Peggy Joyce Wallis
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Peggy Joyce Watson Wallis went home to Jesus on June 30, 2022 at age 89.
Peggy was born to James Morgan Watson and Bessie Mae Henson Watson on October 24, 1932 in Lockesburg, Arkansas. As a child, the family moved west to Oklahoma where they had a small farm between the towns of Hobart and Roosevelt. The farm was a family business, with Peggy and her younger sister Patsy and later her sister Jimmie pitching in to help with the running of the home and working in the fields harvesting cotton. During this time, Peggy often contemplated what her life would look like in the future, never dreaming of the blessings that were to come her way in time. In high school, Peggy was an active athlete who enjoyed her position on the Roosevelt High School basketball team. After her high school graduation in 1950, Peggy attended Draughon's Practical Business College, where she acquired the skills that would later help her form a family business with her husband.
Introduced to each other by their respective dating partners, Peggy and her husband Curtis Gerald Wallis, celebrated their marriage ceremony in Peggy's parents' home June 16, 1951. A red-haired daughter, Karen, was born to the couple on April 17, 1952. Later, they moved to a small house on a farm in Kiowa County, Oklahoma. On April 28, 1956, their son, Mike, was born and completed their family. Early in their marriage, Peggy and Curt, together, accepted the call to follow Jesus and to raise their family in the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It was Peggy and Curt's desire and their constant prayer that all of their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and other family members would realize the truth of faith in Jesus Christ.
In late 1956, Curt accepted an employment opportunity in Altus, Oklahoma, and the family moved from the farm to a small house there. For the next 12 years, the family resided and grew in that home. First Baptist Church in Altus was the family's church home where Curt served in many capacities. That call to serve the Lord led the Wallis family to leave a prosperous career in Annuities to enter full time Christian service in 1967 where they moved to Pampa, Texas. Curt served as the Minister of Education and Administration there for two years at Central Baptist Church. In 1969, he accepted a call to First Baptist Church in El Paso, Texas where he served until 1973 when they moved to Odessa to serve on staff at First Baptist Church.
It was during this time that Peggy realized that her calling was to minister to families through the preschool department, where she served faithfully well into the 2000s. In addition to her preschool ministry, Peggy remained active in the church through Bible studies, book clubs, and various other committees.
During their time in the Hearing Health Care business, they were active at the state and national levels in improving the laws governing hearing health care. Curt served as President of the Texas Hearing Aid Association, winning a prestigious Hearing Health Care Award in 1999. He served for six years on the Board of Directors to the International Hearing Society and Governor for the Southwest Region of the United States. In addition, the Wallises received the Beltone Electronics Corporation's Regional Excellence Award. This time in the hearing industry afforded the couple the opportunity to travel throughout the country, including trips to Mexico and Canada.
As active as she was in the family business and her church life, she will always be remembered for her time spent creating memories with and for her grandchildren: Timothy Joel Villasenor (born 1973), Lacy Lynn Wallis Hanson (born 1974), Lori Angela Villasenor Smith (1976), and Christina Marie Wallis King (born 1979). Her grandchildren will treasure forever memories of vacations to the mountains of Fort Davis and New Mexico, summers spent swimming in the community college pool, picnics and kite flying at the park, and joyous days of playing pretend around the family home. Time with family was something that Peggy treasured, and holidays were spent around her table every year.
Peggy joins her beloved husband Curt in Heaven, as well as her parents and two sisters. Peggy is survived by her children, Mike and Karen, and her son-in-law Joshua. She also leaves behind her grandchildren, Joel, Lori, Lacy, and Christina and her great-grandchildren, Tyler, Kylee, Dakota, Toby, Jordan, Jade, Caitrin, Levi, Saela, Sage, and Faith.
Public visitation will be Thursday, July 7, 2022 from 5-7 PM at Frank W. Wilson Funeral Directors. Funeral services will be Friday, July 8, 2022 at 10 AM the funeral home followed by burial at Sunset Memorial Gardens.