Ella Moss Thomas Houston
December 29, 1932
September 26, 2022
Graveside Service
Thursday, September 29, 2022
11:00 AM
East Duplin Memorial Gardens, Beulaville
Ella Moss Thomas Houston of Beulaville passed away Monday, September 26, 2022.
She was born December 29, 1932, to the late Jasper Dewey Thomas and Callie Baker Thomas. She was married for 70 years to the love of her life, the late Lawrence Houston, with whom she worked side-by-side on the farm as a devoted partner for much of their lives.
Whether barning tobacco or cooking Christmas dinner (always including an icebox fruit cake), Ella was dedicated to her family. She and Lawrence raised three sons on the farm - Dowan, Gregg, and Jody - and were immensely proud of all three and their families. Nothing made Ella happier than to have her entire family get together at holidays. Most times, those holiday meals included her brother, Jolly, and sister, Joyce Faye, their families too, and a house full of family friends. Ella was devoted to Lawrence and, when his health required him to move to a dedicated facility, Ella accompanied him to ensure that he was never alone.
Ella and Lawrence were longtime members of Cabin Original Free Will Baptist Church and developed lifelong friendships and inseparable bonds with other members of their church family. Over the years, Ella contributed to the church in many ways. At various times, she was a proud member of the church choir, decorating committee, and Ladies Auxiliary, and she also played the piano for many years. With several of her church friends, Ella was a member of the “Rise and Shine Girls” (Judy Houston, Esther Taylor, and Sue King), who traveled to local senior communities to sing and fellowship with residents.
Ella was a lifelong resident of Duplin County but loved to travel with Lawrence. Particularly in their later years, after working all week on the farm, it was a common occurrence for them to hop in the car on a Friday evening and take off to faraway destinations up and down the east coast for a weekend - from Florida to Maine and places in-between, including colonial Williamsburg and the North Carolina mountains. Ella was also a creative woman. In her rare free time, she enjoyed painting, making wreaths, and working with vintage antique furniture that she frequently swapped out in her house. For many years, she also enjoyed tending to her backyard goldfish pond.
Ella is survived by her sons, Gregg Thomas Houston (Patsy) of Beulaville, and Jody Lawrence Houston; grandchildren, Margie Houston Hunter (Scott) of Chinquapin, Matthew Thomas Houston (Brooke) of Raleigh, and Anna Houston of Winterville; great-grandson Wren Thomas Hunter; and daughter-in-law, Emily Houston. She was pre-deceased by her husband, Lawrence; son, Dowan; and siblings, Jolly Thomas and Joyce Faye Houston.
The family would like to thank Debbie Houston, Sherry Hatcher, the staff of Autumn Village, and many others for the care they provided Ella over the last several years. Ella often spoke of her friends and cousins at Autumn Village and enjoyed her frequent visits with each of them.
At Ella’s wishes, a graveside service will be held on Thursday, September 29, 2022, at 11:00 am at East Duplin Memorial Gardens in Beulaville, NC. In lieu of flowers, in Ella’s memory, please consider a contribution to Cabin Original Free Will Baptist Church, 2167 Sarecta Road, Beulaville, NC 28518.
