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Latson, Shirley

October 13, 2028 –
 July 3, 2013

Obituary

A Memorial Celebration for Shirley Jo Swenson Latson will be held at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, July 6, 2013 at The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration (14115 Hillcrest Rd.  Dallas, TX 75254, phone (972) 233-1898). Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Joseph Robert Latson. She is survived by her 5 children (and their spouses) – Sherry, Larry (Debbie), Terry (Laurie), Gary (Lola), and Jerry (Kellie).  She was blessed with 9 Grandchildren (Hayley Hartner; Angie Hardman and Larry Latson, Jr; Dana and Joseph Latson ; Christina and Trevor Latson; Elizabeth and Emily Latson) and 5 Great Grandchildren (Garrett and Oliver Hardman; Jack and Luke Latson; Hannah Sebby). Shirley was born in Amarillo, Texas on October 13, 1928, the daughter of Wilbur Ernest Swenson and Almira Gough Swenson. She attended Amarillo High School, Linden Hall College (Pennsylvania), and Amarillo Junior College. Following the untimely death of her beloved husband in 1969, she was left with the task of raising 5 children ranging in age from 3 thru 18. She accomplished this task with seemingly unending love and grace. Essentially on her own, she eventually sent two children through graduate school and three children thru medical school. Today, due to her love and determination, her children are all blessed with their own loving families. Her children could not have asked for a better role model! She was our hero …… “the wind beneath our wings”. Aside from “family” activities, she enjoyed reading and sewing. For 15 years, she enjoyed being an active member of the “Krazy Krafters” craft club in North Dallas. She retired from her position with the library at the University of Texas Dallas at the age of 80. After retirement, she continued to volunteer with the Church of the Transfiguration “Clothes Horse” store, and with the “Off Your Rockers” reading and mentoring program at Canyon Creek Elementary School. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Center for Brain Health at UT Dallas. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas 75252, 214-306-6700. If You Had a Mom Like Mine

 If you had a Mom like mine

She would be soft-spoken quiet, but strong;

Unassuming strong, family strong;

Petite, but capable of wrangling a most unruly brood –

Mostly alone.

 You would know love beyond all bounds,

Devotion without question:

Not necessarily effusive cuddly love,

But deep abiding love

That makes you know at your core

That you could never be alone. 

You would always know the right thing to do.

Your moral compass would be rock solid

If you followed your heart,

Because it would be her heart

That she gave to you so willingly. 

When her time on this Earth passed,

You would no longer be privileged

To see her smile in person,

But you would never forget her

For she would be as much a part of what you are

As anything inside you.

 -You would be so lucky-

   

    Laurie Latson
    5 Jul 2013
    12:27pm

    To her grandchildren she was “Nanny”. As her daughter in law, I considered her my second “mom”, as mine lived thousand of miles away. She was a kind and generous person who was a constant source of support to me and my family. I have many fond memories, one is the matching mother-daughter dresses that she sewed for Dana and I when I was pregnant with Joe. I will miss her dearly.
    Peace and love to our family and we celebrate and give thanks for her life.
    Laurie

    Jean Vik
    5 Jul 2013
    2:03pm

    Shirley was a faithful employee at the UTD McDermott Library from 1985 until she retired. Those who knew who think of her as a friend who will be missed.

    Joyce Covey
    10 Jul 2013
    7:40pm

    Working with Shirley for several years at the library , I found her to be a helpful co-worker and a good friend . Her petite size and soft voice where the cover for one strong , tough lady .
    God Bless Her Family .319WEV

    Myra (Crow) Kujawa
    17 Aug 2013
    12:27pm

    I never knew Shirley well, only having met her a couple of times, but I knew how much she meant to Joe. I am one of Joe’s many cousins, and I remember him with much love and respect. I send my love to his family. He would have been so proud.

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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

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    214.340.8008

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      972-526-7410
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