Verlon Maguglin

Our Pop came into this world on August 29, 1922. He lived almost 103 years. When his daughter - my mom - asked me to write his obituary (a word I hate by the way), I thought how can I sum up in a paragraph or two such a vast life? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT! But one morning, after spending some time with God, I felt like putting pen to paper. One of the verses I read that morning was 2 Chronicles 20:12, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You." I felt God say, "Let's sit down and talk about Pop."

Pop was born to George and Gertrude Maguglin. They decided to call him Verlon. Pop's dad, Granddaddy we called him, tried to make a life for his family in Missouri, but he hated the cold winters. So he moved everybody including Pop and his two sisters to live in Live Oak County, Texas. And there began a lifelong love story between a man and the land where God planted him.

For his whole life, all Pop wanted to do was work that land. So he did.

In the 50's, Pop built himself and his growing family a house east of Oakville in the community of Karon where he grew up. It is the house where he would raise his children: Charlotte, Ricky and Marley. It is the same house where my cousins and I would gather faithfully twice a year - Pop's birthday and New Year's Day - to see Pop and each other. Pretty soon, we were bringing our own children to that house.

Years passed. Times changed. Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton. They all - and more - came and went. Still Pop lived in the pink bricked house on the homestead and worked the land. Wars, men landing on the moon, the fall of The Berlin Wall, 9-11, COVID - all of these things happened while Pop continued to live his quiet life on The Farm. Praise God he did not live alone. When he was in his 50's, God brought a beautiful woman into his life, Estiline. And they were as close to perfect for each other as two people can get. She loved his children and grandchildren like Pop did.

So many things that we consider modern conveniences today didn't even exist when Pop built his house. And counter to the culture, Pop never introduced these things into his life. Things like computers, smart phones, or even cable television were non-essentials to him. THERE IS NO WI-FI ON THE FARM! To him, the simpler - the better.

What Pop didn't realize is he was creating an oasis for his family. A shelter from the storm. As we all grew up, and times again changed, and new things were coming into our lives both good and maybe not so good, we knew we could go to The Farm and experience something that never changed. The furniture, the pool table, the space heaters, and those old oak trees became a little time capsule from our childhood that provided moments of security in a fast-changing world.

This is not the usual kind of obituary. Most obituaries have a list of achievements. Pop had plenty of those that were outlined last year at his 102nd birthday celebration. So you won't find that here. This is more about the effects of Pop. I think I will call it The Pop Effect. It is about how the decisions of one man to stay put, keep things simple, and work hard has marked his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and now great-great grandchildren. Thank you, Pop. Thank You God for our Pop.

"...make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you..." 1 Thess. 4:11

Pop passed away August 4, 2025.

Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, August 9, 2025, at Galloway & Sons Funeral Home in Three Rivers with the funeral service at 11 o’clock officiated by his grandson, Rev. Michael Meek.

Burial will follow in the Three Rivers Cemetery where he will be laid to rest beside his beloved Estiline.