MEMORIAL CEMETERY
ANDERSON COUNTY, TEXAS

Born:  22 September 1909 - Seguin, Texas Died:  23 September 2005 - MYA Healthcare Father:  James Singletary Mother:  Minnie Roach Singletary Spouse:  Laurelia Holden Son: W.L. Singletary, Jr.

Services for Willie L. Singletary, 96, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 1007 S. Fulton St. with the Revs. Billy McClelland Larry Gardner, Roy G. Duncan and Derrick Lott officiating.  Burial will follow at Memorial Cemetery under the direction of McCoy Funeral Home of Palestine. Mr. Singletary died Friday, Sept. 23 at YMA Healthcare. He was born Sept. 22, 1909 in Seguin, Texas to James and Minnie Roach Singletary.  He earned bachelors and masters degrees from Prairie View A&M University.  His career in public education began in 1934 when he came to Anderson County and taught at the Lost Prairie School for two years.  Then he established the Vocational Agriculture program at Green Bay High School and continued to teadh there and at Westwood High School and Junior High until 1975 when he retired. Mr. Singletary was a longtime member, trustee and deacon at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church of Tucker until his death.  Active in his community and Civic affairs, he served as Tucker precinct election judge, supervised a government-funded program to build homes for the elderly in Palestine, received the Business & Professional Women's Award for Education, and the Prairie View National Alumni Award. Wile teaching he received several professional service awards.  His students competed successfully in state and national contests and the Houston Livestock Show and Rode. Mr. Singletary was 33rd degree Mason.  He served on the board of directors of the Anderson County Farmers Home Administration, the Green Bay Community Center, the Tucker Water Board and the Magnolia Cemetery Committee.  A skilled carpenter and welder, he enjoyed several leisure time hobbies as well as full-time ranching and farming. Mr. Singletary was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Laurelia Holden Singletary; son, W.L. Jr.; a sister and brother. Survivors include daughters, June McCoy and husband Edward of Palestine, Joyce Crocheron and husband Ronald of Davidsonville, Maryland; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a brother, Henry J. Singletary of Seattle Washington; nieces, nephews, cousins and many close friends. The family will receive condolence calls from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at McCoy Funeral Home Chapel. T he body will lie in state Saturday at the church one hour prior to the funeral time.

Willie Lavaca Singletary was born on September 22, 1909 to the late James Polk Singletary and Minnie Lee Roach Singletary in the Sweet Home Community of Seguin (Guadalupe County) Texas.  He was the first of four children and all the family called him 'Son' throughout his life. A family of limited means, they moved frequently and sometimes lived in communities where there was no school for African-American children.  When Willie was almost ten, Mrs. Singletary said to her husband, 'This boy has to go to school/'  So the family moved.  At ten years of age, Willie began his schooling, walking seven miles through a heavy forest.  His father blazed a path for him by marking trees with his axe, making two marks on the signal trees, one to guide him to school and one to guide him home. He and his family worshipped at the Sweet Home Baptist Church. At the age of eighteen, W.L. Graduated from Sweet Home High School and entered Prairie View in the fall of 1927.  His classification was Senior Academy.  He left home with $75.00, and during his college years never asked for or received any money from home, knowing that there was no money there. On the train to Prairie View he prayed to find a wife and to receive sufficient training to care for a family. To finance his education, he did anything that was honest; milking cows ,chauffeuring, raising fish bait, working with the campus plumber and electrician, and digging ditches for fifteen cents an hour. On May 28, 1934, he graduated from Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College of Texas with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture.  A few weeks later he signed a contract to teach at Lost Prairie School in the Flint Hill Community.  After two years he was employed to teach vocational agriculture at Green Bay High School in Tucker, Texas.  He reported for work on July 1, 1936, and on September 18, 1936, he married his college sweetheart, Miss Laurelia M. Holden, In Trinity, Texas.  She joined the faculty as English teacher that year. In 1937, Mr. Singletary gave his room to Mrs. Singletary, who began teaching Home Economics.  Mr. Singletary, using scrap lumber and tin, constructed an agriculture classroom and shop, the room being heated by burning wood in a hole in the dirt floor.  Soon a building to accommodate homemaking and agriculture was erected. Not only did the couple have adjoining classrooms, but they were co-laborers focusing on improving living conditions, farms and family life in the Tucker community.  Aside from regular curriculum courses, they worked year-round teaching adult classes in gardening, fruit, vegetable and meat preservation, clothing construction, furniture refinishing, repair of farm tools and equipment, house contruction, barn raising, home renovation, farm crop production, and cattle rearing.  They made syrup from sugar cane and furniture from orange crates and apple boxes.  Wearing apparel was made from bleached flour sacks.  Vocational education at Green Bay was recognized state-wide and nationally for it's accomplishments. Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Singletary was addressed as "Prof" by his boys.  They were very competitive and won numerous awards in New Farmers of America contests on district, area and state levels.  They represented the school as delegates to national conventions and at the Houston Fat Stock Show and Rodeo in Houston, Texas. To remain current in his field, "Prof" obtained certification in numerous workshop courses at Texas A&M University. He received the Modern Farmer's Degree, the Honorary Lone Star Farmer's Key and the 35 year service award from Texas Vocational Agriculture Teachers Ass'n.  Mr. Singletary earned his Master of Science Degree from Prairie View A.M. College of Texas on August 22, 1956. With the onset of school integration and the closing of Green Bay, he moved to Westwood High School to continue teaching Vocational Agriculture.  Later he transferred to Westwood Junior High School to teach science and other subjects.  With the skills they received in his classes, some young men became teachers themselves.  Others applied their training plumbing, electronics, carpentry, farming and ranching, welding, cement work, law, labor relations and military service. His activities were never limited to school work.  Although his teaching career ended in 1975,he continued to lend wisdom, knowledge, leadership and wholehearted participation to church, community and civic activities.  He served as election judge at the tucker precinct for many years.  He was supervisor of a government-funded program to repair and build homes for elderly, low-income residents in Palestine.  He was a charter member of the Green Bay Community Center and that organization honored him with a surprise testimonial banquet on the occasion of his 87th birthday. earlier he was recognized as 'Man of the Year in Education' by Palestine Negro Business and Professional Women's Club. In 1989, he received the Prairie View A&M University National Alumni Association Award. Mr. Singletary was a 33rd Degree Mason.  He served on the board of directors of the Anderson County Farmers Home Administration, the Tucker Water Board and the Magnolia Cemetery Committee.  His talents and hobbies included carpentry, welding, hunting, wood carving, and wine-making.  his peach seed creations have been featured in exhibits and publicized on television and in the newspaper.  Until age 92, he still engaged in cattle raising. At Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church he was a trustee, and chairman of the deacon board. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who also cherished his place as 'Uncle Willie' to numerous nieces and nephews.  He took under his embrace in-laws, extended fammily members and lifelong friends. On Friday evening, September 23, 2005, after celebrating his 96th birthday the day before, W.L. Singletary left his earthly home to be with the Lord.  He now enjoys fellowship with his parents; his wife of 49 years; his only son, W.L., Jr.; brother, Dudley Singletary; sister, Massaree Walker, and old friends and collegues. Two daughters survive him, June McCoy and husband Edward of Palestine, their son David Alan and wife Faiza of Houston; Joyce W. Crocheron and husband Ronald of Davidsonville, Maryland and their children Bryan Scott and wife Carla Michele Renee' and husband Derrick, all of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; great granddaughters, Hannah Maria Crocheron, Isabele Bryanna Crocheron, Ariana Belquees McCoy and Sarah Yanis McCoy; brother, Henry James Singletary and wife Barbara Jean of Seattle, Washington; brother-in-law, Eurit A. Walker of San Antonio; nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

The pictures and images used on the Memorial Cemetery pages were
furnished by the Anderson County Historical Commission and the pages
were compiled by Beverly Bailey Odom and Scott Fitzgerald.

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Copyright 2005 -
East Texas Genealogical Society and the Individual Contributors