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Gwinn, Estella

September 17, 1924 –
 April 17, 2018

Obituary

Estella Jane Gwinn passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at the age of 93. Estella was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on September 17, 1924 to Charles and Ella Lee Bradshaw. She grew up in the Knoxville area where her family farmed and her maternal grandparents owned a grocery and general store. She attended Rule High School in Knoxville where she played clarinet in the Golden Bears marching band (although she claimed to be better at marching than playing).  She also met her future husband Lawrence Gwinn in high school where he played the sousaphone in the band. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Estella eloped with Lawrence and they married in Rossville, Georgia on Feb. 8, 1942. Lawrence joined the US Navy and the young couple moved to the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, Texas where Lawrence served as an aviation machinist mate working on PBY Catalina flying patrol boats. After WWII, they moved back to Knoxville. Estella and Lawrence had three sons: Lawrence Jr., Kenneth, and Ronald. In 1960, Estella and Lawrence moved to Dallas and lived in Oak Cliff.  For many years, Estella assisted her mother Ella and her sister Avis in managing a women’s fashion outlet in Dallas for Sunny Isles, Inc. Lawrence passed away in 1991 after 49 years of marriage and Estella moved to the Lake Highlands area in 1998. Estella loved working with children and youth, and she taught Sunday School at five Baptist churches in Knoxville and Dallas; most recently at Northlake Baptist in Lake Highlands. She is survived by her son Larry and wife Carole of Cedar Hill, Texas; son Ron and wife Jackie of Dallas; daughter-in-law Donna of Waxahachie, Texas; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband Lawrence, son Kenneth and her siblings Avis Overton Micots, John Lee Bradshaw and Rosalind Poe Tarwater. The family wishes to express our heartfelt thanks to the management and staff of Brookdale White Rock who provided loving care to Estella over the past year. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider making a donation in Estella’s name to the Dementia Society of America or the Alzheimer’s Association.

A Signature Service under the direction of: Aria Cremation Service & Funeral Home 10116 E. Northwest Highway Dallas, Texas 75238 214-340-8008

 

    workman
    5 May 2018
    9:10am

    Mike and I send our love. We are never ready to say goodbye to our loved ones. We hope your family and friends will surround you and help you through this difficult time.

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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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Important Information

  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

    BELTLINE ROAD
    972.607.4400

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  4. Fax the forms back to us at:
    • NW Highway
      214-340-8009
    • Preston Rd.
      972-526-7410
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      972-573-1008
 

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