Joseph Warren Blalock

Memorial services for Joe W. Blalock, 86, of Tyler, will be held at Stewart Family Funeral Home on Monday, January 27, 2014, at 11:00 AM with the Reverends Pike Wisner and James Shamburger officiating, under the direction of Stewart Family funeral Home. Burial will be conducted at Tyler Memorial Park prior to the service. Mr. Blalock died on Wednesday, January 22, 2014, at The Hospice of East Texas in Tyler. He was born September 9, 1927, in Mt. Sylvan, Texas, the son of Grover Cleveland Blalock and Nancy Era Johnson Blalock. He was a graduate of Lindale High School and attended Tyler Junior College. Mr. Blalock was employed by the Cotton Belt Railroad for 13 years in the operating department. In 1957, he joined La Gloria Oil and Gas Company as assistant traffic manager and later served as office and credit manager. He was responsible for all gathering and transportation of crude oil for the refinery as manager of McMurrey Pipeline, a subsidiary of LaGloria. He retired in 1989. Mr. Blalock was a longtime, active member and deacon of First Baptist Church, Tyler, and served in the Youth Division in various capacities for 30 years. He and his wife, Martha, worked for many years as group leaders in Blue Birds and Camp Fire Girls with two different groups. He was active in PTA at Ramey, Boulter and John Tyler and was awarded a life membership in the Texas PTA while serving as president of the John Tyler association. Active in civic activities, he was a member of the Optimist and Lion Clubs at various times and was a 30 year member of the Downtown Tyler Rotary Club where he had received the Young Citizen Award when he was a senior in high school. He held membership in the American Petroleum Credit Association and was an honorary lifetime member of the Southwest Petroleum Credit Association where he served on the board of directors. He is survived by his devoted wife of 66 years, Martha Lyon Blalock. After he met her, he never dated another girl and they were married 18 months later. Other survivors include his daughters, Sondra Adair (Donald) of Arlington, TX, and Cheryl Shamburger (James) of Victoria, TX, 5 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren: Courtney (Jonathan), Emilia and Haydon Applequist of Washington, DC, Kathryn (Marshall), Eden and Drew McSpadden of Austin, Nathan (Lindsay), Emerson, Payton, and Cole Adair of Houston, Travis (Courtney) Shamburger of Plano, Austin (Tammy), Brooklyn Shamburger of Plano, sister, Rheta York of Tyler, and numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be Sunday, January 26, 2014, from 3:00 to 4:30 pm at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy., Tyler.

Joseph Warren Blalock

September 9, 1927 - January 22, 2014