Edna Faye Muncrief was born April 24th 1915 to Barney Beuford and Jimmie Whitfield in Jacksonville, Texas
She was one of four children. She had three brothers Loyd, Robert Lee, and James Beuford Whitfield. She is survived by her son Robert the third, her daughter in law Sharon Ann, her niece’s Betty Faye Coppes, Jerri Lynn McMurray, Mary Pat Davis, Robin Keyworth-Piazza, Jennifer Malone and other family too numerous to list.
Faye graduated from Denison High School in 1933 and immediately went to work for the Kraft Cheese Company during the depression years. Her father worked for the Katy in Denison and retired from the Katy after 40 years. Faye worked on the mayonnaise production line and began to notice a handsome young man who ran the factory elevator. This was her future husband Robert who was from ADA Oklahoma and had been hired by Kraft to pitch on the company baseball team. They Married in 1937.
Robert was found by a scout while pitching for Kraft and was signed to a contract to play professional baseball with the St. Louis Browns of the American League. Faye and Robert moved to San Antonio where Robert played for the San Antonio Missions which was the minor league affiliate to the Browns. After several years in San Antonio Robert was called up to the Browns where he played for seven years. Faye moved a great deal after 1947 with Robert playing in Cleveland, Pittsburg, Chicago, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and San Francisco. Robert also played one winter in Cuba. Faye was fast to pack a suitcase and move to another city.
Faye would recall that in spite of all the moving she found professional baseball thrilling. She witnessed Robert playing in the 1944 All Star Game, and the 1944 and 1948 World Series. She made many friends over the years and knew many future Hall of Fame players such as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Bob Feller, Sachel Page, Bob Lemon and many others. Faye said baseball provided her a wonderful experience to travel and meet new people. She especially loved living in Havana Cuba during the winter of 1952 when Robert played winter ball there.
When Robert retired in 1955 Faye took on the role of full time housewife. Faye had moved from Denison to Dallas in 1949 and lived in the Oak Cliff Area of Dallas. When Robert started his second career in the automobile business his new career took them to Lewisville and finally Duncanville. In the 50s and 60s Faye worked for the Kodak Company, was successful in selling real estate, and her favorite job – working in a toy store. Faye was a person who gave of herself for the benefit of children who were from broken homes and children who were sick. For several years Faye was a cottage house mother for the Saint Joseph School where children from economically or emotionally deprived homes could live. Faye also spent many years as a volunteer for the Scottish Rite Hospital for Sick Children. Her job was to hand out toys to the children and be available to just sit with them at times when they were scared. She was known throughout the hospital as the toy lady.
In her later years Faye and Robert spent there time mostly at home. Robert doing the yard work and Faye keeping the home. They would often travel to Kansas City and then San Francisco to visit their son and make trips into Arkansas and East Texas. When Robert died in 1996 Faye was able to stay in her home and care for herself with the help of her son and daughter in law who lived close by. After she fell and broke her hip she had the good fortune of having a wonderful person come into her life. This person was Bobbie Hall who took on the responsibility of caring for Faye. Faye also became close to Bobbie’s husband Odell who helped her in many ways. Faye and Bobbie first became friends and then sisters. They loved each other very much. Also, her niece Betty Faye moved from California to Cedar Hill and bought a home with her husband Russ. Mother would say, “for the life of me I can’t understand why Betty would move from the beautiful state of California to the heat of Cedar Hill, Texas.” After Faye was placed in the nursing center Bobbie, Odell, Betty and Russ became her lifeline to the outside world. Faye always knew there were people who loved her and would see her needs were taken care of.
Faye might not have had much of an impact on the world in a global nature but her kindness, love of family, and charity of heart will be missed by her friends and family.
