Eula Lee (Bertling) Brown
Husband Marvin L. Brown Father John Cleveland Bertling Mother Annie Catherine Crowell Children Samuel Lee Brown Lois Fay Brown Bertling Scrapbook	See Eula's ancestor tree. See Eula's descendants. Eula Lee was born on 26 Jan 1909, Gonzales, Texas. She married Marvin Brown on November 30, 1932 in Fayette County, Texas. Eula Bertling, 15-years-old, in the Albrecht School in Gonzales County, 1924-25. Eula died on 15 Jan 1997, Yoakum, Dewitt, Texas and was buried on 18 Jan 1997, at Colony, Fayette, Texas. Read the eulogy given at her funeral.
Eulogy for Eula Lee Bertling Brown
by Karen Monsen Delivered January 18, 1997 My grandmother will be remembered for her love of her family and her love of God. Ever since I was a child I enjoyed researching my family history. Many times I would ask my grandmother to tell me stories about her family growing up. She had this smile that you knew was about to reveal fond memories. She could tell the best family stories&emdash;she loved her brothers and sisters dearly and treasured her nieces and nephews. I believe she was especially close to her mother&emdash;Annie Catherine Crowell. Annie, a schoolteacher in Luling, was one of several beautiful Crowell sisters. Annie married John Cleveland Bertling and their daughters were equally beautiful. I believe very little gave my grandmother more joy than the Bertling family reunions at Denton Creek. If anything did give her more joy than the memories of her Bertling family it was the love of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She married my grandfather in 1932. My grandmother was fiercely loyal for 65 years to her husband Marvin Brown. She taught her daughter Lois and her son, my father, Samuel, a deep faith in God. She taught them to walk the straight and narrow. I believe she was thrilled to see my dad and my aunt become grandparents themselves.	Brian and Sara Holloway, Haley and Kelsey Firkins, and Chase Michael Firkins were like beautiful flowers to her. She bragged of their accomplishments and delighted in their play. And how wonderful for them to have a memory of their great grandmother&emdash;a woman who displayed love in a way only grandmothers can. I'm going to share my own special memories of my grandmother, Eula Brown. Please take this time to recall your most special memories with her. My grandmother was very talented and my sister Brenda and I were fortunate to be the little bearers of her gifts&emdash;beautiful dresses she would sew for us and for our dolls. Because my family has always lived in Austin, Brenda and I would get to spend a week with grandma and grandpa each summer. Grandma would pull out her craft books and her jars of buttons. Brenda and I learned to love to make things&emdash;I directly attribute that to my grandmother. In fact, I have my small sewing project here to day to keep my mind busy and I'll bet my sister has, if not with her, a project at home that she is working on. Thank you Grandma for the ability to make memories we can pass down to future generations. My grandmother had the patience of a saint. During those summer vacations at her house, my cousins Mike and Steve would come over and heaven knows, we'd wreck havoc on the house, yard, and anything we could get our hands on. If you've been in her house, you know there are doors on either side of the living room&emdash;making for a perfect racetrack for four youngsters, Brenda and Karen, Mike and Steve, to tear through the house ending up in a wild tumble in the middle of the living room floor.		Again, all I can say is that Grandma had the patience of a saint. I remember once when she came to visit us in Austin. I was quite young, but I remember getting in some pretty nasty trouble for taking a knife to the wood trim on our sofa. And I don't think I would be seeing light today if it hadn't been for my grandmother intervening. Although I was too young to notice, I'll bet her heart was thrilled to see me the day she and grandpa drove to see us for my birthday. Still today I recall it as one of the best birthdays ever because they brought with them a box of ducklings. Those little tiny yellow furry fellows were the cutest things I'd ever seen. So much so that I invited my whole kindergarten class home to see them. And if I remember correctly, they did. Grandma was the bearer of one of the best birthday presents ever. As I grew older, I always knew Grandma was with me. She told me the first time I went to New York City by myself that she was praying for me. From that day on, I always knew that no matter where I was, my grandmother was making sure God knew where I was. I always felt like I had the good guys on my side because I had my grandmother. And I believe I still do. As Grandma got older, one of her favorite pasttimes became watching the birds that came to the feeders right in front of her house. I think the bright colorful birds--so happy and with so much life--reminded her of her childhood with her brothers and sisters. I think they reminded her of her own children--my Aunt Lois and my Dad Samuel. I think they reminded her of her grandchildren, Mike and Steve, Brenda and me. And I think they reminded her of her precious great grandchildren, Brian and Sara, Haley and Kelsey and Chase Michael. I think the birds weep with us. And I think the birds are flying Grandma to heaven.