Franklin Anthony “Frank” Martin, 65, died April 20 at his home in Mesquite.

Born July 17, 1945 to George L. and Ruth C. (May) Martin in Fondoulac, Wisc., Martin moved with his family to Clovis, N.M., during his early childhood. Martin received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army after being injured in the Vietnam War. He took early retirement in the early 1990s due to a disability, and then worked part-time at several local businesses in the Dallas and Mesquite areas, including White Rock Community Church.

Martin enjoyed visiting, eating or just having coffee with his many friends. And he also always enjoyed returning home to his two companions for the last 10 years, his Chihuahuas, Rose and Thumper.

Those who remember Martin from the years gone by will recall his very dry sense of humor, his fervor for practical jokes, his unwavering loyalty and his intense love for his family and friends.

Martin was preceded in death by his parents, George and Ruth Martin, and by his son, Michael Martin. He is survived by his sons, Allan

Martin and Cody Martin and wife Mikie of Amarillo; daughter Charmin Martin and husband Phillip Skaggs of Hobbs, N.M.; his bothers, Henry Martin and wife Mickie of Lubbock and Roy Martin and wife Marjorie of Los Lunos, N.M.; his sister, Sue Fenn of Clovis, N.M.; nine grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends in the Dallas area.

Funeral service arrangements are pending in Clovis, N.M., under the direction of Muffley Funeral Home, Inc. To check for service times or register on the family’s guestbook, go online to MuffleyFuneralHome.com. A local memorial service will be held at the White Rock Community Church Chapel in Dallas on Friday, May 13, at 3 p.m.

 

Bettye “Pep” Pepper, 65, died April 29 at Hearthstone Hospice in Irving following a courageous six-month battle with cancer.

Pepper was born in Mississippi and attended Delta State College there. She worked for many years as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. She later worked as a bartender for Joe Elliott at Jugs, and then for Howard Okon at Joe’s Place. At the time of her death, she was employed at Home Depot on Lemmon Ave.

Pepper loved to read and could recite classic poetry she memorized in her youth. She also loved PBS Television and educational programs like the ones found on Discovery Network and Animal Planet. She also loved to tell stories from her childhood, and from her years with Delta and behind the bar at Jugs.

She was known and loved for her kind heart, her laugh and her fierce loyalty to her family and friends. She was also known for “tinkering” with things and for refusing to throw things away, even when they were broken.

Pepper is survived by her mother, Audrey Pepper, of Benton, Miss., her brother Marvin, his wife Peggy and their two sons of Mississippi; her brother Fred, his wife Kim and their daughter of Louisiana; and many, many loving friends in North Texas and around the country.