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Submitted: 1/21/21 • Approved: 1/22/21 • Last Updated: 1/25/21 • R380412-G380411-S3
Benjamin Francis
LIEUTENANT COLONEL US Army
World War II
1917 2010
Doris Mary
1919 - 2009
Section: Companion Garden I
*Obituary
Doris Mary Curtis, age 90, passed away December 12, 2009 and will be missed by all who knew her. Born Doris Mary Eubank near Fredericksburg,Virginia to John and Myrtle Eubank, she was the eldest of six children and the only girl. Having attended college at Mary Washington University, she met and married Lieutenant Ben F. Curtis in Williamsburg on June 25, 1941, at the beginning of WWII. Her devotion to family and friends was balanced by her service to community and church, which began in her home town where the rolled bandages, knitted sweaters, and baked cookies for the troops. Her service journey ended in Texas, where, through the years in Houston, Fort Worth, and Dallas, she became president of every club, society, and organization to which she belonged, including The United Methodist Women in the largest churches in all three cities; Holly Hall Methodist retirement facility board; multiple PEO chapters; book clubs; geological society auxiliaries; and Sunday school classes. Her interests were many and varied, from serving on political party advisory boards to being the only woman ever honored as "honorary" chairman of the Park City Club board. She was predeceased by her parents and two brothers, James and Raymond Eubank and is survived by her three brothers, John, Randolph, and Robert Eubank, by her beloved husband of 68 years, Ben F. Curtis, her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Steve and Marty Fleming Curtis, by grandson Collin Curtis and Jonathan Everidge, and by granddaughter Allison Curtis Stuckey, her husband, Shawn, and their two children, Jackson and Drew. A Memorial service will ne held on Wednesday, December 16 at 2:00 p.m. at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas 75205. Memorials may be sent to United Methodist Women Missions at the same location.
*Obituary
Curtis, Benjamin Francis Age 92, known as "Papa" to those who loved him, died on January 11, 2010, an authentic American hero. Born August 31, 1917 in Portland, Arkansas, to Ben and Effie Curtis, he grew up in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, with his only sister, Betty. Having attended college at Oklahoma University, he graduated with high honors, degree in petroleum engineering. Shortly after, he joined the US Army prior to the beginning of WWII. As a Second Lieutenant stationed in Virginia, he met and married Doris Mary Eubank, the love of his life, and went to war. Rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Third Army, he figured strategically in the planning and execution of Patton's many campaigns, in particular, in the eventual relief of Bastogne on Christmas day, 1944. After the war, he got to work finding the energy American needed to recover. His long and varied production career started in Shreveport, Louisiana, with Kerr-Magee Oil, where, as geologist in charge, he drilled the first successful deep water well in the Gulf of Mexico. Working for Texas Eastern Transmission Company in Houston and, later, for Southland Royalty Corporation in Fort Worth, he discovered oil fields throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa. He was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologist and of several boards, community, political, and church. A lifelong Methodist, he enjoyed his friends, his history books, and tennis. He loved his home, his family, and freedom in any and all of its forms. Predeceased by his parents and sister, he outlived his beloved wife of 68 years, Doris Curtis, by very nearly a single heartbeat. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Steve and Marty Fleming Curtis, by grandson Collin Curtis and partner, Jonathan Everidge, and by granddaughter Allison Curtis Stuckey, her husband, Shawn, and their two sons, Jackson and Drew, all cherished to the end. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 14th at 2:00 p.m. at Highland Park United Methodist Church, Cox Chapel, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas 75205, Rev. Bill Smith, officiating. Memorials may be sent to United Methodist Women Missions at the same location.
Photo courtesy of Annette Shaw
Contributed on 1/21/21 by hawkinsdonna48
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Record #: 380412
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