Gracie Jaynell(Lee)

Manuel

A memorial service is set for 1:00pm on Saturday July 5, 2025 at Lakeview Church of God, 301 Southeast Access Rd, Iowa Park,  Texas 76367. Please come and celebrate her life with us.

Being the baby girl of the nine children born to Clayborn and Gracie Lee, Jaynell was beautiful from the moment she was born. She was  named after our mother, Gracie, and she was full of grace, humble, a kind heart, who loved others unselfishly, forgave quickly.

Proverbs 31:26 says " She opens her mouth in godly wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness."

Although she, and all of us siblings, grew up in what you would call today, a poor neighborhood in a small Indian town , Sallisaw, Oklahoma.  We lived in a three room house that had no electricity, running water, and cardboards on the windows to keep out heat and cold. We had coal fired stove
to keep us warm and wood burning stove in kitchen. Our mother made most of our clothes from feed sacks, and once a year, we got to order shoes from Sears catalog. We had a garden and grew most of our food. Once or twice a year, neighbors  would kill a hog and bring us meat in our smokehouse  . We had an old pickup truck and once a week, our dad took all of us kids into town for ice  cream . At Christmas, our oldest brother and two sisters would go into the forest and cut down a tree, and we'd decorate with strips of metal from tin cans, and make rings from paper.

Our nearest water supply was 1/4 mile to a well, and we had to walk down a hill daily to get water for everything. Our mother kept us spotless clean, even though we only got to take a regular bath once a week in some wash tubs . We walked to school with other kids walking also ,, about one mile each day. And yes, in the summer, we walked barefoot to school…each had one pair of shoes for church and cold weather.  There were about 15-20 kids that attended the country school.

When we moved to Texas, without our Dad ,  in 1953, we moved into a house with electricity, running water, and an outhouse, and our landlord gave us a cow, so we had milk and butter. Our mother taught us to be thankful for everything … so we felt so blessed.

On our arrival in Iowa Park Texas , the merchants of Iowa Park came the first Christmas and brought a Christmas tree, wrapped gifts and all kinds of food . We were so blessed.

Jaynell was 6 when we moved and got to attend school, and she loved it. She always remembered her first grade teacher forever, Mrs McKinnon .

We walked everywhere as we had no vehicle, so our mother and all of us kids worked .  We picked cotton, mowed lawns, sold coke bottles, worked in restaurants, and our mother walked to several jobs cleaning houses.  Our three oldest siblings then left and went to Illinois to work in factories and sent money home to help our Mom with other six kids.

We all attended the Church of God. Jaynell accepted the Lord as a young teenager of 14.  She was so dedicated in Sunday school and in church. She really grew in the Lord.

She was always so dedicated in her personal appearance. Took good care of her skin. When I graduated I got a job and bought a car and Jaynell and I loved just riding , we loved  shopping together, and over the years we took many trips together as a big family. We did everything together as a family..

Jaynell graduated in 1965, and
She and I both worked at White Stores, Inc, where our older sister Dorthy had worked.

She was such a dedicated worker, always looking her very best, inside and outside. Her Christian walk was her greatest priority, and her Sunday school class  was blessed by her ministry to others.

In 1971, Jaynell married and moved to Ada, OK. In 1975, she had what she considered her greatest achievement on this earth - her son KENDELL. He was the joy of her life.

In 1978, Jaynell, her husband Kenneth, and son Kendell, moved back to Iowa Park, for his new job. She was so glad to be back near our mother and many of her siblings, and they were so glad she was back.

In 1981, my personal family got to move back to Iowa Park, and I was so glad to be near my big family and my husband Mike's family,  and be with my siblings.

Jaynell and I got to do lots of things together again, taking trips, shopping, and helping to look after our mother.

In 2016, Jaynell , my sister Betty , and I were in a car accident that nearly took our lives. I was ok, Betty quickly revived, but Jaynell suffered broken back, on life support from surgery, then eight months in rehab.. but during this time , with God's  help and prayers of our wonderful  church and Pastor Daniel, and many people, she overcame . Even tho she was on a walker, her wonderful caregiver ( now for past nine years) , Samantha, helped restore her spiritually and physically.

On June 2, she had a stroke, and eventually got to be nurtured in house by Wonderful Hospice for 17 days. I went each day and tho limited in speaking , she still talked about Jesus, I read scriptures each day to her  , and she had 24 hour Christian music in her magnificent suite.

She was released to hospice at home , and for two weeks, tho her body was rapidly declining, her spirits were soaring. She had visions of our family in heaven and angels.

On June 30, as we witnessed, she took one final breath and the next was a glorious one in Heaven, meeting not only all her family, but the true love of her life, Jesus. If Jaynell could speak, I think she would say what James 4:14 says"Your life is but a vapor, a puff of smoke, a flower that fades quickly. "This life is temporary, but eternity is forever, and for Christians, Heaven is waiting . Plan your life to live many years, but live each day as if it were your last day. The ONLY thing you can take with you is people that you have  helped and encouraged to follow Jesus.

She leaves behind her wonderful son Kendell, the remaining brothers: Jerry, Jimmy, Mike, Tim, and Dennis; remaining sisters: Norma, Dorthy, Margie, Denise, and many cousins, nephews and nieces and special friends.

We would like to thank all of these special people who blessed Jaynell's life… with care: Kendell , her son, Samantha Talbert, caregiver for 9 years; Christy, her most recent aide, and wonderful Hospice.

In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested for Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Road, Wichita Falls, Texas 76310 or Lakeview Church of God, 301 S. E. Access Road, Iowa Park, Texas 76367.