Alton Odell Mewbourn 1945-2020

Alton Odell Mewbourn was born on July 28, 1945 in Grapevine to Avery Odell and Cordie Lee (Sherrin) Mewbourn. He died Feb. 5, 2020 at the Hospice of East Texas in Tyler after a lengthy battle with atypical Parkinsons (PSP).

He attended schools in Hopkins and Dallas Counties. He was retired from Bell Helicopter and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1987 and founded Aerospace Composites and Northwest Home Builders in Spokane, Wash. Alton sold them and retired in 1997. He married Alice Kellar on Aug. 13, 1998 at Lakeside, Mont. They resided in Spokane, Wash. and Lakeside, Mont. until June 2005 when they moved to Paris, Texas. They moved to Mineola in July 2014.

He is predeceased by his parents; his brother, Allen and his wife Edie Mewbourn; sister, Carolyn (Mewbourn) and her husband Tom Martin; brothers-in-law, Billy Ray Smith and Chester Earl Flenniken; and sister-in-law, Glenda (Pearce) Mewbourn.,

Alton is survived by his wife, Alice; the mother of his children, JoAnn; daughter, Rebecca Jo (Mewbourn) Webb of Arlington; son, Michael Dan Mewbourn of Mineola; granddaughter, Bridget (Willingham) Capps and her husband Zachary and son Oscar of Sherman; grandson, Max Russell of Arlington; his brother, Avery Mewbourn of Mineola; sisters, Barbara (Mewbourn) Smith of Mineola and Deborah (Mewbourn) Noe and husband Kenneth of Garland; brother-in-law, Thomas Kellar and wife Mary of Havre, Mont.; sister-in-law, Jean (Kellar) Barragan of Lakeside, Mont.; nephews, Don Mewbourn (Claudia), Nathaniel Smith, Vic Martin (Cecile), Odell Mewbourn, Allen Mewbourn, Jason Sutton (Christy) and Mark Weishaar (Patti); and nieces Tammy (Mewbourn) Burwell, Shelley (Mewbourn) Jumper (A.J.), Kendra (Noe) Edwards (Jaime), Kim (Noe) Gallegos, Pam (Smith) Smith (Ronnie), Nina (Mewbourn) Hale and Lynn (Weishaar) Meyers (Thad); as well as numerous great nieces and nephews.

Alton loved hunting and fishing. He moved to Pat Mayse Lake in early April and fished for a couple of months with his friend Bill Robinson. In later years his best weekend was one when his brother Avery or friend Charlie Green came to spend the weekend fishing. When Alice retired they spent six months of the year in Texas for the winter and six months in Montana for the summers. Alton never stopped talking about his home on Flathead Lake in Montana, the lake view, the bald eagles and elk on the hillside of his home. Alton loved classic cars and owned many over the years. He joined a group of friends for Car Chat at the local Whataburger every Tuesday morning and loved the short trips the group took with their cars. He’d have his son Mike polish up the last one, a 1964 Chevelle Super Sport convertible, and get it ready for a ride.

Funeral service will be held on Friday, Feb. 14 at 10:30 a.m. in Mineola at the Church of St. Dunstan, 800 N. Johnson St. Internment of ashes will be at Calvary Cemetery in Havre, Mont. at a later date. 

The family would especially like to thank their nephew-in-law, Jeffrey Youngblood R.N., for assisting them in arranging for Alton’s care at Hospice of East Texas. Alton received the finest care possible from Dr. Royal Becker, nurses Patricia, Lisa and Rene. Jeffrey visited Alton and Alice there many times providing medical insight and compassionate care to both of them.