Ethel Mae Smallwood

May 19, 1927 - November 2, 2019

Ethel Mae Smallwood, 92, of Nederland, Texas, passed away on Saturday, November 2, 2019, at Oak Grove Nursing Home, Groves. Ethel was born on May 19, 1927, in Port Neches, Texas. Ethel attended schools in Port Neches and Nederland. Following the end of WWII in 1945, her brother, Gilbert Miller, returned from the war with a fellow Army buddy of his who was from Illinois and had never visited Texas. It was then that Ethel met the love of her life, Robert Smallwood. The Miller family embraced him warmly and Ethel and Robert were married on May 30, 1946. They made their home first in Port Neches and then in the 1960’s built a new home in Nederland and became avid Bulldog fans. They were married for 60 years and had one daughter, Carolyn Smallwood Whaley. Ethel & Robert were avid golfers and enjoyed many fun-filled golfing vacations through the years with their best friends Peggy & Travis Farris. Ethel was an excellent homemaker, cook, and enjoyed gardening. Her family always teased her that they would put a lawnmower and weed eater beside her casket because she always had one in hand. She was also an excellent seamstress making one of a kind dresses and Halloween costumes for her daughter and grandchildren. While Ethel was an excellent homemaker, her passion was sports. If there was a sporting event on TV, she was watching it. She was an avid fan of the Texas Longhorns, Houston Astros and the Nederland Bulldogs. Those to share in her memories include her daughter, Carolyn Whaley & husband Al, her grandchildren, Darren Miles & wife Meredith, Charlotte Barnett & husband Rick, Jill Braud & husband Jimmy, Cathy Hagner & husband Matt, Danny Whaley and wife Marcella. Great grandchildren Madison Miles, Ollie Mae Barnett, Lee Wilson, Heather Wilson, Bryce Whaley, Chris Hagner, Reid Whaley, Patrick Braud, Wyatt Barnett. Brothers Hubert Miller, sisters Peggy Sanches and Marguerite Esclovon, and numerous nieces & nephews. Ethel was preceded in death by her parents, Hubert & Eula Miller, husband, Robert Smallwood, brothers Carlton Miller and Gilbert Miller, sisters Mary Touchet, Betty Willis, Barbara Savoy. A gathering of Ethel’s family and friends will be held at Melancon’s Funeral Home in Nederland, Texas at 10 am on Friday, November 8, 2019, followed by a memorial service at 11 am. Interment will be at Oak Bluff Cemetery in Port Neches. The family wishes to thank the care givers at Oak Grove Nursing Home who took wonderful care of Ethel during her stay there.