OPAL PATTERSON

OPAL PATTERSON was born on November 4, 1907 and died on May 5, 2010 at the age of 102.Opal was an only child of Frank King Morral and Laura Mae Beall Morral. She was born and raised on a farm near Marion, Ohio and was preceded in death by her husband Royce who passed away in October, 1992. She is survived by nieces and their families, Patsy and Arthur Troell of Pleasanton, Texas, Joanne and Don Wafer of Magnolia, Texas, Bettifaye and Ed Altemus of Pipe Creek, Texas and Nancy and Billy Ashley of Cove, Texas.In 1926, after graduating from Business College, Opal moved to Cleveland, Ohio where she worked as a clerk typist and teletype operator. In April, 1943 she joined the Army during World War II. She served a year in Algiers, Africa and a year in Caserta, Italy in the Allied Force Headquarters as a Tech Sergeant in the Signal Corps sending and receiving code messages via teletype. She and her husband were married in Rome during their Military Service.After the war Royce and Opal moved to Houston and built their home in the Gulf Gate area where they lived for over 50 years. Shortly after moving to Houston, Opal began working for the Memorial Hospital System and retired after 30 years of service.After the death of her husband and with the onset of poor vision, hearing loss and impaired mobility, Opal moved to EdenBrook of Champions/ The Terrace at Champions in 2003 where she continued to live until her death. She often expressed her gratitude for the loving care and friendly home environment that was provided for her by the staff at EdenBrook/The Terrace at Champions.A graveside service will be 2 P.M., Saturday, May 8, 2010 at South Park Cemetery, 1310 North Main St., Pearland, TX 77581. The family will visit with friends one hour prior to the service. Memorial contributions may be made to The VFW Post 2427, Tomball, TX.