Emma Ballard

Emma Boonie (Hammack) Ballard went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, July12 at the age of 96. Emma was loved by everyone that knew her and especially by her family and her Cornerstone Baptist Church family.

Rev. Ivan Ker and Rev. Jim Daniels of Cornerstone Baptist Church will be officiating the funeral service which will be held Saturday, July 15 at 10 AM at OakCrest Funeral Home with burial at Restland Cemetery in Gatesville.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 pm Friday at OakCrest Funeral Home, 4520 Bosque Blvd.

Emma was born to Roy and Iva Captolia Hammack on September 16, 1909 in Bee House, Texas. Her childhood years were spent in and around Pearl, Texas. It was there that she met and married George Loraine Ballard on July 19, 1930 and it was in Pearl that they made their home. To this union there were two sons born, James Roy (J.R.) Ballard and Alton Loraine Ballard.

It was during this time in her life that Emma became the first woman to sit on a Coryell County jury. In 1955 she became a widow and moved her two boys to Gatesville and then in 1959 they moved to Waco.

Many people knew her from her years as a nurse's aid on the maternity floor at Hillcrest Hospital, from her being a member of Parkview Baptist Church and then of course at Cornerstone Baptist.

Emma is preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Iva Captolia (Kit) Hammack, one brother, Werna Hammack, sister Wanda Hampton, Vanita Herbert and Cleda Farmer; her husband George Loraine as well as her two sons, J.R. Ballard and Alton Ballard.

She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Joyce Ballard of Waco; two granddaughters, Deborah Ballard Kelley and her husband Clint Kelley of Waco, Lorri Ballard Peterson and her husband Staff Sergeant Ronald Peterson of Fort Leonard Wood, MO; four great-grandchildren, Eric Kelley of Waco, Bryce Wells of Moody, Elizabeth Kelley of Waco and Nicole Wells of Fort Leonard Wood, MO; her sister Beverly Smith and her husband Norman Smith of Waco; one brother Verna Hammack and his wife Marci Hammack of Frisco; several nieces and nephews, several great-nieces and great-nephews.

And of course, there were the children that she babysat that she loved dearly, Leslie Rhea, Shawn Skeen and his sister Amy and Jimmy Rape just to name a few. She was Mamaw to all the children she babysat as well as to Tori, Madyson, Mckenzie and Joseph whom she loved dearly.

Pallbearers will be Wade Jarvis, Richard White, Ancel Stafford, Dewitt Felkner, Mike Forbis and Jeremy Wilkerson.

"Mamaw we will miss you dearly."