To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.
Thank you for visiting the Texas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Texas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 12/5/20 • Approved: 12/6/20 • Last Updated: 12/9/20 • R369935-G0-S3
US Navy
World War II
March 14, 1922 - July 2, 2003
He entered the Navy on Sept. 18, 1942 and was a World War II veteran. He served in the Navy Air Corps as an aviation machinist mate third class.
He served three years and three months, spending 22 months in the South Pacific as a mechanic on the PBY airplanes. Mr. Papay returned to Norman, Okla., as an instructor until he was discharged on Dec. 17, 1945.
*Photo/information, courtesy of Edith Guynes Stanley
*Obituary
MORSE - Edward "Ed" H. Papay Sr., 81, died Wednesday, July 2, 2003.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Mike Martin, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Lieb Cemetery by Minton/Chatwell Funeral Directors of Borger.
Mr. Papay was born March 14, 1922, on a farm near Optima, Okla., to Jim and Lucy Papay. He grew up around Optima, attended school there and high school in Guymon, Okla. He moved with his family to a farm near Elkhart, Kan., in 1938.
He helped on the farm and attended one year of school in Elkhart. He entered the Navy on Sept. 18, 1942, and was a World War II veteran. He served in the Navy Air Corps as an aviation machinist mate third class.
He served three years and three months, spending 22 months in the South Pacific as a mechanic on the PBY airplanes. Mr. Papay returned to Norman, Okla., as an instructor until he was discharged on Dec. 17, 1945.
He was very athletic and participated in all sports in school and continued to play basketball and baseball after serving in World War II. He was extremely proud of being in the Navy and enjoyed talking about his life in the Navy as well as showing his pictures.
Mr. Papay married Margaret "Marge" Lucille Hensley in Elkhart, Kan., on Dec. 29, 1946. Returning to Elkhart, he was produce manager at Ideal Food Store. In 1948, he was store manager of the Ideal Food Store in Texhoma, Okla., for six months, and he returned to Elkhart as a manager of the Coop Grocery Store.
In 1951, he moved to Hitchland, Texas, to work as a farmer and rancher having worked for several farmers in and around Morse. Moving to Morse in 1969, he and Marge owned and operated the Morse Grocery Store in the 1970s. He and his sons started custom farming and he retired from farming in May 2002.
Mr. Papay was a member of First Baptist Church in Morse, past member of the American Legion in Elkhart and life member of the Morse Lions Club.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Tommie Fern; six brothers, Jamie Papay, Emit Papay, Guy Papay, Kenneth Papay, Gerald Papay and Neil Archer; and a son, Eddie in 2002.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years; a daughter, Milana Reiswig, and her husband, Travis, of Morse; a son Tony of Morse; a son, Gary and wife, Vicky, of Amarillo; two brothers, Ray Papay and his wife, Mary Ida, of Elkhart, and Larry Papay and his wife, Dale, of Greenfield, Okla; three sisters, Elizabeth Kern of Elkhart, Joy Foreman, and her husband, Johnie, of Guymon and Ann Papay of Ulysses, Kan.; two sisters-in-law, Lillian Papay of Great Bend, Kan., and Evelyn Papay of Guthrie, Okla.; 10 grandchildren, Cassondra Lauderdale and her husband, Paul, of Weatherford, Valorie Kohoutek and her husband, James, of Kansas City, Mo., Leslie Barnhart and her husband, Barney, of Lewisville, Roxanne Davis and her husband, Jay, of Hart, Mark Papay and his wife, Francesca, of Tucson, Ariz., John Papay of Amarillo, Shelby Reiswig and Rosio, of Dumas, Katherine Papay and Frank of Levelland, Mikala Reiswig of Morse and Elizabeth Papay of Amarillo; 11 great-grandchildren, Sarah, Bryan and Megan Lauderdale, Trenton Barnhart, Hunter Papay, Xavier and Rocky Reiswig, Zoe Kohoutek, John Luke Papay, Hayden Davis, Matthew Papay; a step-great-granddaughter, Gabriella Castillo, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The family suggests memorials be to Lieb Cemetery, 11547 County Road 13, Stinnett, TX 79083; Hansford Hospice, 707 Roland, Spearman, TX 79081; or Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center, in care of Maureen McCormick, 1500 Wallace Blvd., Amarillo, TX 79106.
Amarillo Globe News, July 6, 2003
Contributed on 12/5/20 by neldapat
Email This Contributor
Suggest a Correction
Record #: 369935