Juanita Rollins Obituary
Published by Legacy Remembers from Sep. 2 to Sep. 4, 2008.
Juanita Davis RollinsJuanita Davis Rollins, 87, died Aug. 27, 2008, in Silver Spring, Md. She was a 50-year Huntsville resident until September 2007, when she moved to live with her daughter, Gena Rollins, in Maryland. Her parents, Lee and Jewel McDonald Davis, also longtime Huntsville residents, operated for many years Davis Grocery at 306 Phelps Dr. Born April 2, 1921 in Roscoe, Nolan County, Texas, she was the oldest of seven children. Valedictorian of the 1940 class of Hobbs High School, she was offered scholarships to Abilene Christian University, Southern Methodist University and Stephen F. Austin University, but her family was unable to afford expenses not covered by the grants, and she had to put aside her dream of being a nurse. In the fall of 1941 she met Vernon Rollins while living with her family in Monroe, La. The two were married on March 4, 1942.The Rollinses settled permanently in Huntsville in 1957. Mrs. Rollins was active in the PTA and volunteered at Huntsville Public Library in the 1960s and 70s when her children were in Huntsville public schools.At the age of 51, Mrs. Rollins enrolled in the Joe G. Davis School of Vocational Nursing at Huntsville Memorial Hospital and finally was able to achieve her dream of being a nurse. She spent her career at Huntsville Memorial Hospital, working primarily in the emergency department and, for seven years, in the special care unit. She was recognized as Employee of the Month in 1979. Mrs. Rollins was instrumental in establishing the Walker County Chapter of the Texas League of Vocational Nurses, a professional organization focused on continuing education, serving as its president, among other roles. Mrs. Rollins was a member of University Heights Baptist Church from its origins as East Huntsville Baptist Church, but had been unable to attend for years because of health issues. After she moved, her ministers were Chaplain James Clements of Adventist Home Health and the Rev. David Massey, pastor of Grace Reformed Church in Washington, DC.Mrs. Rollins was preceded in death by her husband (November 22, 2000) and daughter, Lucy Rushing (July 3, 2007). She is survived by daughter, Gena; son, George; three grandsons, Raymond Rushing of Waco, 1st Lt. USMC Nathan Rollins and wife Bonny of Jacksonville, N.C., and Patrick Rollins of Lubbock; two great-grandchildren, Garrett and Abbey Rollins of Jacksonville, N.C.; sister, Shirley John of Huntsville; and numerous nieces and nephews.Special thanks go to Dr. Thomas C. Cole Jr., physician and friend for decades.Mrs. Rollins' family will receive visitors at Huntsville Funeral Home from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 1. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 2 in the Huntsville Funeral Home chapel. Burial will follow at Adickes Addition of Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville.Pallbearers will be grandsons, Patrick Rollins and Raymond Rushing; nephews, Lee H. Davis and Mark Jones, both of Livingston; along with Mike Blaha of Katy and Bill Cook of Fort Worth. Honorary pallbearer will be grandson, Nathan Rollins, who is currently deployed in Iraq with the 1st Battalion 9th Marines. Those who desire may contribute in her honor to the Juanita Davis Rollins Scholarship Fund c/o Huntsville Memorial Hospital, Accounting Department, P.O. Box 4001, Huntsville, TX 77342. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student at the Joe G. Davis School of Vocational Nursing based on financial need and academic achievement.Brooke