Lester T. Blalock

Lester T. Blalock, of Groesbeck, went home to be with the Lord, and his beloved wife Agnes and daughter, Cathy, on Thursday, December 5, 2019, at age 92.

Visitation will be Tuesday, December 10, 2019 from 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel.

Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church of Groesbeck at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, with Reverend Tracy Sims and Dr. Troy Brooks officiating.   Music will be provided by Mrs. Kathy Armstrong and Mrs. Barbara Walker.    Burial will follow in New Hope Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Eddie Armstrong, David Hughes, Mike McBay, Bernard McGilvray, Bobby Jones, and Tony Hall.

Lester was born September 8, 1927 to John W. Blalock and Lemor (Bullin) Blalock in Freestone County.  He grew up and attended school in Buffalo.

Lester served in the U. S. Army from March 1946 through September 1947.   He was in the 2^nd. Infantry Division, having trained with the ski troops in Fort Carson, Colorado.   His training did not leave him with a love of skiing because he did not like the cold weather.

Lester was united in marriage with Agnes Marie Gantt on August 5, 1950 at the First Baptist Parsonage in Groesbeck, after they had met on a blind date a few months earlier.  They lived in the Tiger Prairie Community near Farrar for a number of years until moving to their current home outside Groesbeck in 1962.

As a young man, Lester worked at a grainary outside Mexia, but he was better known by the Groesbeck residents on his route while he delivered mail for the U.S. Post Office.  He made many footsteps – from 13-17 miles a day, through all weather – to deliver the mail for twenty years.   He always had a gang of friendly dogs following him (and he gave names to each of them) and they would protect him from less friendly dogs.   Lester was known for sitting in the mail relay box on his route to eat his lunch and drink his coffee, especially after a picture of this came out in the Groesbeck Journal and Dallas paper.  He retired from the Post Office in 1987.

He always loved his animals, dogs, cats, and his cattle.  He liked watching his cows (but did not want to milk a cow), at his home and at his pasture at Farrar, baling his own hay, raising hogs both to sell and for his family, and raising chickens and a garden to teach his grandchildren about farm life.

He loved to grow a big garden to provide for all his family, and involve the grandkids in the garden.  Agnes with the help of the kids cooked and preserved what he grew.   He liked picking the peas though Gran would not accept his job of shelling the peas.  He butchered the hogs himself and had a smoke house.   Providing for his family was his desire and he also liked eating good old Southern cooked turnip greens, peas, beans, cornbread and desserts. 

Lester was a devoted member of Bethel Baptist Church and served as deacon and song leader in past years.  The family had church members over at their country home for good times including a fall festival where he and Herb Wilson cooked “Deacon Stew” in the wash pot and provided hayrides.  Later he was a devoted member of First Baptist Church of Groesbeck and also served as deacon for several years. 

Lester was a friendly man, with a great sense of humor, even till the last days of his life.    He loved kids and making everyone laugh. He was known as the “Bubble-Gum Man” to kids because he bought it in large containers and always had some to share with kids. 

He was a completely loving and devoted father, father-in-law and grandfather and a good friend as well to anyone.  Although he was house-bound the past few years, he loved being in his home at “Blayville”.   He was continually making plans for adopting dogs, cats, and raising some more hogs and chickens, and especially raising another big garden and flowers.  He planned to make “Blayville bloom again.”    He was loved by his family and friends and his nurses.  He never failed to tell his family and caregivers he appreciated them and what they did for him. 

Lester was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Cathy Lou Blalock; brothers, Chuck Blalock and J.W. Blalock; and his wife Agnes in 2016.

He is survived by daughter, Gail Salinas of Groesbeck; son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Diane Blalock of Gig Harbor, WA; daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Gary Lancaster of Fairfield; grandchildren: Jeremy McMillan of Waco, Stephen M. and Valerie Blalock of New York City, NY,  Sarah and Lance Turner of Waco, Andrew and Mary Blalock of Chandler, AZ, Hannah McMillan of Waco; and great granddaughters,  Maci McMillan of Waco, Asher Turner of Waco, and McKenna Turner of Waco.