Juanita Bartlett Boyd

Long time Commerce resident Juanita Faye Stodghill Bartlett Boyd passed into the presence of God in the early morning of January 23, 2009. The beloved wife, mother and grandmother was born on December 23, 1921, in a small farmhouse near Mart, Texas, the only child of Alonzo and Edith Stodghill. Her family soon moved to Mart, where she attended school. She was a proud survivor of the Great Depression, times so bad her family moved several times a year to save a few pennies on rent.

She graduated from Mart High School in 1939, second in her class. There was, however, no opportunity for higher education. She worked at a movie theater in Mart until she married another Mart native, Leonard W. Bartlett, on January 30, 1942. They soon settled in Tyler when Leonard was promoted to locomotive engineer. Her only child, Bryan, arrived in February of 1950; and, shortly thereafter, the family moved to Commerce.

Juanita was a devoted housewife, mother and volunteer. She was a member of the First Baptist Church where she taught Sunday School for many years. She was active in the Afflatus Culture Club for many years.

Subsequent to the death of Leonard in 1996, she married long-time family friend "Smoky" Boyd in June of 2002. They resided in Commerce until early 2008.

She is survived by her husband, "Smoky"; her son, Bryan Leonard Bartlett, MD, PhD, and wife Kelli Pacini Bartlett of Colleyville; granddaughter, Brittnie Bartlett, s student at Texas A&M; grandson, Spencer Bartlett, eighth grader; and a large exteded family including numerous cousins.

A funeral service will be held Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 2:00 P.M. at Jones-Walker & Son in Commerce with graveside services and interment on Monday at 1:30 P.M. at the cemetery in Mart. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of either, Commerce or Mart, or the American Cancer Society.