Paula Easton

Paula Leftwich Easton, 83, of Oak Ridge North, Texas passed from this life to the next on March 27, 2023. Paula was born on October 7, 1939 in Jacksonville, Texas to Rayford and Effie (Dennis) Leftwich and grew up in Sulphur Springs. Her early years were shaped by her dad’s service in Europe in World War II and the hardships families faced on the home front. Paula had a bubbly personality and was part of the high school marching band and cheerleading squad, graduating from Sulphur Springs High School in 1958. She later attended East Texas State College in Commerce, Texas.

When Paula was about three years old, she started climbing up on the piano bench at home. It wasn’t long before her parents realized she had a God-given gift for music. She started playing the piano in church at an early age and it became a lifelong passion as well as a ministry for her throughout her life. She was pianist at First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs, First Baptist Church of Bellaire, and Oak Ridge Baptist Church. You could hear her passion as she played (with just a touch of panache) and that passion enabled others to have a deeper worship experience. Even in later years when movement and communication became challenging, she could sit at the piano and somehow sweet hymns, Beethoven and the Aggie War Hymn would still flow from her hands.

Paula was singing in the choir one Sunday at the First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs when a handsome young bachelor came walking down the aisle to join the church. She poked her mother in the ribs and said “Mother, Mother, do you see him???” The rest is history. Bill and Paula were married on July 19, 1959 and lived in Hawkins, Texas on one side of a duplex in the Humble Oil Camp. Paula said she felt so rich to live in such a place! They moved to Houston in 1961 where they joined First Baptist Church of Bellaire, made many life-long friends and raised their four children. Paula played a big part in the music ministry there and taught children’s Sunday School classes.

In 1976, the Eastons moved to Oak Ridge North and joined Oak Ridge Baptist Church. Paula stayed active in the music ministry and took part in youth events as well. She was involved in Bible Study Fellowship for many years and was a dedicated student. She has many well marked Bibles that her family will treasure. Paula’s love of the Bible and missions prompted her to take two mission trips to China to hand out Bibles as well as support missionaries in Africa and Moldova. When travel wasn’t possible anymore, she and Bill gave generously to buy Bibles to be distributed all over the world.

Paula was a fiercely loving and devoted mother to her children and grandmother to her grandkids. They never doubted that Jesus loved them and so did their “Momma” and “Pa-Wa”. In one of Paula’s Bibles, the verse below was underlined with this handwritten note: “For my children: Loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.”

“To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” Jude 1-2

Paula was married to Bill for over 62 years until his death in 2021. She was also preceded in death by her youngest son, Colonel Darren A. Easton, USAF. She is survived by her children, Eric (Julie) of Tomball, Andy (Kymberly) of The Woodlands, Elise Easton Caddenhead (Kevin) of Brenham and Joanna (Darren) of The Woodlands. She is also survived by her sister Linda Leftwich Groves of Waco. The joys of her life were her 15 grandchildren - Victoria Easton Clark and husband Jacob, Alexandra Easton, William Easton, Lauren Easton, Adam Easton, Emily Easton Valdez and husband Ramiro, Cassidy Caddenhead Wilfong and husband Kevin, Cole Caddenhead, Luke Caddenhead, Kyra Easton, Camille Easton and Kyle Easton.

Our family would like to thank our personal caregiver, Beth Dickerson, for the loving service she has given us for the past two years. We would also like to thank the caregivers at Isle at Watercrest in Bryan for their kind and gentle care.

A Celebration of Life will be held graveside at 1:00 pm on Sunday, April 2, 2023 at Prairie Lea Cemetery in Brenham, TX. In the case of inclement weather, the service will be held in the chapel at Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham. Pallbearers are Adam Easton, Cole Caddenhead, Will Easton, Luke Caddenhead, Kyle Easton, Jacob Clark, Kevin Wilfong, Ramiro Valdez and Joseph Clark.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Brookwood Community

- Woodlands Program at www.brookwoodcommunity.org/donate or mailed to The Brookwood Community, 1752 FM 1489, Brookshire, TX 77423.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 West Main St., Brenham, TX