Gearldene (Brown) Wright

Gearldene "Babe" Brown was born on August 7, 1925 to Charles and Viola Brown in O'Donnell, TX. She was the 4th born of 8 children. In July 1943 she married Alton Wright and couple had 3 children, Shirley, Terry, and Quintin. Gearldene loved meeting people everywhere she went. Her spirit was infectious and anyone who knew her loved her instantly. For many years, Gearldene ran the Snack Shack at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, TX. This job also became a hobby of hers as it was there where she began collecting coins of all types that later were gifted to all her kids and grandkids. The family moved to the Gorman area when the couple's children were still young and Gearldene worked for Birdsong Peanuts where she eventually retired. After retirement, she never wanted to stay still and she and Alton loved to travel with her siblings where she loved the beach and floating in the ocean. Gearldene enjoyed a yearly "Sisters Trip" where people from all over the world would take photos of the 4 loud women with their even louder outfits. Cackles and clothing could be heard and seen for miles anytime these four ladies were together. Known as "Babe" to much of her family, there was nothing more she loved than to have company come and visit where she was surrounded by people all the time. After the death of her parents, Babe was known as the hub of gatherings to all her siblings and their families. Many of her nieces and nephews still tell stories of visiting "Aunt Babe" out in the country. Sleeping outside under the stars, eating nothing but corn for a week, and doing unimaginable things like shooting possums out of trees in the middle of the night were only a few of the tales remembered from visits to the country. Always ready for a game, Gearldene loved playing cards and dominoes. Anytime family came to town, you can guarantee the table was pulled out, a pot of coffee put on, a cake in the oven, and decks upon decks of cards were shuffled until the spots started to wear off. Because Gearldene lost her parents at such an early age, family was extremely important to her. The annual Brown Family Reunion was held year after year where her siblings and their families would travel from all over the US to visit, eat, play cards and dominoes, and maybe even gamble at a little poker. Babe's hand-made jellies, teddy bears, and crocheted items always brought top dollar during the Reunion's auction. In Gearldene's 96 years the things we all knew about her were this: She rarely ever met a stranger, She never stressed or worried about anything, She had unrelenting faith in God that she instilled to all her future generations, She loved her family like none other, She never said "No" to a grandchild and she was usually right beside them amid their mischief. Gearldene is survived by 2 sons: Terry and wife Linda of Gorman and Quintin of Gorman, 7 grandkids, 11 great-grandkids, and 4 great-great-grandkids. She is also survived by two sisters: Sue Keesee and Patsy Kelso and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Viola Brown, her husband, Alton, her daughter Shirley Bryan, one great-granddaughter, Amanda Rainey, 4 brothers, Charles, Eugene, Winston, and Earl, and one sister, June. The family would like to thank all of the staff at the DeLeon Nursing Home who knew her as "Babe". Thank you for playing cards with she and Sue, treating her as one of your own, and helping keep her room lively, as it was known as the college dorm room of the whole building. Your kindness will long be remembered. Service Details. Visitation When: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 5:00pm - 7:00pm Location: Higginbotham Funeral Home Chapel Address: 219 West Roberts Street Gornam, TX 76454 Service When: Friday, April 22nd, 2022 2:00pm Location: Higginbotham Funeral Home Chapel Address: 219 West Roberts Street GORMAN, TX 76454 Interment Location: Oaklawn Cemetery Address: Ector Street GORMAN, TX 76454

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