Whitton & wife, Christina, Nathan Whitton, Tanis Todd and husband, Jeff, Brandon Pennington & wife, Lori, Erica Smith and Brittanie Pennington; 13 great grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Gaynell Baker and Treva Gray and numerous nieces and nephews, including her very special niece, Lydia Quinn.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Allen Whitton, her parents and each of her siblings.

Serving as pallbearers will be Lonnie Whitton, Nathan Whitton, Jef Todd, Terry Stone, Allen Whitton IV and Brandon Pennington.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lillie Whitton, please visit our floral store.