Florene Blevins

Florene Blevins, née Brantley, of Brenham, Texas passed away on June 24, 2020 aged 95. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 76 years, Ralph; her parents; siblings Tom, Mae, Stella, Helen and Bette; daughter Sue and sons-in-law Bennie and Gene. Flo is survived by her beloved children Linda Blevins Fitzwater of New Ulm, Texas and Timothy R. Blevins (Mark Yeager) of Oakland, California. She is also survived by her “adopted” son Mui Qui Bong (Dan Kim Tam) of Spring, Texas and her grandchildren Vy, Ylan and Dan and their respective spouses and her great-grandchildren.

Flo was born and raised in Purcell, Oklahoma. She met Ralph at church and they married in July 1942 shortly before his Navy service in WWII. Flo and Ralph moved to New Orleans in 1952 for him to attend seminary. For many years she yearned to return to Oklahoma but eventually Arabi became her home and she and Ralph lived there for over 50 years. In the beginning, Flo didn’t much want to be a pastor’s wife but was always Ralph’s rock through thick and thin. In 1959, Flo established the preschool and kindergarten programs at the First Baptist Church of Arabi. She taught and then directed these programs for some 24 years before retiring. Flo had a passion and love for children and for helping them be prepared for their school careers and later lives.

Hurricane Katrina swept away Flo’s New Orleans-based life and she and her husband moved to Brenham to be near their daughter. Although she always missed Arabi, New Orleans and the many beloved church members from over the years, she developed a fondness for Brenham and the new friends she made.

There will be a private family funeral service, Saturday, June 27, 2020 at Memorial Oaks Chapel with Pastors Ross Shelton and Troy Sikes officiating. To view the service online, please visit the funeral home’s Facebook link https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011333840299 at 11:00 a.m.

There will be no visitation or service for the interment at St. Bernard Memorial Gardens in Chalmette, LA.

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to: The Children’s Defense Fund. www.childrensdefensefund.org.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 West Main Street, Brenham, TX 77833.