Emerita Palma Avila

To Live-Stream Funeral Service Click Here Emerita Palma Avila, 95, passed away Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at her home in Weatherford. Mass of Christian Burial: 10:00 a.m. Friday, May 21, 2021 at St. Stephen Catholic Church Chapel, 211 South Main Street, Weatherford. Interment: Memory Gardens of the Valley, 5600 Mineral Wells Hwy., Weatherford. Visitation: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, May 20, 2021 with Rosary at 7:00 p.m. at White’s Funeral Home, 130 Houston Ave., Weatherford. Emerita Palma Avila was born on September 22, 1925 in Calabanga, Camarines Sur, Philippines; daughter of Timoteo and Viviana (Carion) Palma. She would marry Felix Payte Avila during WWII, and they welcomed one child, Editha, before she became a widow. She worked as an elementary school teacher in the Philippines before joining her daughter and son-in-law in the United States and dedicating her life to helping raise their three daughters. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Felix Avila; daughter, Editha Misola; sister, Aster Tordilla; brothers, Eustaquio Palma, Wenceslao Palma, Severo Palma, and Jorge Palma. She is survived by granddaughters, Marie Barnes (William), Carolyn Ryschon (Michael), and Jean Jeanes (Brian); great-grandchildren, Nathaniel, Emerie, and Xavier; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. Emerita’s love language was cooking from which many people benefited over the years. A caregiver at heart, she was devoted not only to her immediate family but to scores of extended family, neighbors, and children whose parents entrusted her to their care. Despite personal tragedies, Emerita’s perseverance served as a model of strength to all who knew her. Known as “Mama” by most, she also answered to “Tia Merit,” “Etta,” “Lola,” and “Grandma Etta.” She leaves behind a legacy of love and generosity.