Maxine Welling

Maxine Gertrude Welling, 93, went home to Heaven on the morning of July 15th at Trinity Nursing and Rehab facility of Italy.

Maxine was born June 17, 1926 at home in Dora, New Mexico (just south of Portales) to Raymon Hunter and Marie Elizabeth Lott.  She grew up in New Mexico until she moved in her teens in a covered wagon to Texline, Texas.  She spoke fondly of the mule, Old Bob, that could pull that wagon better than the horses.  In Texline, her friends loved to come to the ranch to ride horses but Maxine always wanted to go into town because she did not like the ranch life.

She married Eugene Welling, her high school sweetheart, while he was on leave from the Navy on June 4, 1945 in Clayton, NM.  After the war, Maxine took the train to meet Gene in Oregon where they started their married life.  Maxine loved Oregon.  After leaving the Navy, Maxine and Gene moved to McCamey, Tx where they lived for about 20 years.  They were members of the First Baptist Church where Maxine taught Sunday School and supported Gene as a Deacon’s wife.  Maxine was a housewife and loving mother to their five children and one "adopted" daughter.  In the late 60s, they moved to Odessa where they were members of Immanuel and Second Baptist Churches.  After most of her children were out on their own, Maxine went back to school and got her nursing degree from Odessa College.  For the next 20 years she actively practiced nursing in areas ranging from home health to director of nurses at nursing homes.  She loved working with geriatric patients saying they were”just her babies in old bodies”.    Upon having to give up her nursing license, she stated it was one of the "hardest things (she) ever had to do".  After retiring, they moved to Waxahachie to be close to their daughter and family and were members of Maypearl Baptist Church.  Besides nursing, her Christian faith and her family, crocheting was her passion and she loved sharing her work with her family and friends.  Maxine and Eugene were the proud matriarch and patriarch of five children, one "adopted" daughter, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Maxine was preceded in death by her daughter Donna Dianne, grandson Bobby Dewayne Pirkle, her son Bobby Eugene, and husband of 70 years Eugene Welling.  She is survived by her daughter Sondra Elaine Pirkle and her husband Carl of Waxahachie; her daughter Pamela Gaye Young and her husband Brian of Friendswood; son Donald Raymon and his wife Susan of Bullard; and her "adopted" daughter Mary Speights of Temple; granddaughter Jennifer Williamson and her husband Stephen of Lufkin;, Stephanie Menefee and her husband Mark of Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Kyle Young of Houston; Melanie Moffatt and her husband Blake of Humble; Sarah Cook of Tyler; Kayla Welling of Chadron Nebraska; Patrick Speights and his wife Mary of Dallas; Katherine Speights of Temple; great-grand children Alissa and Lylah Menefee of Hattiesburg Mississippi; Shaeleigh Williamson of Lufkin; and Journey Cook of Tyler.