"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Esperance Hutchison's most cherished passage of scripture was the guiding principle of her life. Born Dora Esperance McElwrath in Purdon, TX on October 24, 1920 to Exie Gertrude Harris McElwrath Brannon and George Joseph McElwrath, "Mema" lived an unconventional life compared to most women of her generation. She loved the poem "The Road Not Taken," by Robert Frost and would quote it frequently when faced with an important decision. Esperance lived in Alice, Texas for the majority of her life, where she designed and supervised construction of her family home while praying for her husband, Earl, to return from World War II. She taught Sunday School at the First Baptist Church, served her community as a member of Beta Sigma Phi, and spent many decades as the bookkeeper for Hill's of Alice. As a survivor of the Great Depression, "Guard your pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves," was an expression she was known to repeat, although few of her offspring were as disciplined as she was in applying it.
Mema left us on January 26, 2015 at the age of 94, although she said she would have preferred to flip the numbers. She was preceded in death by the love of her life, husband Earl Hutchison, and her elder daughter, Erin Keys of Bay City, TX. Esperance is survived by her younger daughter, Earlene Hopkins of Fulshear, TX, her sister Peggy Porter of Angleton, and her brother, JC Brannon of Pearland. She was a loving and devoted grandmother to Laura Keys (Los Angeles, CA) and husband Marty Sader, and Randy Keys (Van Vleck, TX) and his wife, Blanca, from daughter Erin and son-in-law John Keys (Ft. Smith, AR), and Jennifer Epstein (Santa Clarita, CA) and Mark Hopkins (Katy, TX) from daughter Earlene and son-in-law David Hopkins. Esperance's great grandchildren are Natalie and Matthew Epstein from granddaughter Jennifer and husband Darren Epstein, and Paige and Kate Hopkins from grandson Mark Hopkins and wife Valerie.
During her time with us, Mema loved to zip through town in her signature light blue Chrysler and could whip up an incredible batch of homemade fudge, but those who held her most dear recognized that in her silence - in all the things she chose not to say - one could find the most profound displays of strength, wisdom and integrity. She stood by her family no matter what, and each day she walked with them in faith that their actions were in keeping with God's plan, hope that the values she tried to instill in them would guide their decisions, and unconditional love regardless of her personal feelings about the choices they made with their lives.
Perhaps she understood better than most of us that love is the only thing that matters. It passes from generation to generation in ever increasing ways. Love truly is stronger than the grave. Because God is love.
We dearly love you, Mema. You taught us how, and we will miss you and remember you every day. We were truly blessed to have you in our lives. Rest in peace.
At Esperance's request, no services will be held. Arrangements are pending.