Juanita Draper’s (known to family as Kiddie) 102 year earthly journey ended Monday August 29, 2022, she is now with her Lord and Savior. Juanita was born in Gordonville, TX on May 28, 1920 to Clifton Carlyle and Josie Shires Draper.
Juanita’s first job was working at the egg breaking plant in Denison. The first thing she bought with her egg breaking earnings was a coal oil stove. She found out the company was going to have her work in the cooler, which she didn’t want to do, so she quit. She then went to work at Kraft where she worked for 2 years. In 1943 she left Kraft to attend the Southwestern Baptist Seminary. She felt the Lord had called her to attend the seminary so she could teach children the way the Lord wanted her to teach. These classes helped her teach the 4 and 5 year old children’s Sunday School classes and Vacation Bible School for 39 years and later adult Sunday School classes. While attending the seminary she worked on the weekend at Leonard’s Department Store in Ft. Worth. After leaving the seminary she came back to Denison and worked for S. H. Kress 5-&-10 store and helped her Aunt Jid (Juston Draper Powers) work in Vacation Bible School. In 1946 she went to work for Southwestern Bell Telephone (SWB). She worked for SWB in Denison for 9 years and in 1955, when SWB went to a dial system, she transferred to Lubbock for another 23 years retiring in 1978. Upon retirement from SWB she moved back to Denison. While in Lubbock besides working for SWB she also worked in the cotton fields, enjoyed having a garden, growing her own vegetables, canning, eating and selling the vegetables she grew. She was really excited the first time she sold a bushel of black eyed peas for 25 cents. She also had fruit trees which allowed her the pleasure of making jelly.
Juanita loved fishing, when she came to Denison for visits she would take her nieces and nephew on fishing trips to Brushy Creek. She also loved the Texas Rangers. She would call her niece Delynnis and walk her through the Rangers ball game play by play inning by inning. If she messed her cable connection up Delynnis would have to hurry over to her house and get the situation fixed so she could finish watching the ball game. For her 92nd Birthday her great-nephew Clinton and his wife Erikka, niece Delynnis, great-niece Jennifer Craig and husband James took her to watch a live Ranger ball game.
Juanita was a devout Christian with the love of the Lord showing every day in her life doing daily Bible reads and praying. She was baptized at Liberty Community in a pond at the age of 12. During her lifetime she was a member of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. While in Ft. Worth attending the seminary she attended Travis Avenue Baptist Church. When she moved to Lubbock she attended Calvary Baptist Church and then South Crest Baptist Church. Upon retirement in 1978 she moved back to Denison, attending Hyde Park Baptist Church which is now Living Hope Fellowship. While teaching children’s Sunday School classes she had her brother make wooden figures which she used for demonstrations to make the study of the bible more interesting.
Juanita is survived by niece Vivian Kay Hatch of Denison, nephew James Raldo Draper and wife Edna of Denison, niece Glynnis Rich and husband Billy Don of Denison and niece Delynnis Dotson of Denison. Great-nephew’s: Mark VanKirk and wife Nicole of Denton, Michael Draper and wife Jennifer of Bells, Lew Hatch and wife Candice of Pottsboro, Clinton Rich and wife Erikka of Denison, Doug Beam and wife Kristy of Sherman. Great-nieces: Jennifer Craig and husband James of Denison, Ricki Lynn Hatch of Denison and Karen Beam Rich and husband James of Sadler. Numerous great great and great great great nieces and nephews.
Juanita is preceded in death by her parents Cliff and Josie Draper, brother Billy Joe and wife Vivian Wallace Draper, nephews-in-law Richard Dale Hatch and D.Craig Dotson.
In her memory, memorials may be made to your church Mission ministries.
A funeral service will be held at 11 A.M., Friday, September 2, 2022 at Johnson-Moore Funeral Home, 631 W. Woodard Street, Denison, Texas 75020, with Pastor Tim Franklin officiating. The family will receive visitors beginning at 10 A.M. prior to the service. Following the service, a procession will make its way to Mount Tabor Cemetery, Sadler, Texas for a committal service.
