Eudora Virginia Williams Leslie

Eudora Virginia Williams Leslie, 92, of Cedar Park, formerly of Taylor, and McNeil, Ark., passed away Saturday, July 1, 2017, at Seton Northwest Hospital in Austin. 

Eudora was born at home on Sept. 5, 1924, near Emerson in Columbia County, Ark., and she was a public school teacher, writer of teacher-training and children’s religious literature, manager, and other professions in Arkansas, Texas, and Mississippi.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Eutoga Sanders Williams; husband, Reuben Leslie; and brothers, Regnold and Errol; and sister, Mary Vern Williams.

Eudora is survived by her brother, Joe Williams of Austin; sister-in-law, Elizabeth Leslie of Jacksonville; daughters, Eunice Stigall and her husband Zane Stigall of San Gabriel, Cynthia DeHart and her husband James DeHart of Beaumont, and Rebecca Leslie of Pflugerville; son, Reuben Leslie and his wife Sue Downe of Austin; grandchildren, Dr. William Stigall and his wife Kate of Irving, Erica Ordoῆez and her husband Eduardo of Fort Worth, Jason DeHart and his wife Becky of Oklahoma City, Okla., Jeffrey DeHart of Redlands, Calif., Hillary Anderson of Bryan, and Jessica Anderson and her husband Brandon Patterson of Dripping Springs; great-grandchildren, John, James and Peter Stigall, Isabel, Nicolas, Braulio, Maria and Amelia Ordoῆez, Alexandria and Luke DeHart, Allison, Cambriah and Grady DeHart, and Baily and Emmerson Doroshenko; and three step-great-grandchildren, Christian, Lily, and Lyndon Patterson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Visitation was held Thursday, July 6, at Lewis Funeral Home, Inc., 420 N. Jackson, in Magnolia, Ark. Funeral services were held Friday, July 7, at 10:30 a.m. at Lewis Funeral Home, Inc., in Magnolia, Ark. Graveside services will be Friday, July 7, at 3 p.m. at Ozan Cemetery in Bingen, Ark.

Eudora was a devoted and caring daughter, wife, mother, grandmother (Meemaw), great-grandmother, and sister. She grew up on the family farm, attending Hephzibah Baptist Church where she enjoyed the Second Sunday in June reunion celebrations. She attended Walkerville schools and graduated early from high school at the top of her class. She passed the Arkansas emergency public school teacher exam during World War II, and at 18 left home to teach. She taught for three years while also attending Arkansas A&M College (now Southern Arkansas University), in Magnolia during summers. She met her future husband, Reuben, as a guest preacher at the Hephzibah church. Their courtship continued at college until they married. 

As spouse of a preacher and missionary for over 55 years at churches in 17 cities in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mississippi, Eudora continuously supported her husband Reuben’s career, raised their children, and excelled at many jobs, including 16 years writing quarterly children’s and teacher-training literature including the book, Jesus Said, for the Baptist Missionary Association (BMA) of America and managing the catalog department of Sears Roebuck in Midland. Other work included Employment Counselor in Phillips County, Ark., US Census Bureau Supervisor in Mena, Ark., and tax preparer in southwest Arkansas.  She also furthered her own education at every opportunity, attending colleges in the four states she lived in.  

Eudora and Reuben retired to McNeil, Ark., in 1988, where Eudora cooked, canned, froze, or preserved what her husband produced in their garden. Reuben pastored in his retirement at Mt. Union Baptist Church in El Dorado, AR, and later Beacon Baptist Church in Bussey, Ark., and he and Eudora enjoyed fellowship with College Avenue Baptist Church, Magnolia, Ark. Reuben and Eudora enjoyed each other’s company.  When Reuben became too ill to preach, Eudora took loving care of him until his passing in 2000.  Throughout her life, Eudora had many creative pursuits:  gardening, cooking, sewing, hairstyling, fashion, art, music, literature, history, and genealogy.  And she was a lively storyteller and motivator, especially for children.

In 2004, Eudora moved to central Texas to be closer to her children. Her brother Bo soon relocated to the same town, as well. She enjoyed the proximity of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and brother, entertaining in her home until late 2014. She joined First Baptist Church Taylor in 2004 where she was a member at the time of her death. After brief stays in rehabilitation hospitals and Buckner Villas Memory Care, she lived her remaining years at Sundance at Brush Creek Memory Care in Cedar Park, where she loved her caregivers and was a favorite resident.  

The family requests that friends and family who wish to make memorial donations do so to their home churches, missionary work, or the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.

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