Opal Geraldine (Mires) Tice (1924 - 2021)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

Opal Geraldine (Mires) Tice was born on 27 Feb 1924 in Taft, San Patricio, Texas, United States,^[1] daughter of Arthur Ernest Mires (1896 - 1967) and Veola Deletchie (Brundrett) Mires (1902 - 2002).

Opal Mires Infant 8 months old on Model T.

Taft, Texas, USA in 1924 was a small town located in San Patricio County. It had a population of around 2,000 people and was primarily an agricultural community. Like most of the folks in that area, her family grew cotton when they lived on the farm in her early years. Opal was a sickly child and was given sweetened condensed milk with ground up oats in her bottles to try and fatten her up. She also suffered from childhood asthma.

Their home was near her paternal grandfather's property and most of these aunts and uncles lived nearby. Her maternal grandparents had moved to Rockport, which was about 25 miles aways and the majority of her 19 maternal aunts and uncles lived in the same area. Opal's mother adored her parents and her large family and they always looked forward to visits and letters from the close-knit clan. At Christmas one year when they were celebrating at her maternal grandparent's house with all the aunts and uncles and their families, Opal had been very naughty and found switches and coal as her gift from Santa while her brother, A.E., received a beautiful bright red fire engine he had been longing for. A.E. danced around teasing his sister so much that his aunts and uncles told him he'd better behave, or Santa might come back and take back his fire engine. But A.E. continued teasing during the day and sure enough, that night, Santa came and took back the fire engine!

Opal and A. E Mires, brother and sister

Her siblings were:

1. Arthur Ernest Mires (1925 - 1984)
2. Myrtle Lavern Mires (1929 - 2010)

In the 1930 census Opal (age 6) was the single daughter of Arther E Mires in Taft, San Patricio, Texas, United States.^[2]

Life was hard after the Depression, so her father moved the family off the farm to Corpus Christi, Texas. Situated on the Gulf of Mexico, Corpus Christi offered breathtaking coastal beauty. The city's beaches, such as North Beach and McGee Beach, provided residents and visitors with opportunities for relaxation and recreation. Fishing, boating, and swimming were popular activities.

Opal in formal wear for a dance.

Summers were still spent visiting her mother's large family in Rockport. She said jokingly that she had to be careful who she went out with as she was related to almost everyone in Rockport due to her mother's large family. Her cousin, Baby Rowe, was her best friend and they spent long summer days swimming at Rockport beach and organizing dances, figuring out the dresses they would wear. Even though none of their group of friends was Catholic, the local priest would allow the use of the Parrish Hall for the dances if they would provide the adult chaperones. They always called on their uncle, John Lawerence Brundrett for this duty, who was closer in age to his nieces than to many of his siblings.

In Corpus, Opal attended Wynne Seal Jr. Highschool where she met her future husband, Jimmy Dick Tice. They went on to attend Corpus Christi High School together. While in high school, her favorite teacher would make a point of breaking up their hand holding when they strolled down the hallways. In the 1940 census Opal (age 16) was the single daughter of Arthur Ernest Mires in Corpus Christi, Nueces, Texas.^[3] When she graduated from high school, Opal attended a secretarial school and then went to work for an ENT doctor. While she was in secretarial school, she told her mother that she couldn't wash dishes as it was detrimental to her typing and shorthand. Her mother indulged her.

When America entered WWII, Corpus Christi became a hub of military activity due to the establishment of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. This base played a crucial role in training naval aviators during World War II. There was a sense of camaraderie and patriotism in the community. It was about this time that Jimmy asked Opal to marry him. She remarked why would she want to do that as she had a wonderful boyfriend (i.e. a steady date), her mother cooked for her, and made her all the beautiful clothes that she needed. She quickly accepted when Jimmy let her know that he would need to date someone else if she wasn't interested in marrying him. Opal married Jimmy Dick Tice (1923 - 1973) at the Nueces County courthouse with their best friends as their witnesses on 10 April 1943. ^[4]

Wedding photo of Jimmy D Tice and Opal G Mires Tice

They had five children:

1. private
2. private
3. Geri Laine (Tice) Williams (1952 - 2015)
4. private
5. private

Jimmy and Opal Tice during WWII.

Jimmy served in the army during WWII and was stationed at Mineral Wells, Texas, Camp Wolters, a military training base, where he trained soldiers for combat. Opal and he had an upper room in a house, and she longed to start a family of her own. There was another young couple that lived below them who had an infant which Opal always begged to babysit. This was welcomed by the young mother away from her family. Opal soon became pregnant and when the time came, she travelled home to her parents' house to deliver her first child. This eased the strain on Jimmy's military paycheck which now was being split between his recently widowed mother (who had a youngster still at home) and his own wife and child. Opal often remarked that he only had enough money left to keep him in cigarettes. During rationing, Opal shared her ration book with her parents and mother-in-law. After the war, Jimmy went into the home building business with his best friend Raymond and built their house at 4821 Nesbitt which they lived on all their lives except during a three-year stint in Memphis, Tennessee for Jimmy's work. Four more children followed, and Opal was busy clothing and feeding this large family.

Like her mother before her, Opal was an excellent seamstress. With four daughters, she was always working on dance costumes or outfits for school, church or special dates. The girls always had the "latest" fashions as Opal whipped out dresses over the years. As the older siblings married, she made countless bridesmaid and flower girl dresses. Opal sewed drapes and curtains, covered valances and with her sister's and Mother's help upholstered and recovered furniture for their home. Opal also had a knack for fixing things and was never intimidated by the job. One afternoon, her husband came home to find she had "pulled the engine" on the car so she could work on it (which she had never done before). It wasn't uncommon for her to locate a manual and figure out how to fix her major appliances as the need arose. She, often with her sister Laverne's help, would recover upholstered furniture.

Spending time with family and giving her children good experiences were high on her list. She and Jimmy owned a lake front lot on Mathis Lake and converted an old school bus into a cabin. When her youngest child was born, they left the hospital and immediately went to their beloved Lake for a last outing before school started up again. They sold that place when they moved to Memphis around 1963.

1965ish Christmas in Memphis, Tennessee Opal and Jimmy Tice

She made a point of having her family experience all the Memphis area had to offer and day trips were the norm. Hiking in Shelby Forest, riding the Memphis Queen to Mud Island, and gawking at Elvis Presley's mansion were a few of the outing's folks visiting from Texas would be treated to.

The Fishing Shack on the Intercoastal canal near Flour Bluff Texas across from the King ranch.

Aunt Myrtle Outhouse at the Fishing Shack.

When they moved back to Corpus Christi in 1967, weekends were often spent at "The Shack", a fishing cabin on a spoil island on the Intercoastal canal jointly owned by Jimmy and his sisters' families. One could only get to the Shack by boat, so Opal had to plan and pack accordingly to make sure there was enough food, ice, and water to last the weekend. She cooked while the others were out fishing all day. It was an idyllic setting for the family to get away from the hubbub and rush of the week. Each of the older sons-in-law spent many a weekend at the Shack fishing with their father-in-law. There was an outhouse which they jokingly named "Aunt Myrtle" after a talkative neighbor of her sister-in-law Lyndell.

Opal became a widow at 49 in 1973 when she lost her husband to cancer. She would spend the next 48 years in widowhood. She was on her own with two children still at home for whom she provided greatly. She always said that God took care of her and their needs, providing whatever was needed be it monetary or social. She held her son in the highest esteem as he always worked from a young age without being asked. She often remarked that had he not, she wasn't sure how they would have made ends meet.

Even though she had never worked outside the home after marriage, she rose to the challenge, first volunteering at the hospital where her husband went for cancer treatment during the last years of his life.

Opal Tice at Answer Inc in Corpus Christi.

Then, about the time most folks her age were retiring, she went to work officially at Answer, Inc. Her last children were married and out of the house when she took this job answering the doctor's exchange after hour calls. Here she met and grew close to several younger women whom she cared for deeply. She had a way of "telling it like it is" and giving you the "what for" all the while making you feel valued and genuinely cared for. After she retired, she continued to have an impact on the community as she was the local representative for Bible in the Schools in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was also a member of the local DAR and enjoyed the monthly meetings along with her church circle meetings. Opal was called for jury duty many times during her life and until late in her seventies always served when selected. "Jury duty is a responsibility we have as citizens of this country," she told her kids.

Family at the beach about 2011

Whenever her out-of-town children came for their annual visit, she made a point of having their favorite foods such as her roast, a pot of beans with ham and a frying pan of cornbread, or banana split pie. Well into her later years, she was still making her Christmas Yule log, banana pudding, or the Tennessee Christmas Cake during the holidays. She continued to celebrate her son and his wife and daughter and her husband's birthdays, making each their favorite cake year after year. At holidays and when her children returned home, even though they no longer visited the Shack, these occassions were chances for the whole family (both in town and out of town) to reunite and visit the beach together just as Opal and Jimmy had done year after year with their sisters' families. They swam all day and had a campfire of driftwood in the evening. She made time to attend all the life events for her grandchildren and great grandchildren whenever possible and they all have cherished memories of her.

Tragedy struck in 2015 when she lost her daughter Geri Laine Tice Williams after a stroke following back surgery. It is an open wound that has yet to heal. Opal battled and conquered three bouts of cancer: breast and thyroid but after several small strokes resulting in falls, Opal went to live in assisted living. She was gracious about this change to her living situation.

Opal 2019 at the Vera Assisted Living located around the corner from her daughter.

Covid was hard on her and the family as there was no way to visit her in person therefore Facetime was a godsend. She would live out her final years in assisted living, but she was still up for the calls from her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins keeping up with the bits and pieces of their daily lives.

Opal G Mires Tice headstone.

Opal died on 14 May 2021 in Corpus Christi, Nueces, Texas aged 97 and was buried in Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, United States.^[5]

Her obituary read: "Opal Geraldine Mires Tice of Corpus Christi peacefully met her Savior on May 14, 2021. Opal was born on February 27, 1924, in Taft, TX to Veola (Brundrett) and Arthur E. Mires. She attended school in Rockport, Gregory, and graduated from Corpus Christi High School. Opal married her high school sweetheart, Jimmy Dick Tice, and together they raised five children: ... Throughout her life, Opal quietly (and not so quietly) encouraged and supported others. She once found a class she knew would be perfect for her sister-in-law and offered to babysit, so Joy Murphy could develop her art skills (and eventually become quite a name in the Texas art scene). Opal offered a shoulder for family to lean on when needed, she kept in touch with those who wandered away from home, and she always, always kept a positive outlook on life! She was a strong, quick-witted, and joyful blessing in each of our lives and will be sorely missed. Opal was preceded in death by her parents and husband, her daughter, Geri Laine Williams (Shelli) of Houston, her sister, LaVerne Mires Alison (V.T.) of Corpus Christi, and her brother, A. E. Mires (Bettye) of Dallas. Opal was the oldest living charter member of Grace Presbyterian Church and a member of the Corpus Christi chapter of the D.A.R."

Sources

1. ↑ Birth: "Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997"
   Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997. Texas: Texas Department of State Health Services. Microfiche
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8781 #9246342 (accessed 23 July 2022)
   Opal Geraldine Mires born on 27 Feb 1924 in San Patricio, Texas, USA.
2. ↑ 1930 Census: "1930 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1930; Census Place: Taft, San Patricio, Texas; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0013; FHL microfilm: 2342122
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6224 #61203733 (accessed 23 July 2022)
   Opal G Mires (6), single daughter, in household of Arther E Mires (33) in Taft, San Patricio, Texas, USA. Born in Texas.
3. ↑ 1940 Census: "1940 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1940; Census Place: Corpus Christi, Nueces, Texas; Roll: m-t0627-04115; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 178-6
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #155674633 (accessed 23 July 2022)
   Opal Mires (16), single daughter, in household of Arthur Ernest Mires (42) in Corpus Christi, Nueces, Texas. Born in Texas.
4. ↑ Marriage: "Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965"
   Nueces County Clerk's Office; Corpus Christi, Texas; Nueces County, Texas, Marriage Records
   Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
   Ancestry Record 9168 #22401078 (subscription required, accessed 2 May 2024)
   Jimmy Dick Tice marriage to Opal Geraldine Mires on 10 Apr 1943 in Texas, USA.
5. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #227269887 (accessed 4 November 2022)
   Memorial page for Opal Geraldine Mires Tice (27 Feb 1924-14 May 2021), citing Seaside Memorial Park, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, USA; Maintained by TXLiz (contributor 49296967).

DNA

• Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confirmed by an autosomal 23andMe test match between Melody (Tice) Nabors and private, her 1st cousin . Their most-recent common ancestors are Arthur Mires and Veola Brundrett, the grandparents of both Melody (Tice) Nabors and private. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: first cousins, based on sharing 1104 cM (14.83% DNA shared) across 43 segments.
• Maternal relationship is confirmed by an autosomal AncestryDNA test match between Melody (Tice) Nabors and private], her 2nd cousin . Their most-recent common ancestors are John Brundrett and Lulu Hastings, the great grandparents of both Melody (Tice) Nabors and private]. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 2nd cousins, based on sharing 221 cM across 14 segments.
• Maternal relationship is confirmed by an autosomal AncestryDNA test match between Melody (Tice) Nabors and private], her 3rd cousin . Their most-recent common ancestors are George Brundrett and Mary Hollingsworth, the great great grandparents of both Melody (Tice) Nabors and private. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 3rd cousin, based on sharing 102 cM across 4 segments.
• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an autosomal AncestryDNA test match between Melody (Tice) Nabors and private, her 2nd cousin 1x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are George Mires and Sarah Jones, the great great grandparents of Melody (Tice) Nabors and great grandparents of private. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 2nd cousin 1x removed, based on sharing 220 cM across 11 segments.
• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an autosomal AncestryDNA test match between Opal (Mires) Tice and private, her 2nd cousin 1x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are James Gulley and Nancy Osborne, the great great grandparents of Opal (Mires) Tice and great grandparents of private. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 2nd cousin 1x removed, based on sharing 62 cM across 5 segments.