Esther Edwards Graves Houston was born November 6, 1918 in Peoria, Illinois to Selma and
William Edwards. She married Jessie Preston Graves on March 12, 1936 and they had six
children. Stamps, Arkansas has been her home since 1958. She is a baptist.

Always an early riser, Esther witnessed many a glorious morning with a strong cup of Folgers
coffee and a newspaper. Then off to her many tasks in life. She always loved working in her
garden and canning, or just being outside raking leaves in the fall. Esther was a talented quilter
and seamstress who enjoyed making treasures for her children and grandchildren. She was
always ready to go on trips with her children or just spend a day going to "garage sales" with her
daughters. In her later years, she looked forward to early morning calls from family and friends,
because everyone knew Mom or Mamaw would be up early. One of her favorite pastimes was
writing letters and receiving letters from her family and friends. Throughout her life she kept in
touch with people she loved from the many places she lived. From Illinois and Indiana to
Houston, west Texas, and many homes in Arkansas, she never forgot the family she left behind or the friends she made at each new home. Letters helped her stay in touch with everyone, and she saved every letter and card. Always hardworking, she grew tired and was called home to the Lord to be with her family in Heaven, Monday, September 8, 2014.

Mrs. Houston is survived by her daughters and son-in-laws, Esther McCoy of Maryland; Alice and Jerry Herndon of Keithville, LA; Mary and Doug Herron of Texarkana, AR; and J.W. Martin of Fouke, AR. Two brothers and sister-in-laws, James and Viola Edwards of Alto, TX and Wayne and Dorothy Edwards of Southlake, TX. Grandchildren Betty and Pete Green; Linda and Danny Gholson; Robert and Judy Martin; Janet Bledsoe; Steven Lampe; Patricia and Tom Kelley; Vivian and David Osborne; JoeDon and Jackie Nix; Kerri and Kenny Ponder; and Monty and Linda Otwell. Sixteen great grandchildren, seven great great grandchildren and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and neighbors.

Esther Graves Houston was preceded in death by her husband, Jessie Preston Graves; a
second spouse, Virgil Houston; her daughter, Shirley Martin; her son, David Graves; an infant
son, Lloyd Graves; three grandchildren, Jason Otwell, Theresa Martin Erwin, and Lewis Martin;
two great grandchildren, April Osborne and Michele Green.

Thank you to the staff at Homestead Manor Nursing Home for their care and support during Mrs. Houston's last few months.

Thank you to all the Serenity Hospice of Texarkana, AR employees for their loving care and
kindness. Everyone in your organization helped to make Mrs. Houston's last few years more
comfortable and you were all a blessing to our family.

Special thanks and love to some very special nurses and caregivers, Carolyn Dunagan, Heather Biddle, and Matthew Brandon with Serenity Hospice, Gwen Powell from Lewisville and Dorothy Lansdell from Texarkana. All these kind people became more like family members during the time they helped take care of Mrs. Houston.

Graveside services for Mrs. Houston will be held 2pm Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at the Mars Hill Cemetery in Lewisville with the Pastor David Osborne officiating. Visitation will be held from 6-8 pm Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at the A.O. Smith Funeral Home Chapel in Stamps, Arkansas. Online registration is available at www.aosmithfuneralhome.com