Leuvenia Willey

Published 11:22 am Thursday, June 18, 2020

Leuvenia Willey, 89, of Mauriceville, Texas passed away peacefully at her home in Huntsville, Texas on June 17, 2020 A visitation and lunch will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 12:00 to 2 pm followed by her Funeral Service beginning at 2 pm at the First Baptist Church of Mauriceville.  Her service will be officiated by Pastor Kevin Brown of First Baptist Church of Mauriceville.  Burial will follow at Jett Cemetery in Orange, Texas.

Leuvenia Willey was born on March 11, 1931 to the late Jimmie Lee Welch, Sr. and his wife, the late Janie Hand Welch.  A native of Rusk County, Texas, (Dugan Community), Leuvenia moved to Orange County in her teen years where she graduated from Mauriceville High School in 1948.  She went on to marry Wayne Willey, former classmate and lifelong soulmate.  She became a wonderful loving and caring wife, mother and homemaker and was greatly admired for her cooking talents by all; especially her pies, jelly rolls and MayHaw jelly.  She also always made two cakes for family and friends that were delicious – a chocolate sheet cake and her red cake.  When anyone would ask, she would gladly give her “red cake” recipe.   Well, to our knowledge, no one has ever been able to make the cake as good as she did.  We always wondered if she left out an ingredient or added something and she would just laugh when we asked. Her “red cake” and Chocolate cake will be sorely missed.

She also loved keeping feeders out for the hummingbirds, and she took great pleasure in fishing.  Never has there been a person who loved fishing as much as she did.  She could out fish anyone and would stay out way past dark if she had enough bait.  MawMaw and PawPaw always had a pond of fish for all to enjoy.

She was a full-time mother to her children until they left home, and she then obtained a Texas Real Estate license and sold for Hall and Hall Real Estate in Beaumont.    In fact, she was named “Conservationist of the Year” for East Texas in 2003. She and her husband, Wayne, were King and Queen and Parade Marshals of the Mauriceville Crawfish Festival.

Leuvenia is survived by their four children:  Sons and daughters-in-law Marshall Willey, Sr. (Kim) of Huntsville, TX; Malcolm Willey (Linda) of Montgomery, TX; Marvin Willey (Sharon) of Frankston, TX; and daughter and son-in-law, Melonee Willey Piperi (Ron) of Houston, TX.   She is also survived by sister-in-law Merle Willey of Mauriceville, TX, and brother-in-law Tommy Willey of Panama City Beach, Florida, and special friends Glenda Humble Curry of Cedar Park, TX, along with Skip & Gloria Corley and Roy and Mitzi Snell of Mauriceville, TX.

Mrs. Willey also leaves behind her grandchildren Mandee Lee, Marshall Willey, Jr. (Rachel), Macee Cahill (Cannon), Natalia Piperi, Modie Piperi, Maloree Willey (Joe), Marvin Wayne Willey, Kristin Daye Burton, Brandon Daye, and Bryan Reaves (Niki).  She was blessed with ten great grandchildren: Maryn Lee, Case Cahill, LouCasee Cahill, Stella Willey, Emma Fentem, Jaxon Fentem, Kullen Burton, McCade Reaves, Bryce Reaves and Harley Reaves.

Leuvenia was lovingly referred to as “Aunt Sis” by The Welch Family.   She and Wayne were hard workers and always had a large garden.  She canned and “put up” all kinds of vegetables and jellies each year and always kept a beautiful yard with all kinds of flowering plants and shrubs.  She was known for always having a table full of food for anyone stopping by for a visit. She would never let anyone leave hungry or without a car-load of food.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Jimmie Lee Welch, Sr. and Janie Hand Welch, and her husband of 53 years, Wayne Willey.  She is also preceded by her six brothers:  Chester Welch (Janette), Junior Welch (Ora Dee), Cecil Welch (Juanita), Odis Welch (Bea), Jimmie Welch, and Eldon Welch and nephew Nathaniel Welch and niece Carolynette Willey Kolb along with special friend Ira Nee Nichols Miller of Burkeville, Texas.

Pallbearers for the service will be Skip Corley, Keith Burton, Dutch Bowers, Eddie Welch, Tom Trantham, and Nat Welch.

Honorary Pallbearers are Tommy Burton, Don Willey, Tommy Willey, Chester Lee Welch, Larry Welch, Charlie Bertt, Ronnie Welch, John Dee Welch, Charles Welch, Harold Welch and Eldon Welch (Bubba), Jr.

The family would like to give Special Thanks to all of her caregivers at the Carriage Inn in Huntsville, TX: Angie, Anita, Bea, Tammy and many more. We also want to thank her wonderful caregivers at her Loving Care home and Compassionate Care Hospice. They all gave her special attention and she loved all of them. We want to give an extra special thanks to her “partner in crime” at the Carriage Inn, Beverly Bacon. They kept each other laughing for many years together and we are so grateful they had each other.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made in her honor to the First Baptist Church of Mauriceville, 11540 Highway 12, Orange, TX 77632.

The family request all attendees wear mask/face coverings to the service. Memorial condolences to the family may be made at www.shmfh.com