From Contributor: John Heathington (49800768)
I have preached a numerous funerals in the past 15 years here at First Baptist. But never have I had the wealth of material to deal with as I have here today.
Odell, left us his diaries and letters. For those of you who don’t know what diaries are, they are sort of like a daily blog without the electronics.
His diaries covered the last 40 years or so of his life. They made very interesting reading. You see his humor clearly. And you sort of walk with him through the hardships and good times of his life.
If you have had the occasion to read the back of your program you see some of the quotes we found in his diaries. Some of these are funny. I especially like the one that says, “If it is tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?”
Odell had plenty of hardships. He was a farmer. His crops were hailed out and dried out for lack of rain, and sometimes they were literally blown away by the wind. But despite all of that, Odell loved farming.
He faced numerous difficulties including prejudice, betrayal by family members, personal failures, alcoholism, economic set-backs, and even the murder of his son. But Odell never quit trying. He never gave up. Listen to this entry.
March 30, 1973
When I was a small boy I can very clearly remember what it was like being on a farm. We worked from daylight until dark for everything we got. The farmer in those days were considered the lower class of people because we had to farm to make a living and to eat, because we weren’t fit to do anything else. People in the towns thought that people like us had to farm because we couldn’t do anything else. Maybe this was true to some extent, but we were still people. We worked and we worked, to try and make our life better. Having a few dollars in your pocket then was something else.
In his diaries, he often went down a trail of nostalgia about the way it was when he was growing up and the way things ought to be. In reading what he had to say, it is hard to argue with his premise.
In one place he tells the story of his first day of school. On his first day of school, Odell was all excited about going. He went to a little one room school in Cone. He went to school and paid attention until lunch time. About noon he decided he didn’t want to go to school any more and so he got up and went home. His mother sent him back of course.
He was proud of the fact that he and Anita lived just 3 miles from where he was born. He often told that fact to anyone who would listen. To visitors in his home. To nurses in the hospital, to just about anybody who would listen.
Odell’s mother was a meticulous house keeper. She always made sure everything was clean inside her house. You saw the picture of Odell riding his Shetland pony. Well when he was about 9 or 10, his family got a new radio. In those days radios were great big pieces of furniture and families usually kept them in the living room. Odell decided one day that his pony, named Bonnie, needed to listen to the family’s new radio. So he brought Bonnie into the house. And not too long after that, his mother came home to find Odell and his horse in the middle of the living room listening to the radio. You can imagine what took place next.
Ya’ll are sitting here in a Baptist Church, listening to a Baptist Pastor, so you have gotta know that I am going to bring Jesus into this. But here is the deal. I don’t have to bring Jesus into this, because Odell already did in his diaries. Listen to this from 1973. He’s trying to explain something that has happened inside of him:
I haven’t been a very good Christian person very long. I have always loved God and thought that I knew Him. But I didn’t. The things that God has done for me in the last few months is unreal.
Suddenly things that were very important to me no longer interest me. Little things that God did for me in the past that I overlooked suddenly become real big important things in my life.
My family for instance, I have always thought that I really loved them, but until I met Jesus, I didn’t know what love really was.
My wife, Anita… how much more I love her now than I did before. I loved her all the time, but now it’s a different kind of love that I had not experienced. How fully I love her with a warm compassionate kind of love that I had never known before.
Debbie and Eddie—Man! I can’t put on paper how much I love them both. I didn’t even know Eddie until lately. God has opened my heart up that has been closed to these things for so long. I loved—but this is a different kind. Praise the Lord.
Until I met Jesus I didn’t know what really true Christian fellowship and love was.
Debbie and Eddie both will be gone from us soon. Anita and I have had a good life, but how much better it would have been if I had known the Lord like I know Him now. Can’t say we didn’t have a good time, because we did. But when it comes down to it all there is one, one person, and that is Jesus. All things may fade away but not Jesus.
Something happened in Odell’s life that made a huge difference. He came to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe, with God, Himself. Odell had difficulty expressing himself verbally about important things in life, but he wrote pretty well. There is no doubt in reading his diaries, that he loved his wife Anita, his son and his daughter Debbie, His grandson, Jay and his granddaughter Christi. And he loved his two great granddaughters, Emily and Izzy. Listen to this entry:
Feb 17, 2009
Nita and I have been married 59 years today. I really don’t know how that has happened. Daddy told her, there wasn’t a woman on earth that could live with me…. Very grateful for these 59 years we have had together. If someone asked me how we did it, I couldn’t tell them. I don’t know if I could change anything, what that would be. We have been very blessed with 2 children and 2 grand children and 2 great grandchildren. Those, money can’t buy. So really what else in life do you really need?
Throughout his memoirs, he has a firm grasp of what is important in life.
September of 1983 (this entry comes while he was struggling with alcoholism)
He says, The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.
That is so true. This is the difficulty. Living the life. See that is not done in church or a Bible study as wonderful and important as those things are. Living it involves trusting God with the circumstances you are living in. Odell did that. Oh, like everybody else, he blew it from time to time. But the Christian life is not about NOT sinning. It is about trusting in Jesus Christ to have made you righteous even if you don’t see it yourself.
Some people think that being a Christian is all about what you don’t do. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew, don’t go with girls who do. And it seems logical from the world’s point of view. But that sort of attitude is the opposite of Christianity.
Most of the great heroes of the Bible left much to be desired when it comes to living the kind of life that our culture thinks Christians should live. Noah was a drunkard, Moses was a murderer and divorced, David was a murderer and a womanizer—so was Solomon, Elijah and Jeremiah were depressed, Jonah, Peter, John and Mark ran from God, And Paul persecuted the church.
Now I mention this because I want you to know that I know Odell struggled with alcohol. He went to AA meetings and constantly fought the temptation to drink. Some people would foolishly think that because he struggled with alcohol, he couldn’t be victorious over it. But victory is continuing to struggle and not giving in and quitting the fight even when you fall. And one thing is certain about Odell, is that he did the hard work of sobriety. For 20 years his journal testifies to his continual struggle to stay sober. What a hero he was!
Odell is a role model for anyone dealing with substance abuse. Successfully dealing with alcohol is a difficult fight and Odell was a warrior. Debbie you have a right to be proud of your daddy. John, Christy, you can be proud of your grandfather. Anita, you can be proud of your husband.
But that wasn’t his only struggle. He also struggled with his finances. Farming wasn’t paying all that well so he and Anita started selling Indian Jewelry. They traveled all over a six state area buying and selling Jewelry and Indian artwork. Sometimes they did well and sometimes the buyers just weren’t there.
May 5, 2001
The Lord just keeps on blessing. We are having a very good show and the best was a group of Tech kids that are in Dr Anderson’s AA group. They came in and recognized me from the meeting. Christi gave me my 18 yr chip. That was worth more to me than all the jewelry we could have sold. These are young people and their lives were in complete shambles, they were sober, getting their lives back together. I’m real happy and thankful that we sold the $5,500 of jewelry but being with that young group of kids just made life worth living. Praise God for that.
Things did not always go well on the road. There were shows where the buyers just didn’t show up. And there were shows that were… well listen to this entry
Its from June 20, 1990 and its titled:
Last Night in Abilene
Last night I had a vision,
Or was it just a bad dream?
Anyway, when I woke up I was in Abilene.
I thought I’d died and gone to hell.
It was so real as I’d ever seen.
But it wasn’t Hell at all, it was just Abilene.
I am not sure what happened there, but I guarantee, Odell didn’t have a good time.
Some might look at his life and conclude that Odell wasn’t a success, but they’d be wrong. In fact Odell was possibly one of the most successful men I know.
He was married for 64 years to the same woman. Look at this grey hair. I’m 63 years old. Odell was married to Anita longer than I’ve been alive. That is something that the vast majority of our heroes today cannot brag about. The movie stars today might be beautiful and handsome, but all their good looks haven’t helped them keep a marriage together. Our star athletes might have great talent throwing or catching a ball, but they have no skill what-so-ever in maintaining a relationship. The great men of business and politics might have charisma and business savvy, but they don’t seem to have any aptitude for holding a marriage together. For the last 64 years in the United States, one out of every two marriages have ended in divorce. Odell Heathington was married for the entire time it took for our culture to develop that statistic. That is a man of great success.
Let me tell you about Odell and Anita’s first date.
Odell was very concerned about the cleanliness of his car. He was meticulous about his car. On their first date Anita spilled coffee all over the front seat. He was so taken with her, He said, “Oh that’s okay, it will come out.” I am certain that coffee stain was on that cloth seat until the day he traded it in.
He first dated Anita on Halloween. He asked her to marry him 5 weeks later, on December 7, and they were married on February 17. Only 3 ½ months after they went on their first date. I want you to know that in rushing to the altar, they broke most of the rules modern day advisors have for successful marriages. But Odell wasn’t worried about any of that. See, he knew that the essence of marriage was commitment. Commitment to one woman and to a family.
His family was precious to him. The moments Odell was most proud were of family—weddings and when Debbie and Christy graduated from Texas Tech. You saw in the pictures that he seldom really smiled. However at those times he had the proudest of smiles, grinning ear to ear. It was pure happiness and pride for his family.
December 28, 1993
We had a good Christmas with the kids here and everyone had all of the gifts they could carry. Jay and Christy joined the church last Sunday which was the best gift of all.
August 17, 2000
We went out with Jay and Rachel and had Mexican food last night. Day after tomorrow, they will be Mr. and Mrs. Just can’t believe they are getting married. I really think Christy and Jay did good. I am really happy with the two people they choose. They can be happy the rest of their lives if they so choose. With God’s grace it will be.
(A little further down the page he says)
Lord help me through all of this. I don’t want to break down in the wedding. I’m so easy to cry lately. I ask your help with this. Thy will be done.
Family made him proud and touched his heart like nothing else could do.
He and Anita spent this past Thanksgiving at Brian and Christy’s. By this time he couldn’t talk. But he loved to watch Emily and Izzy. Izzy was shy and because he couldn’t talk, he had to find a way into her little heart. And he did. He started poking her a little. Soon, she warmed up to him and began to move closer and closer to him until finally she was cuddled up next to him.
Brian said, in the last couple of weeks before he died, he would hold your hand when you talked to him. It was the most genuine loving touch.
Odell loved his family and that included his in-laws.
He struggled against life’s difficulties. He staid true to his wife for 64 years. He was a man of compassion, love and integrity.
One of the things that Odell believed in is the promise in the Bible of a resurrection of the dead.
In our culture we often think ourselves too sophisticated to believe in such things. Paul said that if the resurrection is not true our faith is in vain. Yet there are many today who think the idea that Christ rose from the dead is just a myth.
But the fact is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the most confirmed events in ancient history. Listen to what Paul says in Corinthians:
(20) But the glorious fact is that Christ did raise from the dead: He has become the very first to rise of all who sleep the sleep of death. As death entered the world through a man, so has rising from the dead come to us through a man! As members of a sinful race all men die; as members of the Christ of God all men shall be raised to life, each in his proper order, with Christ the very first and after Him all who belong to Him when He comes.
Then and not till then, comes the end when Christ, having abolished all other rule, authority and power, hands over the kingdom to God the Father. Christ’s reign will and must continue until every enemy has been conquered. The last enemy of all to be destroyed is death itself.
I Corinthians 15:20-26
Odell believed this. See, what Christ did through His sacrifice on the cross was to enable you and I to escape the just penalty and punishment for our sins. He literally died for us. Because He loved us.
But it didn’t stop there. He overcame the biggest enemy we have—death. After three days, He rose from the dead. He now has eternal life.
Because His life is eternal and abundant, He can offer it to you and to me. All you have to do is trust Him. Trust him like Odell did. You see, right now Odell isn’t dead. Oh, his body is, but Odell is alive. He is in a place where there is no sickness. The body Odell has now is strong and vibrant and it will last forever. I believe this with every fiber of my being just like Odell did. If you haven’t already done so, won’t you trust Him today? Trust Him to take away your sin, and invite him to come into your life, just like Odell did. And like Odell, you will find that makes all the difference.
Oh all your problems won’t go away, and you certainly won’t be perfect, but you will feel a burden is lifted from you and a new love surging through you that changes everything.
Thank You to Contributor: John Heathington (49800768)∼Wallace Odell Heathington
October 13, 1930 - January 2, 2014
Wallace Odell Heathington, 83, of Grapevine went to be with his Lord on January 2, 2014 in Grapevine, TX. Services will be held at 11:00 A.M.on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at First Baptist Church in The Colony,4800 S Colony Blvd, The Colony,TX. Cremation arrangements are being made with Adams Funeral Home of Ralls, TX.
Odell was born on October 13, 1930 to Wallace and Ethel Heathington in Crosbyton, TX. He lived and farmed north of Ralls most of his life. He loved to tell people he was born three miles away from the house where he lived with his wife of nearly 64 years, Anita Heathington. They married in Ralls on February 17, 1950. While in Ralls High School he was active in all sports, football being his favorite. He was a Charter Member of the Ralls Jaycee's, and was State Vice President and also National Director in the early 50's. Odell was also a member of the Emma Masonic Lodge in Ralls. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of the Khiva Shrine Temple where he was Charter member of the Greeters. Odell loved to travel and fishing was his favorite hobby. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Ralls.
He is survived by his is wife: Anita Oliver Heathington of Grapevine, TX; his daughter: Deborah & husband Charles Self of Lake Charles, LA; his grandson John Edward Heathington II and his wife Rachel of Lewisville; his granddaughter: Christy & husband Brian Hoisington of Grapevine; two great-granddaughters: Emily and Isabella Hoisington.
Wallace is preceded in death by his parents, brother J.E. and his son; John Edward Heathington.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the Shriners Hospital for Children at http://www.shrinershq.org/
(Published by Adams Funeral Home, January 5, 2014)
I have preached a numerous funerals in the past 15 years here at First Baptist. But never have I had the wealth of material to deal with as I have here today.
Odell, left us his diaries and letters. For those of you who don’t know what diaries are, they are sort of like a daily blog without the electronics.
His diaries covered the last 40 years or so of his life. They made very interesting reading. You see his humor clearly. And you sort of walk with him through the hardships and good times of his life.
If you have had the occasion to read the back of your program you see some of the quotes we found in his diaries. Some of these are funny. I especially like the one that says, “If it is tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?”
Odell had plenty of hardships. He was a farmer. His crops were hailed out and dried out for lack of rain, and sometimes they were literally blown away by the wind. But despite all of that, Odell loved farming.
He faced numerous difficulties including prejudice, betrayal by family members, personal failures, alcoholism, economic set-backs, and even the murder of his son. But Odell never quit trying. He never gave up. Listen to this entry.
March 30, 1973
When I was a small boy I can very clearly remember what it was like being on a farm. We worked from daylight until dark for everything we got. The farmer in those days were considered the lower class of people because we had to farm to make a living and to eat, because we weren’t fit to do anything else. People in the towns thought that people like us had to farm because we couldn’t do anything else. Maybe this was true to some extent, but we were still people. We worked and we worked, to try and make our life better. Having a few dollars in your pocket then was something else.
In his diaries, he often went down a trail of nostalgia about the way it was when he was growing up and the way things ought to be. In reading what he had to say, it is hard to argue with his premise.
In one place he tells the story of his first day of school. On his first day of school, Odell was all excited about going. He went to a little one room school in Cone. He went to school and paid attention until lunch time. About noon he decided he didn’t want to go to school any more and so he got up and went home. His mother sent him back of course.
He was proud of the fact that he and Anita lived just 3 miles from where he was born. He often told that fact to anyone who would listen. To visitors in his home. To nurses in the hospital, to just about anybody who would listen.
Odell’s mother was a meticulous house keeper. She always made sure everything was clean inside her house. You saw the picture of Odell riding his Shetland pony. Well when he was about 9 or 10, his family got a new radio. In those days radios were great big pieces of furniture and families usually kept them in the living room. Odell decided one day that his pony, named Bonnie, needed to listen to the family’s new radio. So he brought Bonnie into the house. And not too long after that, his mother came home to find Odell and his horse in the middle of the living room listening to the radio. You can imagine what took place next.
Ya’ll are sitting here in a Baptist Church, listening to a Baptist Pastor, so you have gotta know that I am going to bring Jesus into this. But here is the deal. I don’t have to bring Jesus into this, because Odell already did in his diaries. Listen to this from 1973. He’s trying to explain something that has happened inside of him:
I haven’t been a very good Christian person very long. I have always loved God and thought that I knew Him. But I didn’t. The things that God has done for me in the last few months is unreal.
Suddenly things that were very important to me no longer interest me. Little things that God did for me in the past that I overlooked suddenly become real big important things in my life.
My family for instance, I have always thought that I really loved them, but until I met Jesus, I didn’t know what love really was.
My wife, Anita… how much more I love her now than I did before. I loved her all the time, but now it’s a different kind of love that I had not experienced. How fully I love her with a warm compassionate kind of love that I had never known before.
Debbie and Eddie—Man! I can’t put on paper how much I love them both. I didn’t even know Eddie until lately. God has opened my heart up that has been closed to these things for so long. I loved—but this is a different kind. Praise the Lord.
Until I met Jesus I didn’t know what really true Christian fellowship and love was.
Debbie and Eddie both will be gone from us soon. Anita and I have had a good life, but how much better it would have been if I had known the Lord like I know Him now. Can’t say we didn’t have a good time, because we did. But when it comes down to it all there is one, one person, and that is Jesus. All things may fade away but not Jesus.
Something happened in Odell’s life that made a huge difference. He came to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe, with God, Himself. Odell had difficulty expressing himself verbally about important things in life, but he wrote pretty well. There is no doubt in reading his diaries, that he loved his wife Anita, his son and his daughter Debbie, His grandson, Jay and his granddaughter Christi. And he loved his two great granddaughters, Emily and Izzy. Listen to this entry:
Feb 17, 2009
Nita and I have been married 59 years today. I really don’t know how that has happened. Daddy told her, there wasn’t a woman on earth that could live with me…. Very grateful for these 59 years we have had together. If someone asked me how we did it, I couldn’t tell them. I don’t know if I could change anything, what that would be. We have been very blessed with 2 children and 2 grand children and 2 great grandchildren. Those, money can’t buy. So really what else in life do you really need?
Throughout his memoirs, he has a firm grasp of what is important in life.
September of 1983 (this entry comes while he was struggling with alcoholism)
He says, The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.
That is so true. This is the difficulty. Living the life. See that is not done in church or a Bible study as wonderful and important as those things are. Living it involves trusting God with the circumstances you are living in. Odell did that. Oh, like everybody else, he blew it from time to time. But the Christian life is not about NOT sinning. It is about trusting in Jesus Christ to have made you righteous even if you don’t see it yourself.
Some people think that being a Christian is all about what you don’t do. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew, don’t go with girls who do. And it seems logical from the world’s point of view. But that sort of attitude is the opposite of Christianity.
Most of the great heroes of the Bible left much to be desired when it comes to living the kind of life that our culture thinks Christians should live. Noah was a drunkard, Moses was a murderer and divorced, David was a murderer and a womanizer—so was Solomon, Elijah and Jeremiah were depressed, Jonah, Peter, John and Mark ran from God, And Paul persecuted the church.
Now I mention this because I want you to know that I know Odell struggled with alcohol. He went to AA meetings and constantly fought the temptation to drink. Some people would foolishly think that because he struggled with alcohol, he couldn’t be victorious over it. But victory is continuing to struggle and not giving in and quitting the fight even when you fall. And one thing is certain about Odell, is that he did the hard work of sobriety. For 20 years his journal testifies to his continual struggle to stay sober. What a hero he was!
Odell is a role model for anyone dealing with substance abuse. Successfully dealing with alcohol is a difficult fight and Odell was a warrior. Debbie you have a right to be proud of your daddy. John, Christy, you can be proud of your grandfather. Anita, you can be proud of your husband.
But that wasn’t his only struggle. He also struggled with his finances. Farming wasn’t paying all that well so he and Anita started selling Indian Jewelry. They traveled all over a six state area buying and selling Jewelry and Indian artwork. Sometimes they did well and sometimes the buyers just weren’t there.
May 5, 2001
The Lord just keeps on blessing. We are having a very good show and the best was a group of Tech kids that are in Dr Anderson’s AA group. They came in and recognized me from the meeting. Christi gave me my 18 yr chip. That was worth more to me than all the jewelry we could have sold. These are young people and their lives were in complete shambles, they were sober, getting their lives back together. I’m real happy and thankful that we sold the $5,500 of jewelry but being with that young group of kids just made life worth living. Praise God for that.
Things did not always go well on the road. There were shows where the buyers just didn’t show up. And there were shows that were… well listen to this entry
Its from June 20, 1990 and its titled:
Last Night in Abilene
Last night I had a vision,
Or was it just a bad dream?
Anyway, when I woke up I was in Abilene.
I thought I’d died and gone to hell.
It was so real as I’d ever seen.
But it wasn’t Hell at all, it was just Abilene.
I am not sure what happened there, but I guarantee, Odell didn’t have a good time.
Some might look at his life and conclude that Odell wasn’t a success, but they’d be wrong. In fact Odell was possibly one of the most successful men I know.
He was married for 64 years to the same woman. Look at this grey hair. I’m 63 years old. Odell was married to Anita longer than I’ve been alive. That is something that the vast majority of our heroes today cannot brag about. The movie stars today might be beautiful and handsome, but all their good looks haven’t helped them keep a marriage together. Our star athletes might have great talent throwing or catching a ball, but they have no skill what-so-ever in maintaining a relationship. The great men of business and politics might have charisma and business savvy, but they don’t seem to have any aptitude for holding a marriage together. For the last 64 years in the United States, one out of every two marriages have ended in divorce. Odell Heathington was married for the entire time it took for our culture to develop that statistic. That is a man of great success.
Let me tell you about Odell and Anita’s first date.
Odell was very concerned about the cleanliness of his car. He was meticulous about his car. On their first date Anita spilled coffee all over the front seat. He was so taken with her, He said, “Oh that’s okay, it will come out.” I am certain that coffee stain was on that cloth seat until the day he traded it in.
He first dated Anita on Halloween. He asked her to marry him 5 weeks later, on December 7, and they were married on February 17. Only 3 ½ months after they went on their first date. I want you to know that in rushing to the altar, they broke most of the rules modern day advisors have for successful marriages. But Odell wasn’t worried about any of that. See, he knew that the essence of marriage was commitment. Commitment to one woman and to a family.
His family was precious to him. The moments Odell was most proud were of family—weddings and when Debbie and Christy graduated from Texas Tech. You saw in the pictures that he seldom really smiled. However at those times he had the proudest of smiles, grinning ear to ear. It was pure happiness and pride for his family.
December 28, 1993
We had a good Christmas with the kids here and everyone had all of the gifts they could carry. Jay and Christy joined the church last Sunday which was the best gift of all.
August 17, 2000
We went out with Jay and Rachel and had Mexican food last night. Day after tomorrow, they will be Mr. and Mrs. Just can’t believe they are getting married. I really think Christy and Jay did good. I am really happy with the two people they choose. They can be happy the rest of their lives if they so choose. With God’s grace it will be.
(A little further down the page he says)
Lord help me through all of this. I don’t want to break down in the wedding. I’m so easy to cry lately. I ask your help with this. Thy will be done.
Family made him proud and touched his heart like nothing else could do.
He and Anita spent this past Thanksgiving at Brian and Christy’s. By this time he couldn’t talk. But he loved to watch Emily and Izzy. Izzy was shy and because he couldn’t talk, he had to find a way into her little heart. And he did. He started poking her a little. Soon, she warmed up to him and began to move closer and closer to him until finally she was cuddled up next to him.
Brian said, in the last couple of weeks before he died, he would hold your hand when you talked to him. It was the most genuine loving touch.
Odell loved his family and that included his in-laws.
He struggled against life’s difficulties. He staid true to his wife for 64 years. He was a man of compassion, love and integrity.
One of the things that Odell believed in is the promise in the Bible of a resurrection of the dead.
In our culture we often think ourselves too sophisticated to believe in such things. Paul said that if the resurrection is not true our faith is in vain. Yet there are many today who think the idea that Christ rose from the dead is just a myth.
But the fact is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the most confirmed events in ancient history. Listen to what Paul says in Corinthians:
(20) But the glorious fact is that Christ did raise from the dead: He has become the very first to rise of all who sleep the sleep of death. As death entered the world through a man, so has rising from the dead come to us through a man! As members of a sinful race all men die; as members of the Christ of God all men shall be raised to life, each in his proper order, with Christ the very first and after Him all who belong to Him when He comes.
Then and not till then, comes the end when Christ, having abolished all other rule, authority and power, hands over the kingdom to God the Father. Christ’s reign will and must continue until every enemy has been conquered. The last enemy of all to be destroyed is death itself.
I Corinthians 15:20-26
Odell believed this. See, what Christ did through His sacrifice on the cross was to enable you and I to escape the just penalty and punishment for our sins. He literally died for us. Because He loved us.
But it didn’t stop there. He overcame the biggest enemy we have—death. After three days, He rose from the dead. He now has eternal life.
Because His life is eternal and abundant, He can offer it to you and to me. All you have to do is trust Him. Trust him like Odell did. You see, right now Odell isn’t dead. Oh, his body is, but Odell is alive. He is in a place where there is no sickness. The body Odell has now is strong and vibrant and it will last forever. I believe this with every fiber of my being just like Odell did. If you haven’t already done so, won’t you trust Him today? Trust Him to take away your sin, and invite him to come into your life, just like Odell did. And like Odell, you will find that makes all the difference.
Oh all your problems won’t go away, and you certainly won’t be perfect, but you will feel a burden is lifted from you and a new love surging through you that changes everything.
Thank You to Contributor: John Heathington (49800768)∼Wallace Odell Heathington
October 13, 1930 - January 2, 2014
Wallace Odell Heathington, 83, of Grapevine went to be with his Lord on January 2, 2014 in Grapevine, TX. Services will be held at 11:00 A.M.on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at First Baptist Church in The Colony,4800 S Colony Blvd, The Colony,TX. Cremation arrangements are being made with Adams Funeral Home of Ralls, TX.
Odell was born on October 13, 1930 to Wallace and Ethel Heathington in Crosbyton, TX. He lived and farmed north of Ralls most of his life. He loved to tell people he was born three miles away from the house where he lived with his wife of nearly 64 years, Anita Heathington. They married in Ralls on February 17, 1950. While in Ralls High School he was active in all sports, football being his favorite. He was a Charter Member of the Ralls Jaycee's, and was State Vice President and also National Director in the early 50's. Odell was also a member of the Emma Masonic Lodge in Ralls. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of the Khiva Shrine Temple where he was Charter member of the Greeters. Odell loved to travel and fishing was his favorite hobby. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Ralls.
He is survived by his is wife: Anita Oliver Heathington of Grapevine, TX; his daughter: Deborah & husband Charles Self of Lake Charles, LA; his grandson John Edward Heathington II and his wife Rachel of Lewisville; his granddaughter: Christy & husband Brian Hoisington of Grapevine; two great-granddaughters: Emily and Isabella Hoisington.
Wallace is preceded in death by his parents, brother J.E. and his son; John Edward Heathington.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the Shriners Hospital for Children at http://www.shrinershq.org/
(Published by Adams Funeral Home, January 5, 2014)
From Contributor: John Heathington (49800768)
I have preached a numerous funerals in the past 15 years here at First Baptist. But never have I had the wealth of material to deal with as I have here today.
Odell, left us his diaries and letters. For those of you who don’t know what diaries are, they are sort of like a daily blog without the electronics.
His diaries covered the last 40 years or so of his life. They made very interesting reading. You see his humor clearly. And you sort of walk with him through the hardships and good times of his life.
If you have had the occasion to read the back of your program you see some of the quotes we found in his diaries. Some of these are funny. I especially like the one that says, “If it is tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?”
Odell had plenty of hardships. He was a farmer. His crops were hailed out and dried out for lack of rain, and sometimes they were literally blown away by the wind. But despite all of that, Odell loved farming.
He faced numerous difficulties including prejudice, betrayal by family members, personal failures, alcoholism, economic set-backs, and even the murder of his son. But Odell never quit trying. He never gave up. Listen to this entry.
March 30, 1973
When I was a small boy I can very clearly remember what it was like being on a farm. We worked from daylight until dark for everything we got. The farmer in those days were considered the lower class of people because we had to farm to make a living and to eat, because we weren’t fit to do anything else. People in the towns thought that people like us had to farm because we couldn’t do anything else. Maybe this was true to some extent, but we were still people. We worked and we worked, to try and make our life better. Having a few dollars in your pocket then was something else.
In his diaries, he often went down a trail of nostalgia about the way it was when he was growing up and the way things ought to be. In reading what he had to say, it is hard to argue with his premise.
In one place he tells the story of his first day of school. On his first day of school, Odell was all excited about going. He went to a little one room school in Cone. He went to school and paid attention until lunch time. About noon he decided he didn’t want to go to school any more and so he got up and went home. His mother sent him back of course.
He was proud of the fact that he and Anita lived just 3 miles from where he was born. He often told that fact to anyone who would listen. To visitors in his home. To nurses in the hospital, to just about anybody who would listen.
Odell’s mother was a meticulous house keeper. She always made sure everything was clean inside her house. You saw the picture of Odell riding his Shetland pony. Well when he was about 9 or 10, his family got a new radio. In those days radios were great big pieces of furniture and families usually kept them in the living room. Odell decided one day that his pony, named Bonnie, needed to listen to the family’s new radio. So he brought Bonnie into the house. And not too long after that, his mother came home to find Odell and his horse in the middle of the living room listening to the radio. You can imagine what took place next.
Ya’ll are sitting here in a Baptist Church, listening to a Baptist Pastor, so you have gotta know that I am going to bring Jesus into this. But here is the deal. I don’t have to bring Jesus into this, because Odell already did in his diaries. Listen to this from 1973. He’s trying to explain something that has happened inside of him:
I haven’t been a very good Christian person very long. I have always loved God and thought that I knew Him. But I didn’t. The things that God has done for me in the last few months is unreal.
Suddenly things that were very important to me no longer interest me. Little things that God did for me in the past that I overlooked suddenly become real big important things in my life.
My family for instance, I have always thought that I really loved them, but until I met Jesus, I didn’t know what love really was.
My wife, Anita… how much more I love her now than I did before. I loved her all the time, but now it’s a different kind of love that I had not experienced. How fully I love her with a warm compassionate kind of love that I had never known before.
Debbie and Eddie—Man! I can’t put on paper how much I love them both. I didn’t even know Eddie until lately. God has opened my heart up that has been closed to these things for so long. I loved—but this is a different kind. Praise the Lord.
Until I met Jesus I didn’t know what really true Christian fellowship and love was.
Debbie and Eddie both will be gone from us soon. Anita and I have had a good life, but how much better it would have been if I had known the Lord like I know Him now. Can’t say we didn’t have a good time, because we did. But when it comes down to it all there is one, one person, and that is Jesus. All things may fade away but not Jesus.
Something happened in Odell’s life that made a huge difference. He came to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe, with God, Himself. Odell had difficulty expressing himself verbally about important things in life, but he wrote pretty well. There is no doubt in reading his diaries, that he loved his wife Anita, his son and his daughter Debbie, His grandson, Jay and his granddaughter Christi. And he loved his two great granddaughters, Emily and Izzy. Listen to this entry:
Feb 17, 2009
Nita and I have been married 59 years today. I really don’t know how that has happened. Daddy told her, there wasn’t a woman on earth that could live with me…. Very grateful for these 59 years we have had together. If someone asked me how we did it, I couldn’t tell them. I don’t know if I could change anything, what that would be. We have been very blessed with 2 children and 2 grand children and 2 great grandchildren. Those, money can’t buy. So really what else in life do you really need?
Throughout his memoirs, he has a firm grasp of what is important in life.
September of 1983 (this entry comes while he was struggling with alcoholism)
He says, The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.
That is so true. This is the difficulty. Living the life. See that is not done in church or a Bible study as wonderful and important as those things are. Living it involves trusting God with the circumstances you are living in. Odell did that. Oh, like everybody else, he blew it from time to time. But the Christian life is not about NOT sinning. It is about trusting in Jesus Christ to have made you righteous even if you don’t see it yourself.
Some people think that being a Christian is all about what you don’t do. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew, don’t go with girls who do. And it seems logical from the world’s point of view. But that sort of attitude is the opposite of Christianity.
Most of the great heroes of the Bible left much to be desired when it comes to living the kind of life that our culture thinks Christians should live. Noah was a drunkard, Moses was a murderer and divorced, David was a murderer and a womanizer—so was Solomon, Elijah and Jeremiah were depressed, Jonah, Peter, John and Mark ran from God, And Paul persecuted the church.
Now I mention this because I want you to know that I know Odell struggled with alcohol. He went to AA meetings and constantly fought the temptation to drink. Some people would foolishly think that because he struggled with alcohol, he couldn’t be victorious over it. But victory is continuing to struggle and not giving in and quitting the fight even when you fall. And one thing is certain about Odell, is that he did the hard work of sobriety. For 20 years his journal testifies to his continual struggle to stay sober. What a hero he was!
Odell is a role model for anyone dealing with substance abuse. Successfully dealing with alcohol is a difficult fight and Odell was a warrior. Debbie you have a right to be proud of your daddy. John, Christy, you can be proud of your grandfather. Anita, you can be proud of your husband.
But that wasn’t his only struggle. He also struggled with his finances. Farming wasn’t paying all that well so he and Anita started selling Indian Jewelry. They traveled all over a six state area buying and selling Jewelry and Indian artwork. Sometimes they did well and sometimes the buyers just weren’t there.
May 5, 2001
The Lord just keeps on blessing. We are having a very good show and the best was a group of Tech kids that are in Dr Anderson’s AA group. They came in and recognized me from the meeting. Christi gave me my 18 yr chip. That was worth more to me than all the jewelry we could have sold. These are young people and their lives were in complete shambles, they were sober, getting their lives back together. I’m real happy and thankful that we sold the $5,500 of jewelry but being with that young group of kids just made life worth living. Praise God for that.
Things did not always go well on the road. There were shows where the buyers just didn’t show up. And there were shows that were… well listen to this entry
Its from June 20, 1990 and its titled:
Last Night in Abilene
Last night I had a vision,
Or was it just a bad dream?
Anyway, when I woke up I was in Abilene.
I thought I’d died and gone to hell.
It was so real as I’d ever seen.
But it wasn’t Hell at all, it was just Abilene.
I am not sure what happened there, but I guarantee, Odell didn’t have a good time.
Some might look at his life and conclude that Odell wasn’t a success, but they’d be wrong. In fact Odell was possibly one of the most successful men I know.
He was married for 64 years to the same woman. Look at this grey hair. I’m 63 years old. Odell was married to Anita longer than I’ve been alive. That is something that the vast majority of our heroes today cannot brag about. The movie stars today might be beautiful and handsome, but all their good looks haven’t helped them keep a marriage together. Our star athletes might have great talent throwing or catching a ball, but they have no skill what-so-ever in maintaining a relationship. The great men of business and politics might have charisma and business savvy, but they don’t seem to have any aptitude for holding a marriage together. For the last 64 years in the United States, one out of every two marriages have ended in divorce. Odell Heathington was married for the entire time it took for our culture to develop that statistic. That is a man of great success.
Let me tell you about Odell and Anita’s first date.
Odell was very concerned about the cleanliness of his car. He was meticulous about his car. On their first date Anita spilled coffee all over the front seat. He was so taken with her, He said, “Oh that’s okay, it will come out.” I am certain that coffee stain was on that cloth seat until the day he traded it in.
He first dated Anita on Halloween. He asked her to marry him 5 weeks later, on December 7, and they were married on February 17. Only 3 ½ months after they went on their first date. I want you to know that in rushing to the altar, they broke most of the rules modern day advisors have for successful marriages. But Odell wasn’t worried about any of that. See, he knew that the essence of marriage was commitment. Commitment to one woman and to a family.
His family was precious to him. The moments Odell was most proud were of family—weddings and when Debbie and Christy graduated from Texas Tech. You saw in the pictures that he seldom really smiled. However at those times he had the proudest of smiles, grinning ear to ear. It was pure happiness and pride for his family.
December 28, 1993
We had a good Christmas with the kids here and everyone had all of the gifts they could carry. Jay and Christy joined the church last Sunday which was the best gift of all.
August 17, 2000
We went out with Jay and Rachel and had Mexican food last night. Day after tomorrow, they will be Mr. and Mrs. Just can’t believe they are getting married. I really think Christy and Jay did good. I am really happy with the two people they choose. They can be happy the rest of their lives if they so choose. With God’s grace it will be.
(A little further down the page he says)
Lord help me through all of this. I don’t want to break down in the wedding. I’m so easy to cry lately. I ask your help with this. Thy will be done.
Family made him proud and touched his heart like nothing else could do.
He and Anita spent this past Thanksgiving at Brian and Christy’s. By this time he couldn’t talk. But he loved to watch Emily and Izzy. Izzy was shy and because he couldn’t talk, he had to find a way into her little heart. And he did. He started poking her a little. Soon, she warmed up to him and began to move closer and closer to him until finally she was cuddled up next to him.
Brian said, in the last couple of weeks before he died, he would hold your hand when you talked to him. It was the most genuine loving touch.
Odell loved his family and that included his in-laws.
He struggled against life’s difficulties. He staid true to his wife for 64 years. He was a man of compassion, love and integrity.
One of the things that Odell believed in is the promise in the Bible of a resurrection of the dead.
In our culture we often think ourselves too sophisticated to believe in such things. Paul said that if the resurrection is not true our faith is in vain. Yet there are many today who think the idea that Christ rose from the dead is just a myth.
But the fact is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the most confirmed events in ancient history. Listen to what Paul says in Corinthians:
(20) But the glorious fact is that Christ did raise from the dead: He has become the very first to rise of all who sleep the sleep of death. As death entered the world through a man, so has rising from the dead come to us through a man! As members of a sinful race all men die; as members of the Christ of God all men shall be raised to life, each in his proper order, with Christ the very first and after Him all who belong to Him when He comes.
Then and not till then, comes the end when Christ, having abolished all other rule, authority and power, hands over the kingdom to God the Father. Christ’s reign will and must continue until every enemy has been conquered. The last enemy of all to be destroyed is death itself.
I Corinthians 15:20-26
Odell believed this. See, what Christ did through His sacrifice on the cross was to enable you and I to escape the just penalty and punishment for our sins. He literally died for us. Because He loved us.
But it didn’t stop there. He overcame the biggest enemy we have—death. After three days, He rose from the dead. He now has eternal life.
Because His life is eternal and abundant, He can offer it to you and to me. All you have to do is trust Him. Trust him like Odell did. You see, right now Odell isn’t dead. Oh, his body is, but Odell is alive. He is in a place where there is no sickness. The body Odell has now is strong and vibrant and it will last forever. I believe this with every fiber of my being just like Odell did. If you haven’t already done so, won’t you trust Him today? Trust Him to take away your sin, and invite him to come into your life, just like Odell did. And like Odell, you will find that makes all the difference.
Oh all your problems won’t go away, and you certainly won’t be perfect, but you will feel a burden is lifted from you and a new love surging through you that changes everything.
Thank You to Contributor: John Heathington (49800768)∼Wallace Odell Heathington
October 13, 1930 - January 2, 2014
Wallace Odell Heathington, 83, of Grapevine went to be with his Lord on January 2, 2014 in Grapevine, TX. Services will be held at 11:00 A.M.on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at First Baptist Church in The Colony,4800 S Colony Blvd, The Colony,TX. Cremation arrangements are being made with Adams Funeral Home of Ralls, TX.
Odell was born on October 13, 1930 to Wallace and Ethel Heathington in Crosbyton, TX. He lived and farmed north of Ralls most of his life. He loved to tell people he was born three miles away from the house where he lived with his wife of nearly 64 years, Anita Heathington. They married in Ralls on February 17, 1950. While in Ralls High School he was active in all sports, football being his favorite. He was a Charter Member of the Ralls Jaycee's, and was State Vice President and also National Director in the early 50's. Odell was also a member of the Emma Masonic Lodge in Ralls. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of the Khiva Shrine Temple where he was Charter member of the Greeters. Odell loved to travel and fishing was his favorite hobby. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Ralls.
He is survived by his is wife: Anita Oliver Heathington of Grapevine, TX; his daughter: Deborah & husband Charles Self of Lake Charles, LA; his grandson John Edward Heathington II and his wife Rachel of Lewisville; his granddaughter: Christy & husband Brian Hoisington of Grapevine; two great-granddaughters: Emily and Isabella Hoisington.
Wallace is preceded in death by his parents, brother J.E. and his son; John Edward Heathington.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the Shriners Hospital for Children at http://www.shrinershq.org/
(Published by Adams Funeral Home, January 5, 2014)
I have preached a numerous funerals in the past 15 years here at First Baptist. But never have I had the wealth of material to deal with as I have here today.
Odell, left us his diaries and letters. For those of you who don’t know what diaries are, they are sort of like a daily blog without the electronics.
His diaries covered the last 40 years or so of his life. They made very interesting reading. You see his humor clearly. And you sort of walk with him through the hardships and good times of his life.
If you have had the occasion to read the back of your program you see some of the quotes we found in his diaries. Some of these are funny. I especially like the one that says, “If it is tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?”
Odell had plenty of hardships. He was a farmer. His crops were hailed out and dried out for lack of rain, and sometimes they were literally blown away by the wind. But despite all of that, Odell loved farming.
He faced numerous difficulties including prejudice, betrayal by family members, personal failures, alcoholism, economic set-backs, and even the murder of his son. But Odell never quit trying. He never gave up. Listen to this entry.
March 30, 1973
When I was a small boy I can very clearly remember what it was like being on a farm. We worked from daylight until dark for everything we got. The farmer in those days were considered the lower class of people because we had to farm to make a living and to eat, because we weren’t fit to do anything else. People in the towns thought that people like us had to farm because we couldn’t do anything else. Maybe this was true to some extent, but we were still people. We worked and we worked, to try and make our life better. Having a few dollars in your pocket then was something else.
In his diaries, he often went down a trail of nostalgia about the way it was when he was growing up and the way things ought to be. In reading what he had to say, it is hard to argue with his premise.
In one place he tells the story of his first day of school. On his first day of school, Odell was all excited about going. He went to a little one room school in Cone. He went to school and paid attention until lunch time. About noon he decided he didn’t want to go to school any more and so he got up and went home. His mother sent him back of course.
He was proud of the fact that he and Anita lived just 3 miles from where he was born. He often told that fact to anyone who would listen. To visitors in his home. To nurses in the hospital, to just about anybody who would listen.
Odell’s mother was a meticulous house keeper. She always made sure everything was clean inside her house. You saw the picture of Odell riding his Shetland pony. Well when he was about 9 or 10, his family got a new radio. In those days radios were great big pieces of furniture and families usually kept them in the living room. Odell decided one day that his pony, named Bonnie, needed to listen to the family’s new radio. So he brought Bonnie into the house. And not too long after that, his mother came home to find Odell and his horse in the middle of the living room listening to the radio. You can imagine what took place next.
Ya’ll are sitting here in a Baptist Church, listening to a Baptist Pastor, so you have gotta know that I am going to bring Jesus into this. But here is the deal. I don’t have to bring Jesus into this, because Odell already did in his diaries. Listen to this from 1973. He’s trying to explain something that has happened inside of him:
I haven’t been a very good Christian person very long. I have always loved God and thought that I knew Him. But I didn’t. The things that God has done for me in the last few months is unreal.
Suddenly things that were very important to me no longer interest me. Little things that God did for me in the past that I overlooked suddenly become real big important things in my life.
My family for instance, I have always thought that I really loved them, but until I met Jesus, I didn’t know what love really was.
My wife, Anita… how much more I love her now than I did before. I loved her all the time, but now it’s a different kind of love that I had not experienced. How fully I love her with a warm compassionate kind of love that I had never known before.
Debbie and Eddie—Man! I can’t put on paper how much I love them both. I didn’t even know Eddie until lately. God has opened my heart up that has been closed to these things for so long. I loved—but this is a different kind. Praise the Lord.
Until I met Jesus I didn’t know what really true Christian fellowship and love was.
Debbie and Eddie both will be gone from us soon. Anita and I have had a good life, but how much better it would have been if I had known the Lord like I know Him now. Can’t say we didn’t have a good time, because we did. But when it comes down to it all there is one, one person, and that is Jesus. All things may fade away but not Jesus.
Something happened in Odell’s life that made a huge difference. He came to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe, with God, Himself. Odell had difficulty expressing himself verbally about important things in life, but he wrote pretty well. There is no doubt in reading his diaries, that he loved his wife Anita, his son and his daughter Debbie, His grandson, Jay and his granddaughter Christi. And he loved his two great granddaughters, Emily and Izzy. Listen to this entry:
Feb 17, 2009
Nita and I have been married 59 years today. I really don’t know how that has happened. Daddy told her, there wasn’t a woman on earth that could live with me…. Very grateful for these 59 years we have had together. If someone asked me how we did it, I couldn’t tell them. I don’t know if I could change anything, what that would be. We have been very blessed with 2 children and 2 grand children and 2 great grandchildren. Those, money can’t buy. So really what else in life do you really need?
Throughout his memoirs, he has a firm grasp of what is important in life.
September of 1983 (this entry comes while he was struggling with alcoholism)
He says, The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.
That is so true. This is the difficulty. Living the life. See that is not done in church or a Bible study as wonderful and important as those things are. Living it involves trusting God with the circumstances you are living in. Odell did that. Oh, like everybody else, he blew it from time to time. But the Christian life is not about NOT sinning. It is about trusting in Jesus Christ to have made you righteous even if you don’t see it yourself.
Some people think that being a Christian is all about what you don’t do. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew, don’t go with girls who do. And it seems logical from the world’s point of view. But that sort of attitude is the opposite of Christianity.
Most of the great heroes of the Bible left much to be desired when it comes to living the kind of life that our culture thinks Christians should live. Noah was a drunkard, Moses was a murderer and divorced, David was a murderer and a womanizer—so was Solomon, Elijah and Jeremiah were depressed, Jonah, Peter, John and Mark ran from God, And Paul persecuted the church.
Now I mention this because I want you to know that I know Odell struggled with alcohol. He went to AA meetings and constantly fought the temptation to drink. Some people would foolishly think that because he struggled with alcohol, he couldn’t be victorious over it. But victory is continuing to struggle and not giving in and quitting the fight even when you fall. And one thing is certain about Odell, is that he did the hard work of sobriety. For 20 years his journal testifies to his continual struggle to stay sober. What a hero he was!
Odell is a role model for anyone dealing with substance abuse. Successfully dealing with alcohol is a difficult fight and Odell was a warrior. Debbie you have a right to be proud of your daddy. John, Christy, you can be proud of your grandfather. Anita, you can be proud of your husband.
But that wasn’t his only struggle. He also struggled with his finances. Farming wasn’t paying all that well so he and Anita started selling Indian Jewelry. They traveled all over a six state area buying and selling Jewelry and Indian artwork. Sometimes they did well and sometimes the buyers just weren’t there.
May 5, 2001
The Lord just keeps on blessing. We are having a very good show and the best was a group of Tech kids that are in Dr Anderson’s AA group. They came in and recognized me from the meeting. Christi gave me my 18 yr chip. That was worth more to me than all the jewelry we could have sold. These are young people and their lives were in complete shambles, they were sober, getting their lives back together. I’m real happy and thankful that we sold the $5,500 of jewelry but being with that young group of kids just made life worth living. Praise God for that.
Things did not always go well on the road. There were shows where the buyers just didn’t show up. And there were shows that were… well listen to this entry
Its from June 20, 1990 and its titled:
Last Night in Abilene
Last night I had a vision,
Or was it just a bad dream?
Anyway, when I woke up I was in Abilene.
I thought I’d died and gone to hell.
It was so real as I’d ever seen.
But it wasn’t Hell at all, it was just Abilene.
I am not sure what happened there, but I guarantee, Odell didn’t have a good time.
Some might look at his life and conclude that Odell wasn’t a success, but they’d be wrong. In fact Odell was possibly one of the most successful men I know.
He was married for 64 years to the same woman. Look at this grey hair. I’m 63 years old. Odell was married to Anita longer than I’ve been alive. That is something that the vast majority of our heroes today cannot brag about. The movie stars today might be beautiful and handsome, but all their good looks haven’t helped them keep a marriage together. Our star athletes might have great talent throwing or catching a ball, but they have no skill what-so-ever in maintaining a relationship. The great men of business and politics might have charisma and business savvy, but they don’t seem to have any aptitude for holding a marriage together. For the last 64 years in the United States, one out of every two marriages have ended in divorce. Odell Heathington was married for the entire time it took for our culture to develop that statistic. That is a man of great success.
Let me tell you about Odell and Anita’s first date.
Odell was very concerned about the cleanliness of his car. He was meticulous about his car. On their first date Anita spilled coffee all over the front seat. He was so taken with her, He said, “Oh that’s okay, it will come out.” I am certain that coffee stain was on that cloth seat until the day he traded it in.
He first dated Anita on Halloween. He asked her to marry him 5 weeks later, on December 7, and they were married on February 17. Only 3 ½ months after they went on their first date. I want you to know that in rushing to the altar, they broke most of the rules modern day advisors have for successful marriages. But Odell wasn’t worried about any of that. See, he knew that the essence of marriage was commitment. Commitment to one woman and to a family.
His family was precious to him. The moments Odell was most proud were of family—weddings and when Debbie and Christy graduated from Texas Tech. You saw in the pictures that he seldom really smiled. However at those times he had the proudest of smiles, grinning ear to ear. It was pure happiness and pride for his family.
December 28, 1993
We had a good Christmas with the kids here and everyone had all of the gifts they could carry. Jay and Christy joined the church last Sunday which was the best gift of all.
August 17, 2000
We went out with Jay and Rachel and had Mexican food last night. Day after tomorrow, they will be Mr. and Mrs. Just can’t believe they are getting married. I really think Christy and Jay did good. I am really happy with the two people they choose. They can be happy the rest of their lives if they so choose. With God’s grace it will be.
(A little further down the page he says)
Lord help me through all of this. I don’t want to break down in the wedding. I’m so easy to cry lately. I ask your help with this. Thy will be done.
Family made him proud and touched his heart like nothing else could do.
He and Anita spent this past Thanksgiving at Brian and Christy’s. By this time he couldn’t talk. But he loved to watch Emily and Izzy. Izzy was shy and because he couldn’t talk, he had to find a way into her little heart. And he did. He started poking her a little. Soon, she warmed up to him and began to move closer and closer to him until finally she was cuddled up next to him.
Brian said, in the last couple of weeks before he died, he would hold your hand when you talked to him. It was the most genuine loving touch.
Odell loved his family and that included his in-laws.
He struggled against life’s difficulties. He staid true to his wife for 64 years. He was a man of compassion, love and integrity.
One of the things that Odell believed in is the promise in the Bible of a resurrection of the dead.
In our culture we often think ourselves too sophisticated to believe in such things. Paul said that if the resurrection is not true our faith is in vain. Yet there are many today who think the idea that Christ rose from the dead is just a myth.
But the fact is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the most confirmed events in ancient history. Listen to what Paul says in Corinthians:
(20) But the glorious fact is that Christ did raise from the dead: He has become the very first to rise of all who sleep the sleep of death. As death entered the world through a man, so has rising from the dead come to us through a man! As members of a sinful race all men die; as members of the Christ of God all men shall be raised to life, each in his proper order, with Christ the very first and after Him all who belong to Him when He comes.
Then and not till then, comes the end when Christ, having abolished all other rule, authority and power, hands over the kingdom to God the Father. Christ’s reign will and must continue until every enemy has been conquered. The last enemy of all to be destroyed is death itself.
I Corinthians 15:20-26
Odell believed this. See, what Christ did through His sacrifice on the cross was to enable you and I to escape the just penalty and punishment for our sins. He literally died for us. Because He loved us.
But it didn’t stop there. He overcame the biggest enemy we have—death. After three days, He rose from the dead. He now has eternal life.
Because His life is eternal and abundant, He can offer it to you and to me. All you have to do is trust Him. Trust him like Odell did. You see, right now Odell isn’t dead. Oh, his body is, but Odell is alive. He is in a place where there is no sickness. The body Odell has now is strong and vibrant and it will last forever. I believe this with every fiber of my being just like Odell did. If you haven’t already done so, won’t you trust Him today? Trust Him to take away your sin, and invite him to come into your life, just like Odell did. And like Odell, you will find that makes all the difference.
Oh all your problems won’t go away, and you certainly won’t be perfect, but you will feel a burden is lifted from you and a new love surging through you that changes everything.
Thank You to Contributor: John Heathington (49800768)∼Wallace Odell Heathington
October 13, 1930 - January 2, 2014
Wallace Odell Heathington, 83, of Grapevine went to be with his Lord on January 2, 2014 in Grapevine, TX. Services will be held at 11:00 A.M.on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at First Baptist Church in The Colony,4800 S Colony Blvd, The Colony,TX. Cremation arrangements are being made with Adams Funeral Home of Ralls, TX.
Odell was born on October 13, 1930 to Wallace and Ethel Heathington in Crosbyton, TX. He lived and farmed north of Ralls most of his life. He loved to tell people he was born three miles away from the house where he lived with his wife of nearly 64 years, Anita Heathington. They married in Ralls on February 17, 1950. While in Ralls High School he was active in all sports, football being his favorite. He was a Charter Member of the Ralls Jaycee's, and was State Vice President and also National Director in the early 50's. Odell was also a member of the Emma Masonic Lodge in Ralls. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of the Khiva Shrine Temple where he was Charter member of the Greeters. Odell loved to travel and fishing was his favorite hobby. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Ralls.
He is survived by his is wife: Anita Oliver Heathington of Grapevine, TX; his daughter: Deborah & husband Charles Self of Lake Charles, LA; his grandson John Edward Heathington II and his wife Rachel of Lewisville; his granddaughter: Christy & husband Brian Hoisington of Grapevine; two great-granddaughters: Emily and Isabella Hoisington.
Wallace is preceded in death by his parents, brother J.E. and his son; John Edward Heathington.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the Shriners Hospital for Children at http://www.shrinershq.org/
(Published by Adams Funeral Home, January 5, 2014)
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