John Henry England

JOHN HENRY ENGLAND, 98, longtime Brookshire resident, passed away Thursday, March 18, 2010 at his home surrounded by his family. John was born February 1, 1912, in Welsh, Louisiana. The son of Onesimus Napoleon and Genevieve Mirtle Litchfield England, he grew up and attended school in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Lodi, California. He moved to Katy in 1936, and on November 25, 1940, he married Edna Florence Ehlert in Hempstead, Texas. John and Edna made their home on the prairie in Katy before moving to Brookshire in 1949. As a farmer, John worked for Ray Woods and then for W.C. Stockdick, Sr. before going into business with his brother, C.R. England establishing England Brothers Farms. Active in community affairs, John was a member of the Brookshire Lions Club, the American Rice Growers Association, Brookshire Drying Company, and had served as a Director for the Royal ISD School Board. He also enjoyed being included in the Methodist Men's Brotherhood. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed gardening, hunting and fishing. John is survived by his WIFE OF OVER 69 YEARS: Edna England of Brookshire; CHILDREN: Charlotte England Pattison and her husband, Stewart, of Pattison, Arnold England and his wife, Linda, of Katy, and Robert England of Junction; SIX GRANDCHILDREN: Deborah Pattison, Karen Pattison, Eric Hansen, MAJ Christopher Hansen, Heather Pavelka and John Christopher England; TWO GREAT GRANDCHILDREN: Katherine and Clayton Hansen; and many other dear friends and relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters and five brothers.