ROY AND MACIE LAWLER

 The following bio was taken from page 282 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

 Transcribed by Shirley Koym

 Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Texas

 Roy and Macie Lawler grew up together in Rusk County.  Roy was the son of Frank and Mixon Lawler.  His family was from Mt. Enterprise.  Macie was the daughter of Billy and Zode Keeling of Rhodes.

 In the early twenties, Roy was elected to live with his sister Alice and her husband Spencer Kirk of Shiloh.  Since Mr. Kirk was a United States Mail Carrier and was gone all day, Roy did the farming.

 One spring evening Roy attended a school closing at Rhodes and saw lovely Macie Keeling doing a pantomime of “Rock of Ages.”  With the tabloid lights shining on her, she was so beautiful that Roy decided that she was the one for him.  His worry was to convince Grand Sire Turner and his five bachelor sons of his decision.

 Macie, her twin sister, Gracie, and her brother, Jim Frank Keeling, went to live with their maternal grandfather, Bill Turner and his five bachelor sons, after their parents’ deaths.  Macie and Gracie were under strict supervision and led sheltered social lives.  Since Mr. Kirk was a mail carrier and a deacon in the Baptist Church, Macie was allowed to see Roy.  On December 25, 1921, Macie put a bundle of clothes under her coat and got into the buggy with Roy.  They thought they were eloping, but Frank Turner followed them to the buggy and invited them to come back and visit sometime.  They were married on Christmas Day, 1921 by Bro. J. R. Welch at Minden.  Two children, a daughter, Edith, and a son, Rayford, were born to this marriage.

 Roy was a farmer.  The depression days were hard.  Macie helped with the farm labor, and they kept the children in school.  They were proud that the children never missed a day in school to help on the farm.  The children received their early education at Patrick.  They graduated from Mt. Enterprise High School and both attended college at Stephen F. Austin State University.

 Rayford moved to Houston in 1950 and married Penny Patterson.  Edith began her teaching career at Patrick in 1942.  She married Clifton Whitehead in 1950.

 Roy and Macie lived a stable Christian life.  He was a deacon, and she taught Sunday School at Jumbo Baptist Church. He was a Mason, and both he and Macie were members of the Eastern Star at Pine Hill.  They were a devoted couple.  Both their lives ended in 1980, his on March 18 and hers on May 26.

 Submitted by Edith Whitehead