April 25, 1936

  At 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 16, 2001, a group of family and friends had the privilege of witnessing the wonder of God's bringing VIOLET IRENE DURHAM ASHER, his beloved child, home. She was born February 27, 1917, in the Shenery in Rotan, Texas, to Edmund Meadows Durham and Jessie Matilda Durham.

  She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 44 years, Nial C. Asher. Also preceding her were her brothers Edmund Earl Durham, Kenneth Ray Durham, and also Victor LeRoy Durham, who was killed defending his country in WWII.

  First in her family to earn a college degree, she graduated from Abilene Christian College in 1941. Her next 30 years were filled with raising a family, teaching at Genoa Elementary, and serving her Lord in several congregations of the Church of Christ in the Houston area: Pecan Park, Broadway, Shaw Street, Burke Road, and Southeast.

  She is survived by a daughter, Patricia Irene McCarley and husband David Kenneth McCarley of Dickinson, Texas; sons Danny Clair Asher and Jerry Clair Asher, both of Houston, Texas; a granddaughter, Deborah Sue McCarley Williams and husband Daniel Williams of Grand Prairie, Texas; a grandson, Daniel Kenneth McCarley of Euless, Texas; a brother, Paul Stafford Durham and wife Louise Durham of Houston, Texas; sisters-in-law Mary Lou Durham of Greenville, South Carolina, and Dean Durham of Abilene, Texas; and a host of other family and friends.

  Friends are invited to visit with the family on Friday, October 19, from 6-8 p.m. at Forest Park Lawndale, 6900 Lawndale Ave., Houston, Texas. Funeral services will be held at the Southeast Church of Christ, 9020 Gulf Freeway, Houston, Texas, at 4 p.m., Saturday, October 20, with Jim Petty officiating. Interment will follow at Grandview Cemetery.

  All those privileged to know her were impressed by her love for God and especially for His Word. She memorized many chapters from the Bible, including her favorite, Psalm 119, and was able to recite them till the end of her life. Her last words to her family and friends gathered around her bed were, "Be faithful." We thank God for the example she gave us of doing that very thing. Our sorrow in missing her is great, but "joy comes in the morning."