Myrna Loy Kirkpatrick

Myrna Loy Kirkpatrick, 82, of Groves, died Thursday, October 31, 2019, at Oak Grove Nursing Home, Groves. She was born December 30, 1936, in Galveston.

Myrna was a 1955 graduate of High Island High School where she served as a cheerleader and the captain of her school’s basketball team. While in high school, she went steady with her future husband, Harlan Kirkpatrick, and, after graduation, married him on March 9, 1956. They made a home together for over sixty years, raising children and spoiling grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She passed on an enduring love for movies, especially westerns, to her children. She dearly loved John Wayne and had a framed portrait of “The Duke” over the fireplace. Her favorite Wayne movie was “The Searchers” and she was so taken with his line, “That’ll be the day.”, in that movie, that she had the catchphrase chiseled on the couple’s headstone at Fairview Cemetery.

She was a very good bowler and enjoyed going on bowling tournament trips with her friends, Betty Shannon, Flo “Sweet One” Benoit, and Hedi Zampini. She enjoyed bingo and trips to the casinos. Every one of her grandchildren had the privilege of learning to play bingo from their “Ma”.

However, her true love was her husband, Harlan. Whether it was selling shrimp off of his shrimp boat or spending months at their beach cabin in Gilchrist, Myrna was always close. An act of pure love since she wasn’t fond of the beach at all. A stay-at-home wife and mother, Myrna would be his near constant companion until his death in 2016. She was devoted to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and, until the last few months, she would bring you up to date on every child any time you would visit.

Myrna would say that she didn’t mind spending time alone and would say that when she was alone, she was in “good company”. Being without Harlan, these past three years, would prove to be more “alone time” than she wanted. She would increasingly state that she was ready to be with him and wished she would just go to sleep and not wake up. On October 31, she took her afternoon nap and did not wake up. She is with him now and her loneliness has ended. She will forever be in the hearts of her children, grandchildren, family, and friends. Even though they will miss her terribly, they know she is where she wants to be. Where she should be.

Survivors include her children, Michael Kirkpatrick and his wife, Joan, of Beaumont and Tammy K. Davis and her husband, Shaun, of Groves; grandchildren, Carly Davis Thibodeaux and her husband, Jardin, of Bridge City; Abby Davis Rauschenberger and her husband, Hank, of Baton Rouge; Travis Kirkpatrick and his wife, Kathleen, of Austin; Hunter Tynan Davis, of Nashville, Tennessee; and Stephen Baird and his wife, Nikki, of Austin; great-grandchildren, Henrietta Claire and Harlan Shaun Rauschenberger; brother, Melvin Wood and his wife, Barbara, of Jacksonville; and sister-in-law, Patty Wood, of Winnie.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and Robert Wood; husband, Henry Harlan Kirkpatrick; and brothers, Don Wood and Gene Wood.

A gathering of Mrs. Kirkpatrick’s family and friends will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Monday, November 4, 2019, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12th Street, Nederland. Her graveside service will be 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at Fairview Cemetery, 223 Cemetery Road, Winnie.

Memorial contributions may be made to Susan G. Komen, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 526, Dallas, Texas 75244.