Patricia Ann Wiskur

October 15, 1945 — October 14, 2024

It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of Patricia Ann Wiskur, known affectionately as "Granny," who left this world on October 14, 2024, just a day shy of her 79th birthday. Born on October 15, 1945, in Terrell, Texas, Granny was a vibrant soul who brought joy and love to all those fortunate enough to know her. Granny’s career as a Manufacturing Engineer showcased her intelligence and dedication. She approached her work with the same enthusiasm that characterized her life, always eager to tackle challenges head-on. Her professional achievements were matched by her contributions to her family, where she infused warmth and care into every interaction.

In her personal life, Granny was celebrated for her outgoing personality. She was fun-loving, creating an inviting atmosphere wherever she went. As the rock of the family, her caring nature endeared her to friends and family alike. Granny’s legacy of love will continue through her husband, James Allen Wiskur, and their children: Gaye L. Rasmussen and her husband, Dean Rasmussen; Tammy J. Cox, Douglas C. Cox Jr. and his wife, Michelle S. Cox; Toni W. Ingram and her husband, Thorton Ingram; James T. Wiskur and his wife, Mona E. Wiskur; and Matthew L. Wiskur.

Additionally, she cherished her role as a grandmother to Samantha Cox, Katie Cox, Dustin McIntosh, his wife Terah, and great granddaughter Siyah; Cassie McIntosh and great grandson Austin McIntosh; Joshua Carter, Jordan Carter, Clinton Ingram, Antron Ingram, Christian Wiskur, his wife Angela Wiskur, and great grandson Jonathon; Avery Wiskur, Lillian Wiskur, each of whom held a special place in her heart.

Granny was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Earnest Jefferson Smallwood and Allie Ray Samples, as well as 13 siblings, and her son Daniel H. Smallwood whose memories she carried with her throughout her life

Patricia Ann Wiskur will be remembered not only for her professional achievements but more importantly for the love and light she brought into the lives of all she met. Her spirit will continue to inspire and uplift those she leaves behind.

Obituary: Click here

Jimmy Francis

October 14, 2024

Jimmy passed away October 14. Thank you to everyone who went to visit, prayed, showed love and support. I know how much he appreciated it

Verle Wade

May 11, 1929 - October 7, 2024

Born 5/11/1929 to Henry and Lorena Leibfried in Roby, Texas. Her Father was in bridge construction so they moved often. She went to 25 different schools (all in Texas) graduating from Wells High School in 1946. She married George Wade on November 24th, 1956. They had three sons, Clay, Stephen (Steve) and Kent.
LaVerle was active in First Methodist Church, Garland over the years in choir, taught Sunday School and in the Children's ministry.

She worked for Garland ISD for several years as a Registrar and at the Administration Building. In 1982 she went to work for Raytheon and retired from there in 1994.

LaVerle died peacefully in her sleep on Monday morning, October 7th, 2024.
She was preceded in death by George Stephen Wade, her husband of 26 years, parents Henry and Lorena Leibfried, and son Kent Wade, age 46

Survivors:
Sons: Clay (Karen) Wade and Steve (Lucy) Wade
Grandchildren: Carlos (Priscila) Wade, Makena (Jacob) Wade, Paxton Wade, Presley Wade, Keila (Brian) Derringer, Kristyn (Seth) Rowney and Jami (Joshua) Mayes.
Great Grandchildren: Cairo, Crue and Caleesi Wade, Blaine and Kensley Derringer, Kaedyn, Kinzy and Cash Rowney, Ryder and Wesson Mayes.
She also has numerous cousins and special friends.

Obituary: Click here

Roy Hernandez shared that Bill Meyers is living in San Antonio and is doing well. He made a very large donation to support our website fees. Thanks Bill! He says hello.

Medical Claims

Medical Claims for reimbursement can be mailed to:
Alight Smart Choice Solutions
PO Box 64009
The Woodlands, TX
77387

This info was posted on our Facebook group.

Alight has a benefits "Gateway" website that will be used for benefits administration. If you haven’t created an account yet go to www.alight.com to do so. Scroll all the way down to the bottom. Click on “Find Your HR Website” and type in RAYTHEON under “Who is your employer?”. This will pop up a link to www.yourtotalrewards.com/rtx and select "New user?". The "New user?" selection links to a couple of identifying questions and then steps you through the account setup. It recognized me and I was able to set up my account so I could create my profile and preferences. They had my old employee email address in my profile and I had to call Alight to get that corrected (800-243-8135). Be sure to check your beneficiary information. This was blank for me so I corrected that. Also, if you are married, your personal information probably transferred over as single. This would cause any medical reimbursement claims for your spouse to be denied. Call the benefits people so they can correct it

Alight will manage the medical reimbursement and we will be able to check our DDB balance, submit claims, authorize direct deposit, etc. online.

IF YOU NEED HELP SETTING UP YOUR ALIGHT ACCOUNT, REIMBURSEMENT CLAIMS, DIRECT DEPOSIT, ETC. PLEASE EMAIL ME AT Eileen. TERRY GAUS HAS OFFERED TO HELP THE RETIREES WHO MAY HAVE QUESTIONS. I CAN ALSO HELP NAVIGATE THE SWAMP IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE.

Eileen continues to collect eye glasses and hearing aids for donation to the Lion’s Club. Thank you all who have donated.

Also…As most everyone knows, we have a dedicated waitress (Cindy) who has been taking excellent care of our group for a very long time (all the way back to Furr’s Cafeteria days.) Since we won’t be meeting on December 25th, I would like to present Cindy with a gift card at the November luncheon as a Christmas gift from the Retirees. We passed and envelope/card at the October luncheon. If you missed it and would like to contribute you can see me or Terry Gaus at the November luncheon or mail your contribution to:

For a Chuckle

Last week, we took some friends out to a new restaurant, and noticed that the waiter who took our order carried a spoon in his shirt pocket. It seemed a little strange. When the waiter brought our water and cutlery, I noticed he also had a spoon in his shirt pocket. Then I looked around and saw that all the staff had spoons in their pockets. When the waiter came back to serve our soup I asked, "Why the spoon?" "Well, "he explained, "the restaurant’s owners hired Andersen Consulting to revamp all our processes. After several months of analysis, they concluded that the spoon was the most frequently dropped piece of cutlery. It represents a drop frequency of approximately 3 spoons per table per hour. If our staff are better prepared, we can reduce the number of trips back to the kitchen and save 15 man-hours per shift." As luck would have it, I dropped my spoon and he was able to replace it with his spare. "I’ll get another spoon next time I go to the kitchen instead of making an extra trip to get it right now." I was impressed. I also noticed that there was a string hanging out of the waiter’s zip on his trousers. Looking around, I noticed that all the waiters had the same string hanging from their flies. So before he walked off, I asked the waiter, "Excuse me, but can you tell me why you have that string right there?" "Oh, certainly!" Then he lowered his voice. "Not everyone is so observant. That consulting firm I mentioned also found out that we can save time in the rest-room. By tying this string to the tip of you know what, we can pull it out without touching it and eliminate the need to wash our hands, shortening the time spent in the rest-room by 76.39 per cent." I asked "After you get it out, how do you put it back?" "Well," he whispered, "I don’t know about the others, but I use the spoon."