Alton Ezell

Alton was born on June 24, 1938 in Golden, Texas.  As his father was a superintendent of schools, the family moved from Golden to Winona, Johnson City, Los Fresnos, Brownsville and Lyford, Texas. Alton graduated from Lyford High School in 1956.  He attended Texas A&I University and transferred to Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, Texas where he played basketball.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology at Southwest Texas State Teachers College and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration at Texas A&I University, Kingsville, Texas.  He married Dolores Rae Morris on January 29, 1960 in Raymondville, Texas.

Alton retired after thirty-six years as an educator.  He taught 5th and 6th grades in Weslaco ISD, was a biology teacher and coach at Miller High School with Corpus Christi ISD, a Principal and Assistant Principal at Gregory-Portland High School and Assistant Business Manager for Gregory-Portland ISD.  He served as the Business Manager for Flour Bluff ISD before retiring from Lamar Consolidated ISD as the Deputy Superintendent for Business.  He was a lifetime member of the Texas State Teachers Association and Texas Retired Teachers Association and a former member of Texas Association of School Business Officials and the Portland Lions Club. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the GPISD. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Portland.  He was an avid golfer and enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time with his grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Alton and Maudlow Ezell, a sister, Glorianne Mayo and an infant son.  He is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, Dee Ezell, a son, Cliff (Hilliery) Ezell, a daughter, Barbie, all of Portland, Texas and four grandchildren, Kate (Ricky) Salinas of Portland, Pete Ezell of Los Angeles, California, Taylor Tumlinson of Nashville, Tennessee and Holden Tumlinson of College Station, Texas and one great-grandchild, Bella Salinas of Portland, Texas.  He is also survived by a sister, Marinell Horton of Nixa, Missouri, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Those who wish to make memorial offerings other than flowers, please consider donations to the Gregory-Portland Education Foundation at g-pisd.org or the First United Methodist Church of Portland, Texas.