Ethel Havins

Austin, Texas—Ethel Gartman Havins, 94, passed away on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, at Querencia, her retirement home in Austin. She was formerly a resident of White Oak, Texas, where she raised her family and hosted numerous family gatherings with her daughters, their families, and even her great grandchildren. Ms. Havins was Valedictorian of the 1942 Thomas Jefferson graduating class in Port Arthur, Texas, where she was also a member of the elite Red Hussars Drum & Bugle Corp. After her marriage, Ethel worked as an executive secretary for Gulf Oil in Crane, TX., Mid-Valley Oil in Longview, and 28 years for ARCO Oil & Gas in Longview before retiring in 1985. Following her retirement, she enjoyed serving as secretary/treasurer of East Texas ARCO Retirees Club, not only managing the group's social functions, but also helping individual retirees with their financial and legal papers until her move to Austin in 2010. Ms. Havins is survived by her daughters and sons-inlaw, Dee Miller and John Greer of Texarkana, and Debi and Dr. Mark Akin of Austin, Texas. She also leaves six grandchildren who adored her: William W. Miller (Jessica) of Texarkana; Julie Miller Mathes (Silas) of Nashville, TN; Gregory Havins Miller of Memphis, TN; Amanda Akin Bryan (Craig), Adam Akin (Stephanie), and Abbey Akin Fowler (Todd), all of Austin, TX. She was fortunate to be able to meet, know, and babysit for 16 great-grandchildren (serving as baby nurse for the older ones): Davis, Austin, & Mason Miller of Texarkana; Greta, Clara, & Mollie Mathes of Nashville, TN; Meagan & Savannah Miller of Memphis, TN; Jameson, Annabelle, & Bennett Bryan; Tyson, Sabrina, & Sophia Fowler; and Alani & Lyla Akin, all of Austin, TX. She is also survived by her brother, Dr. Robert Ellis Gartman, a sister, Grace Gartman Peacock, a special niece, Sandy Deslatte, and numerous other relatives. She was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Ellis and Alice Gartman of Port Arthur, Texas, Darrell Estes Havins, her husband of 45 years, Edith Farley, her twin sister, and a younger sister, Donna Ruth Hinson. She was reared in the Christian Church in Port Arthur, and was a member of First Christian Church in Longview, TX. Ethel was the rock of this large and loving family, all of whom turned to her for advice and help through the years. She was a caring sister and aunt, a devoted mother, and a loving grandmother and great-grandmother. In lieu of a funeral, Ethel asked that her ashes and those of her identical twin sister be interred together in a family crypt in Longview. Her wishes will be honored in a family gathering at a later date. Among the pages of instructions she left for her daughters to read after her death, she asked that any memorials be made to the school where her older daughter, Dee, worked as teacher and then Head of School until she retired in 2014: St. James Day School, 5501 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana TX 75503. Even in death, she wanted to help her children and all those who came after her.