Ernestine W. Lofton, age 90 of Orange, Texas, passed away on Thursday, June 18, 2020 in Orange. A graveside service to honor Ernestine's life will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, June 22, 2020 at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens with Pastor WW Smith officiating.
Ernestine was born March 4th, 1930 in a very small place called Larto Lake, Louisiana. She returned home to heaven on June 18, 2020. Her 90 years of life were filled with accomplishments.
As a child, there were no computers and in the years of the Great Depression there was little money. She played jacks with apple seeds and a peach pit, or rolling barrel hoops with a stick down the road. She watched German POWs work crews walk past her house during WW II.
In her teens, she traveled with her cousins, singing in revivals and camp meetings. Once, before he became famous, Jerry Lee Lewis played gospel music for them.
In her 20s, she worked at Walgreens in Orange and was the drug store manager. With her organizational skills, she even won employee recognition and rewards.
From her 30’s to her 50’s, she raised three girls. She did this with grace and panache, teaching her children (and subsequent grandchildren) that they could accomplish and be anything they wanted if they were willing to believe in themselves and work for it.
She married her beloved Gene Lofton, who sadly preceded her in death. She spread grace, charm and wisdom to other places, as she traveled with Gene and their usual traveling companions Rusty and Maggie Stanley.
In her golden years, she helped raise grandchildren, instilling in them the value of integrity and hard work, Additionally, she helped take care of the elderly, made crafts for church bazaars and worked incessantly in the yard, planting plants to make her corner of the world a more beautiful place. This was in addition to having already been a Camp Fire leader, as well as working with the American Cancer Society and several other charitable causes when younger.
She joins her Mother (Amanda Wiley), her Father (Simon P. Wiley), a sister (Vivian Ziegler), a daughter (Toni Walker), a granddaughter (Chesney Walker) and a grandson (Aaron Lamb), as well as extended family and friends.
She will be greatly missed by her remaining family: Margie, Maggie, Shirley, “Bud” (siblings); Torri and Terri (daughters); Mariah, Meagan, Michael, Joshua, Marcus, Adam (grandchildren) as well as several great-grandchildren. We will cherish her memory and use it to inspire future generations.
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