Obituaries

Rita Carole Miller, 81, passed away on April 18, 2024, in Houston. She was born on May 16, 1942, in Alexandria, Louisiana, to Gordon Luther Miller and Elrita Jones Miller. Rita worked in Banking for several years and attended Bethany Baptist Church. She loved her family dearly and took joy in creating a welcoming home for her children and their friends. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, John Miller of Hemphill; daughters, Cathy Hakes and husband, Michael, of Pineville, Louisiana, and Susan D. Miller and husband, David, of Hemphill; grandchildren, John Dusty Miller and wife, Michelle, of Shelbyville, Tennessee, Jason Michael Hakes of Pineville, and Matthew Hakes and wife, Courtney, of Deville, Louisiana; great-grandchildren, Maddox Miller, Lincoln Miller, Reece Hakes, and Cassidy Miller; and siblings, Wayne Miller and wife, Diane and Marsha Prestridge and husband, Larry.

James Ricky Arney, 75, of Hemphill, passed away Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Harbor Hospice House in Jasper. Ricky was born October 25, 1948 in Dallas, to James Rodney Arney and Madge Elise Tyer Arney. He had been a resident of Sabine County since 1973, having previously resided in Carthage. He had worked as a Pipeliner for many years and was a member of Pipeliner's Union 798. He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge.

Mr. Lavelle Woodroe Kilgore, age 88, of Hemphill, passed away on April 3, 2024.

Charlie Venetis (Venis) passed from this life into his eternal life on March 24, 2024. Born on May 8, 1936, in a small mountain village in Greece (Terpsithea), he came to the United States as a young adult.

Joyce Fay Smith, age 90, of Hemphill, passed from this world on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at HCA Houston Healthcare Hospital in Conroe. Joyce was born on November 3, 1933, in Newton, to Robert Everett Smith and Ellie Edgar Smith. She graduated from Hemphill High School in 1951. After graduating she moved from Sabine County, returning in 2022 to be near her family.