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Viola ‘Teach’ Bayless
KERMIT — Viola was
the eleventh child born to Howell and Nancy Caroline (Rankin)
Bayless of Horatio, Arkansas. Horatio was her home until the death
of her father during her freshman year of high school, her mother
had expired when Viola was five. Viola was a victim of polio at 19
months and used crutches all of her life. Vernon, Texas, was her
home for the next three years at which time her brother, A. B.
Bayless, who gave her a home, was transferred to Iraan where Viola
graduated from high school in 1931.
Miss Ruby Wallace, an English teacher from Vernon, insisted that
Viola go to college, and she was instrumental in gaining admission
for Viola. It had been her father’s constant concern that Viola
gain an education. Miss Wallace, Tula Bayless and Viola attended
North Texas State Teachers College during the summers of 1930 and
1931.
In June, 1934, following graduation from North Texas, Miss Bayless
came to Wink where her brother was living. In September, she
became a teacher in Wink High School where she continued teaching
forty years. Four times since retirement she has been called back
to complete a semester – twice to teach English, twice to teach
Business. In 1982, she taught the entire spring semester.
Miss Bayless recalls that in her early years in Wink that “Our
Post Office was in a “shack” of a building of rough lumber. Most
of the sidewalks were either planks or dirt. In those days, Wink
boasted three drug stores and two movie theaters. Wink was
completely enclosed by a barbed wire fence. Through the years the
population would decrease then there would be another “boom”.
Viola was a member of the Presbyterian Church which was a “Mission
Church.” In about 1940 this church was disbanded because most of
the members had been transferred away. “We gave our little church
building to Alpine,” recalls Miss Bayless. For about three years,
Viola drifted until the Reverend George Ditterline persuaded her
to affiliate with the First Methodist Church where they put her to
work immediately. As a child, Viola was brought up in both
churches as their pastors were “Circuit Riders” and were in their
churches only twice each month. Miss Bayless has served on most of
the church committees; is secretary of literature, of membership,
and to the Official Board. She has taught a Sunday school class
most of the years and continued teaching until just recently.
Several times she has been a Lay Representative to Annual
Conference; the latest date was May of 1984.
The Wink Study club organized and began the Winkler County
Library. The first books were donated, and Miss Bayless
accessioned those books. She also helped to organize the Winkler
County Museum and was its first co-treasurer. Viola was
instrumental in organizing the Wink Chapter of the American
Association of Retired Persons and became its second president –
serving in that office two terms. She still served on their
Advisory Board. Viola served two years on the Board of Advisors
for Winkler County Senior Citizens Center. She organized their art
department and taught their first lessons in Oil painting and just
recently took over that job again.
Miss Bayless was initiated into Kermit Chapter U. D. of the Order
of the Eastern Star. Later she helped organize Wink Chapter No.
937 and became a charter member. She has held all line offices and
was Worthy Matron in 1978-1979. Viola has served on several
committees of the Grand Chapter of Texas or the Worthy Grand
Matron’s special committees including the years of 1984-1985.
Among those honors bestowed upon Miss Bayless is a membership in
the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. She was initiated
into Gamma Mu Chapter in 1941; served many offices including that
of president for a two and one half year term. Under expansion,
she became a charter member of Theta Tau Chapter. Viola was given
honorary membership in the League of Golden Hearts of the
Presbyterian Church of Vernon in 1952. She was named “First Lady
of the Year” by Beta Sigma Phi in 1968 in Wink. She was nominated
for Senior Citizen of the year for Winkler County for 1983 and was
honored at a reception along with other nominees. She was listed
as one of the “Most Prominent Educators of Texas” in 1983.
Miss Bayless said, “I appreciate all the honors that have come my
way, but most of all I appreciate the privilege of teaching and
working with the young people in our community all these years.”
After retirement, Viola lived in Dripping Springs, Monahans and
was presently a resident at Lincoln Towers in Odessa. She will be
greatly missed by her family friends and ex-students of Wink High
School.
Survivors include her great niece and her husband who took loving
care of her, Kay and Jim Mathews of Monahans; her nieces and their
husbands, Mildred and Stanley Baker of Kermit and Lois and Joe
Yoakum of Fort Worth, Texas; her great nephews Mike Yoakum of
Forth Worth and Raymond Yoakum and his wife, Carol, of
Weatherford, Texas. Also her niece, Helen Jones of Kermit. Another
great niece, Marilyn Lambert of Aledo, Texas; and her great-great
nephews, Roy Taylor and Joe Taylor of Odessa.
She was also proud of Amanda Taylor of Wink, Brandi Taylor of
Kermit, Shane, Shanna and Dylan Taylor of Odessa. Also many more
great-great-great nephews and nieces.
Services will be Thursday, February 20, 2003, at the First United
Methodist Church in Kermit at 10 a.m. with Russ Smith Sr.
officiating, interment at Kermit Cemetery. Services entrusted to
Cooper Funeral Chapel
Pall bearers are: Bill Beckham, Larry McCallister, Dale Carmen,
Randy Gray and Russ Slaughter.
Honorary Pall Bearers: All her ex-students from Wink.
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