Frances Elizabeth Daniel

Elizabeth Malone Daniel Gladewater " A reception honoring the memory of Elizabeth Malone Daniel, 94, of Gladewater, will be held on Monday, July 25, 2011, at 11 A.M. at the Gladewater Former Students" Association Building. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Croley Funeral Home in Gladewater. Born on March 1, 1917, in Frisco, Texas, she entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, July 20, 2011. She was the fourth child of Frances David Malone and Jessie Robertson Malone. Frances" family arrived in 1885 from Greene County, Tennessee. Jessie"s family arrived in Denton County and were descendants of colonists in Peter"s Colony which was part of the Teel Settlement established in 1845. Elizabeth"s father farmed his family property and adjoining farms. As the children grew, the boys worked the harvest and the three girls worked as waterboys and assisted their Mother with the cookshack. The elder children attended the Robertson School held in the home of their great-grandfather, James Robertson. As Elizabeth and her sister, Louise, reached school age, the family switched homes with Frances" parents so that all the children could easily attend Frisco schools. The Robertson School continued to operate until 1935. In 2007 Elizabeth attended the dedication of the new Robertson School in Frisco, named for the original. She was recognized as the oldest Robertson descendant in attendance. Upon arriving, she was told others there wouldn"t be too happy to see her. Two cousins who graduated high school in the "50's were sure they would be the seniors in attendance. She was quite gracious as she accepted the award. All the Malone children attended North Texas State Teachers College upon finishing high school in Frisco. All graduated with teacher"s certificates from NTSTC. Elizabeth"s degree was a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. Her first teaching position was with Palmer School District. After a year in Palmer, she moved to Henderson, Texas, where she met Robert Stokes "Rusty" Daniel, Jr. He was the manager of the K. Wolens Department Store. They married on August 4, 1941 and moved to Athens where she taught home economics and he managed K. Wolens. Rusty was drafted into the Army in Athens and named manager of the Post Exchange at Love Field in Dallas. From Love Field they moved to Bryan/College Station until his discharge in 1945 at which time they returned to Gladewater. Subsequent moves to Marshall, Cleburne, and the threat of either Lubbock or Baton Rouge led Rusty to believe it was time his family of five, soon to be six, needed to return to the pines of North East Texas. The family returned to Gladewater to own their own business on February 1, 1952. Two weeks later the last of their four children was born. Elizabeth was a stay-at-home mom for a short period of time but soon joined Rusty in the operation of The Peggy-Ann Shop, the name of the business when they made the purchase. Shortly, it was changed to daniel"s with a small "d", much to the displeasure of local educators. Elizabeth and Rusty were charter members of the Twentieth Century Class of the First United Methodist Church. After Rusty"s death, she became a member of the Ages and Stages Sunday School Class. As the children grew and all were enrolled in Gladewater schools, Elizabeth became more involved with Parent Teacher Associations, serving as President of individual school organizations and the city-wide organization and a life member of the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers. She also eagerly volunteered to accompany the children as a sponsor on choir trips, tennis trips, etc. Those choir trips were especially remarkable as the transportation was unairconditioned school buses. She made several trips to California and New York with all of her children at various times. As the children finished high school, they all elected to attend the University of Texas at Austin. Though their trips weren"t frequent, Rusty and Elizabeth quickly adjusted to the "Longhorn Parent" lifestyle and took pride in the fact that each of the children received degrees from The University and three of her grandchildren also attended and graduated from Texas. Elizabeth worked hard at proving ancestral lines that would allow her to become a member of genealogical societies on both state and national levels. Until her fall, she was an active member of The National Society of Magna Carta Dames, The National Society of Colonial Dames XVII Century, Daughters of the American Colonists, Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and Texas First Families. It was anticipated that Elizabeth might retire from daniel"s after Rusty"s death. She was actually told she could do so, but that lasted about six weeks. Then one day she walked in and announced she would let the staff know when she was ready to retire. That never happened. She continued to work right up to the day she tripped walking across her garage after having been at daniel"s all day. The fall resulted in a cracked pelvis which was not anticipated to be a difficult heal, but complications did arise and over the next year and a half, Elizabeth spent quality time at home with loving care givers. That love was a two-way street. She is survived by her daughters, Sondra Daniel of Gladewater; Theresa Daniel McClure and husband Robert F. of The Woodlands; Deborah Daniel Meyer and husband Kenneth B. of Houston; son, Robert S. Daniel III of San Diego; grandchildren, Allison McClure Wright and husband Will of Colorado Springs, CO; Scott McClure of Waco; William Daniel Meyer and wife, Neal, of Houston; and Kelly Brown Meyer of Littleton, Colorado. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 P.M. on Sunday, July 24, 2011, at Croley Funeral Home in Gladewater.