Eunice Estell Holley House

July 6, 1919 - December 28, 2016

Eunice Estell House, 97, of Waller, TX; passed away on December 28, 2016 in Cypress, TX. A celebration of her life is scheduled for 11AM on Friday, January 6th at The First United Methodist Church in Prairie View, TX with the viewing prior to the service beginning at 10AM. The burial will follow at Houston Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Pearland, TX at 2PM. Rev. Dwayne Thompson will officiate. A girl named EUNICE ESTELL, the youngest of 11 children, was born on July 6, 1919 in Leon County, TX to John Reuben Holley and Anna Rebecca Horn Holley. She was an extraordinary academic scholar and received her high school diploma at age 16. With a passion for education and engaging young minds, she pursued a career focused on elementary education and received her Teacher's Certificate from Mary Allen College in Crockett, TX at age 18. Later, she received her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Elementary Education from Samuel Huston College (now known as Huston Tillotson University in Austin, TX and Texas Southern University in Houston, TX respectively). Eunice proudly boasted of teaching for four generations during a professional career which spanned 40 years in Leon and Madison Counties, TX. Eunice met and later married Hallie House, her childhood sweetheart. Although this union produced no children, the couple was happily married for nearly 30 years. Throughout much of her life, Eunice helped in the child rearing of many nieces and nephews and also helped care for her aging parents until their deaths. Eunice was preceded in death by her parents John and Rebecca Holley; her husband Hallie House; and her ten siblings: Allean Bailey, Eula Cooper, William Holley, Benjamin Holley, Oletha Sneed, Janie Holley, Clora Viser, John Holley, Lewis Holley, and an unnamed baby girl who was stillborn. She is survived by a brother-in-law, Henry L. House and his wife Mordester House (Madisonville,TX) and a step granddaughter, Diana House (Houston, TX). During her lifetime, Eunice helped in rearing the following nieces and nephews: Alvin C. (Gloria) Horn (Moreno Valley, CA), Zelda Williams (Cypress, TX), John (Carol) Holley (Missouri City, TX), Leotis Holley (deceased), Cecelia Phillips (Houston, TX), Bradford Bailey (Tomball, TX), Minnie Cox (Houston, TX), and Gladys Langford (Houston, TX). Special thanks to the following for their supportive assistance: Laura Walker (Houston, TX), Melvin Holley and his wife Veronica Holley (Sugar Land, TX), Sydney Jones (Missouri City, TX), Rosalyn Phillips (Rosharon, TX), Dorothy Mae Johnson (Houston, TX) and Addie (W. B.) Davis (Leona, TX). Sincere appreciation and grateful acknowledgement is expressed to the following: Fannie Guidry (Houston, TX), a close childhood friend; Minnie (Henry) Cyrus (Prairie View, TX), neighbors and longtime friends; and a team of skilled caregivers, including Priscilla Spivey-Yell (Waller, TX), Carolyn (Donell) Watson (Hempstead, TX), Josephine Banks (Prairie View, TX), Elone Lee (Waller, TX), Laveta Brooks (Hempstead, TX), and Hazel Muse (Hempstead, TX). Eunice was loved and highly respected by a host of other relatives and friends. Active Pallbearers: Dwayne Taylor Horn, J.M. Holley, Richard Sherwood, Earl Holley, Joe Sherwood, Harold Tisdell. Honorary Pallbearers: Alvin C. Horn, Bradford Bailey, Melvin Holley, Henry Horn.