Neta Frankum

Neta Mae Frankum, 82, born in Bay City, Texas, December 20, 1937, joined her sweetheart Norman in heaven on July 3, 2020.

She faithfully attended His Grace Assembly of God in Sweeny for 55 years where she served as a pianist, a loving mentor and as a smiling face who welcomed all. If you found yourself at the altar, it was likely that you would also find Neta kneeling beside you in supportive prayer. She cared so much about hearts and souls. Her love was undeniable by her kindness.

In her early years, Neta reported the Sargent-Cedar Lane news in the local paper. She even had the pleasure of reporting her own marriage to Norman Frankum on July 23, 1955. She journaled that he was her “first real boyfriend” and detailed their giddy adoration. Year after year, their love only shined brighter and she made it her mission in life to fill their home to the ceiling with it. And she did just that. Her home brimmed with laughter, family, community and the scent of shared cherry cream pies and Sunday pot roasts. She did not only build a home, but a refuge for all.

It is simply impossible to write about Neta’s life without mentioning the people she loved. Her life was not about herself, but what she could do for others. She was a modern day Proverbs Thirty-One Woman who devoted her life to Jesus, her husband, children, grandchildren and friends. She was “clothed in strength and dignity” and “could laugh at the days to come.”

Indeed, her laughter was infectious. It played like music during fishing trips with her grandchildren – the squeal of excitement when she caught a large Red, her joy when a grandchild was born, when her Easter lilies bloomed, when Norman bought her a new dress, at the surprise of a simple phone call and at the receiving end of teasing affection. She delighted in the Lord and delighted in life.

She leaves a legacy of love to her children, Lois (Danny) Shipman, Sammy (Sally) Frankum, Stephen Frankum, and Norma Kay (James) Shepard; her grandchildren, Lindsey (Dallas) Wilson, Cassidy (Drew) Lindsey, Krista (David) Hankins, Lauren (Justin) Brooker, Bethany (Blake) Johnson, Stephanie (Corey) LaCombe, Nora Frankum, Chase, Reese, Jayden Metcalf, and Landon, Alyssa, and Jaycee Shepard; her great-grandchildren, Judah, Jayde, and Brielle Wilson, Mason, Morgan, and Madison Lindsey, Brylee and Avanlee Hankins, Boston and Berlin Johnson, Grayson and Harper LaCombe, and Jane and Axton Anderson; her siblings, Jean Montgomery Crosson (Lonnie), Wanda Frankum (Bobby), Dorothy Irwin (Gary) and Bobby Keith (Sandra); her daughters-in-law, Ketti Queen and Karen Richard; and a host of other relatives and friends.

She is preceded in death by her father, Roy Lee Keith; mother, Lula Mae Keith; sisters, Edna Keith and Jesse Crosson; brother, Sonny Keith; sister-in-law, Winnie Keith; granddaughter, Jayden Paige Shepard; niece, Beverly Barrett; nephew, Dale Frankum; and her beloved husband, Norman Kay Frankum.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm, Thursday, July 9, 2020 at Brazoria First Assembly of God, 601 S Market St, Brazoria, TX 77422. Burial will follow at Sweeny Cemetery. The family will be receiving friends from 12:00 pm until service time.