Hattie Rae Green

Hattie Rae (Kessner) Green was born on November 20, 1924 in the Longhollow community near Marquez, Texas. She was the fifth child of Lige Thomas and Martha Pearl (Newsom) Kessner. Hattie Rae went to her heavenly reunion with her family on Aug 31, 2023 at Fortress Nursing Home in College Station, Texas.
After graduating from Marquez High School at 16, in 1941, Hattie Rae went to Houston, Texas to work and attend Elliott Business School. She worked as a Secretary until 1945.
Hattie Rae married Odell Terrell Green on November 10, 1945 shortly after his discharge from the Army after WWII. They returned to Leon County and had a daughter, Nancy Paulette, in 1948.
They left the Flynn area in 1950, moving to Angleton where Odell worked for Dow Chemical. They had a son, Terry Mark, in 1952. Nancy passed away in 1958 from cerebrospinal meningitis.
In 1966 the family returned to Leon County and purchased the hardware store in Normangee. They built a brick home behind the store and settled down to a routine of six days a week running Green’s Hardware Store on Main Street. They became very active in the Normangee Service Club and joined the Harmony Baptist Church. They enjoyed watching Terry play baseball and football.
After 5 years in the hardware business they sold it and built a new home on the land west of Flynn where Odell had grown up. All those years of living in town Hattie had never learned how to drive. She started practicing driving up and down their long driveway and soon got her driver’s license in her 50s.
Hattie Rae and Odell became very active in the First Baptist Church of Flynn. Hattie loved studying the bible and taught Sunday School and the WMA ladies group. She would arrive early and always swept the church porch off. She loved cooking for church gatherings and was known to always eat her dessert first. She attended all the local revivals in the nearby communities faithfully, taking friends with her.
The couple had a special group of friends that they regularly played dominoes “88” with. Even after his death she didn’t mind being an extra and would get other widow ladies to be her partner. Her favorite book was “Gone With the Wind” which she read yearly for several years. Hattie loved to visit with her family and friends, but not when her favorite show “Jeapordy” was on!
When Odell realized his health was failing they sold their house and land and moved down the road near their son.
Hattie Rae was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Odell Green; her children Nancy and Terry Mark; her grandson Baby Boy Green; her sisters Eula Estelle (Gill), Izadelle (Sills), Luah Faye (Watson); her brothers Travis William Kessner and Lewis Thomas Kessner.
Hattie Rae Green is survived by her 3 grandchildren and their spouses William Mark Green and wife Melinda, Mathew Thomas Green and wife Tara, Molly Gail and Joe Schmidt; her 6 great grandchildren Christine (Brian) Yates, Mark Green, Ryan Green, Megan Green, Jacob Schmidt, Trent Schmidt; a step grandson, Clay Littlejohn (Kelli); 3 step great grandchildren Zachary Overby (Erica), Matthew McVey and Lee Ryan Littlejohn; 2 great great grandchildren Charlotte Rae Yates and Owen Yates; 2 daughter-in-laws, Brenda Gail (Hoogterp) Green and Cherie (Littlejohn) Green.
Matthew 25:23 “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

In lieu of flowers donations are requested to Clear Creek Cemetery P.O. Box 104 Flynn, Texas 77855.