Jessie (Gulley) Short

Jessie Gulley Short,93, died June 4,2014, in Trinity, Texas, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday June 7, 2014 at Commerce Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at First Methodist Church, with burial at Rosemound Cemetery. She was born February 3, 1921, in Ouachita City, LA, the youngest of six girls. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Jessie Gulley; her husband of 57 years, Donald Joseph Short, known to many in Commerce as Coach Short who taught and coached in many places including Commerce; sisters Ruth Gulley, Virginia Page, Sarah Darphin, Helen Gulley and Elizabeth Wallace. She is survived by three children, Charlene Short Crocker, Don Paul Short, Joey Short; four grandchildren, Dwight Crocker, Diana Crocker, CJ Short, Tyler Short; four great-grandchildren, Zachary Crocker, Jacob Crocker, Sophia Crocker, McKenzie Crocker; and nieces and nephews. She graduated from East Texas State University in 1955 with a B.S. in elementary education, having started college at 31 when the family first moved to Commerce. She began her teaching career in Grand Prairie. The family moved to Lamesa where both Don Paul and Joey Short were born. She continued to teach as the family moved , as the coaching of Coach Short moved across Texas to Galveston and Abilene before returning to Commerce in 1961 where she taught sixth grade English/language art for the next 29 years. She completed her master's in library science. She was a member of First Methodist Church. She loved her church and was active in many services of the church. She was a devoted, loving mother and grandmother. She loved gardening and could make a stick grow. She was a great cook and always happy and content with her life. Alzheimer's came to her too soon and she spent the last years in assisted living at Country Home Estates in Commerce and Avalon Place Nursing Home in Trinity where she continued to make people smile.

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