EARL DON ALFORD
AAFA #0361
1945 OK – 2007 TX
Don wearing his Texas flag bowtie!
Photo from Brown’s
Funeral Service
PANOLA WATCHMAN
Carthage, Panola Co., TX—_____ March 2007
Don Alford, age 61, went to be with the Lord at
5:40 p.m. Thursday, March 8, 2007, in Tyler [Smith Co.], TX.
He was born in Caney, Oklahoma, on April 16,
1945, the son of Arnold and Lillie Alford. He married the love of his life,
Gayla Miller on June 3, 1977.
Don graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State
University with a Master’s degree in Mathematics. He was a former Deacon at
Caney Baptist Church in Caney. Don was past master of the Masonic Lodge in Caddo,
OK. He enjoyed flying and held a private pilot’s license and was also a member
of the AOPA. Don taught and coached in Caney, Oklahoma, before becoming a State
Farm Insurance Agent in 1977. Do was promoted to Agency Leadership in 1982 and
continued his career with State Farm in Texas. Don was responsible for hiring
and developing numerous agents and employees. Don will be remembered for his
exceptional integrity, intelligence, and leadership.
Don was a member of the 1st Baptist
Church of Sulphur Springs.
Don is survived by his wife, Gayla Alford, son Clint
Alford and wife Casey of Caney, Okla., daughter Amanda Lawrence and husband
Ryan Lawrence of Carthage, Texas, daughter Amy Scott and husband Wade Scott of
Hugo, Oklahoma; six grandchildren Cade Scott, Lain Scott, Callie Lawrence,
Ashlyn Lawrence, Tymber Gray and Nate Scott; brothers Travis Alford [AAFA
#0374] and wife Betty Alford, Neal Alford and wife Theresa Alford, Bob Alford
and wife Ella Alford, Jack Alford [AAFA #0369] and wife Janice Alford, Carl
Alford and wife Vicki Alford, Wallace Alford and wife Vicki Alford and sister Mary
Gay and husband Jim Gay.
Don was preceded in death by his parents Arnold
and Lillie Alford, brother Bud Alford, sister Sammy Lee and nephew Phillip
Alford.
Services under the Direction of Brown’s Funeral
Service, Atoka, Oklahoma.
In another
article:
PANOLA WATCHMAN
Carthage, Panola Co., TX—_____ March 2007
Funeral services for Earl Don Alford, 61 of
Caney, OK were held at 2:30 p.m. Monday, March 12 at Voca Baptist Church in
Caney, OK. Reverend Neal Alford officiated the service. Burial followed at
Tushka Cemetery under the direction of Brown’s Funeral Services. Alford died Thursday,
March 8, 2007 in Tyler.
Alford was born in Caney, Ok on April 16, 2007
to Arnold and Lillie Alford. He married the love of his life, Gayla Miller, on
June 3, 1977. Alford graduated from Southeast Oklahoma State University with a
master’s degree in Mathematics. He was a former deacon at Caney Baptist Church
in Caney. Alford was past master of the Masonic Lodge in Caddo, OK. He enjoyed
flying and held a private pilot’s license and was also a member of the AOPA. He
taught and coached in Caney before becoming a State Farm Insurance Agent in
1977. Alford was promoted to Agency Leadership in 1982 and continued his career
with State Farm in Texas. He was responsible for hiring and developing numerous
agents and employees. Alford will be remembered for his exceptional integrity,
intelligence, and leadership. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of
Sulphur Springs.
Alford was preceded in death by his parents
Arnold and Lillie Alford, brother Bud Alford, sister Sammy Lee Alford and
nephew Phillip Alford.
He is survived by his wife, Gayla Alford; son
Clint Alford and wife Casey, of Caney, Ok; daughter Amanda Lawrence and husband
Ryan, of Carthage; daughter Amy Scott and husband Wade Scott, of Hugo, Ok; six
grandchildren Cade Scott, Lain Scott, Callie Lawrence, Ashlyn Lawrence, Tymber
Gray, and Nate Scott; brothers Travis Alford and wife Betty Alford, Neal Alford
and wife Theresa Alford, Bob Alford and wife Ella Alford, Jack Alford and wife
Janice Alford, Carl Alford and wife Vicki Alford, Wallace Alford and wife Vicki
Alford, and sister Mary Gay and husband Jim.
In another
article:
Brown’s Funeral Service
Atoka, Atoka Co., OK—_____March 2007
NAME: Earl Don Alford, age 61, of Sulphur Springs [Hopkins
Co.], Texas and a former Caney area resident.
BORN: April 16, 1945 in the Voca community, Atoka County, OK
to Arnold Allen and Lillie Francis (Tigert) Alford.
PASSED AWAY: Thursday, March 8, 2007 at Tyler, TX.
AGE: 61 years 10 months and 22 days.
EDUCATION: Don graduated from Caney High School with Class of
‘63. He graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with a Masters
degree in Mathematics.
OCCUPATION: Don taught, coached, drove a school bus and was
principal at Caney School. He later became associated with State Farm Insurance
Company and was the first State Farm agent in Atoka County. He was promoted to
agency leadership in 1982 and continued his career with State Farm in Texas. At
the time of his death, he was Agency Field Executive and had over 29 years with
the company.
Don was a member of the First Baptist Church in
Sulphur Springs, Texas as well as a former member and deacon at Caney Baptist
Church.
He was a member and past master of the Caddo
Masonic Lodge, a pilot and a member of the Aircraft Owners Pilots Association
and loved flying. He was a Certified Life Underwriter.
SURVIVED BY:
WIFE: Gayla Alford of the home at
Sulphur Springs, TX
CHILDREN: Clint Alford and wife Casey of Atoka,
OK
Amy Scott and husband
Wade of Hugo, OK
Amanda Lawrence and
husband Ryan of Carthage, TX
GRANDCHILDREN: Cade Scott, Lain Scott
Callie Lawrence,
Ashlyn Lawrence
Tymber Gray and Nate
Scott
SISTER: Mary Gay and husband Jim of
Piedmont, OK
BROTHERS: Travis Alford and wife Betty of
Wichita, KS
Neal Alford and wife Trecia
of Douglass, KS
Bob Alford and wife
Ella of Caney, OK
Jack Alford and wife
Janice of FT. Worth, TX
Carl Alford and wife
Vickie of Thackerville, OK
Wallace Alford and
wife Vicky, Caney, OK
PRECEDED IN DEATH BY:
PARENTS: Arnold and Lillie Alford
SISTER: Sammie Lee Alford
FATHER IN-LAW: Bill Pingleton
NEPHEW: Phillip Alford
DATE OF SERVICES: Monday, March 12, 2007 at 2:30 P.M.
PLACE OF SERVICES: Voca Baptist Church ~ Caney, OK.
INTERMENT: Tushka Cemetery, Tushka [Atoka Co.], OK.
OFFICIATING: Rev. Neal Alford [Don’s brother].
ASSISTING: Chris Christanelli, Greg Alford [nephew, son of
Wallace], and Gary Don Alford [nephew, son of Bob].
CASKETBEARERS: Ed Mills, Elmer Mulhausen, Phil Heard, Wyndel
Cummins, Gary Butler, Eddie Chew, Benny Davis, Ron Fluker, Rick Grisham, Brad
Campbell, Dick Stark.
HONORARY CASKETBEARERS: State Farm Agents in Northeast Texas
and agents that worked for Don while he was manager.
Photo
from Tushka Cemetery, Tushka, Atoka Co., OK—www.findagrave.com
Permission granted by
the photographer, Teena Cantrell
Photo
from Tushka Cemetery, Tushka, Atoka Co., OK—www.findagrave.com
Permission granted by
the photographer, MillieBelle
AAFA NOTES: SSDI records
confirm the birth and death dates of Earl Don Alford (SS# issued in OK), last
residence Sulphur Springs, Hopkins Co., TX.
We included the obituaries of his mother, Lillie
Francis Tigert Alford; brothers Buddy Marvin Alford and Wallace Madison Alford;
and paternal grandfather James Henry Alford in Oklahoma Obituaries; and of his
brother Travis Arnold Alford, AAFA #0374, in Kansas Obituaries.
We published “Success—Electronically!” in the
December 1990 issue of AAFA ACTION describing Don’s email contact with
AAFA and his subsequent connection to his previously unknown cousin Max Ray
Alford, former AAFA President. This was in the very early days of email
communication!
For more information about this family, see
AAFA’s published genealogy, Some of the
Descendants of John Alford ca1801 North Carolina.
His lineage: Earl Don 1945 OK1, Arnold
Allen 1908 OK2, James Henry MS3, Francis A. 1857 MS4,
John Madison 1826 GA5, John 1801 NC6.
