Evie Nell (Bell) Harty

Funeral services for Evie Nell (Bell) Harty, 78, of Lufkin will be held Friday, March 31, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Gary Forrest, Brother Jimmy Hedges, and Brother Charles M. Roberts officiating. Interment will follow in the Whitehouse Cemetery.           Mrs. Harty was born December 24, 1938 in Burke, Texas to the late Mary Lavaina (Goines) and Fred Bell, and died Monday, March 27, 2017 in a local hospice facility after a brief and complicated illness.           Mrs. Harty had resided in Angelina County most of her life. She was a volunteer at Memorial Hospital for 26 years. She loved to sew, and was an expert seamstress. Mrs. Harty made baby clothes for Texas Children’s Hospital, lap robes for numerous local nursing homes, and caps for cancer patients. She loved lace so much that she once told good friends that she would put it on everything except Elza’s drawers. Mrs. Harty also loved to cook, and was an excellent pie maker. People loved getting pies from her.           Mrs. Harty enjoyed traveling, and went all over the U.S. and Europe. Her daughter forced her to go on a cruise, which she hated. She and her husband were on the Love & Marriage Game on the ship as the couple married the longest. Their performance was enjoyed by all. Her and Elza’s 59th anniversary would have been June 7.           Mrs. Harty had a smile for everyone and never met a stranger. She loved the Lord, her church, her family and church family. She was a member of Parkview Baptist Church, where she was known as the “hat lady”.           Survivors include her husband of 58 years, Elza Harty of Lufkin; son, Steven Harty and wife Brandi of San Augustine; daughter, Faith Harty-Jones and husband Phillip of Fort Worth; son, Michael Harty of Lufkin; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; brother, Johney Fred Bell of North Carolina; uncle, Talmadge Goines of Beaumont; three brothers-in-law; two sisters-in-law; special friends, Burl and Barbara Ivy, Marilyn Sikes, and Betty Forrest, all of Lufkin; and numerous other relatives and a host of wonderful friends.           She was preceded in death by her parents and grandchildren, Jeremy Shea and Jared Ryan.           Pallbearers will be Burl Ivy, Jerry Collins, Richard Murphy, Steven Hanks, Robert Straw, Mike Whitton, Robert Powers, and Ed Mount.           In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkview Baptist Church Building Fund (her home church), 111 Parkview Circle, Lufkin, Texas 75904, or the Solid Rock Baptist Church Building Fund, 121 Verna Trail N, Fort Worth, Texas 76108.           The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home.           Memories and condolences may be added, and live webcasting of the services may be viewed at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.                    Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.