Edna Merle Hugghins Blankenship Thornhill

July 05, 2019

Funeral services for Edna Merle Hugghins Blankenship Thornhill, 91, formerly of Rusk, will be 2:00 p.m., Sunday, July 7, 2019 at Wallace-Thompson Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Tommy Mabry officiating. Burial will follow at Salem Cemetery.

Merle passed away from a lengthy illness with her family present on July 3, 2019. She was born December 19, 1927 in Rusk, Texas to the late Joe Ellie and Maude Hugghins. She worked all of her life-- 67 years. She loved to cook and was a seamstress. She enjoyed sports, cheering on her Texas Rangers and played on a softball team into her 50s. She loved to travel with one of her cousins, and they went all over the United States and Canada. She loved music and enjoyed dancing.

She attended Beulah Methodist Church while living in Rusk, where she also was married to John Blankenship in 1948. She looked forward to the family and cousin reunions and taking many pictures. She was famous for her pie crusts and won a blue ribbon for her chocolate meringue pie. But the most important thing to her was her family.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husbands, John Blankenship and Dale Thornhill, grandson, Richard “Chris” Howell, brothers, Calvin Hugghins, Joe Truman Hugghins, and infant Jessie Hugghins, sisters, Lillian Gardiner, Ruby Burchfield, Jewell Eberhardt, Opal Hendrick, and infant Maxine Hugghins, brother-in-law, Alvin Burchfield, Carvel Hendrick, Melvin Eberhardt, Chester Gardiner, and sister-in-law, Ottie Frank Hugghins, and travelling cousin, Patsy Harris Key.

She is survived by daughters, Cindy Walker and her husband Kelly of Eastland, Texas, Vicki Howell of Arlington, grandchildren, Stefani Fox and fiancé Vincent Smith of Detroit, TX, Jennifer Howell of Dallas, Lindsay Ramirez of Grapevine, Douglas McGregor of Dallas, great-grandchildren, Kourtney, Kyle, Taylor, Cameron, Makayla, Jayden, Terrance “Layne”, Nikkolas, Aiyana, Kiley, Aubree, Brooklynn, Jordyn, Christopher, great-great grandchildren, Karter, Hailynn, Presley, Kennedy, Payton, sister, Mary Ellen Harris of Houston, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers are Kelly Walker, Eddie Harris, Glenn Eberhardt, Randy Burchfield, Jayden Colbert, Cameron Howell, Terrance Ramirez, Kyle Fox.

Visitation will be 12:00 noon until service time, Sunday, July 7, 2019 at the funeral home.