Juanita Sargent
June 7, 1936 to March 20, 2020

Juanita Sargent, passed away peacefully in her sleep and went to be with her Lord and Savior, at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Hospital in Waco, Texas, on March 20, 2020. Mrs. Sargent will lie in state at Foss Funeral Home and Cremation Center on Friday, March 27, 2020 from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and on Saturday, March 28, 2020 from 9:00 A.M. to 12 Noon under the guidelines imposed by the funeral home.  A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church at a later date to celebrate her life.

We encourage you to sign the register at the funeral home or on-line at www.fossfuneralhome.com and sign the register there.

She is survived by her loving daughter, Patricia Ann Mattlage-Hatley, and her husband, Mark of Fate, Texas; two grandsons and their wives, Scott Mattlage and his wife, Kelley of Atascocita, Texas; Lance Mattlage and his wife, Treva, of Rowlett, Texas; along with her best friend and sister, Mary Ann Keltner of Valley Mills, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was proceeded in death by the love of her life, Freddie Golden Sargent, her parents Andy and Birdie French, her siblings, Edna Mae Williams, Billy French, A.L. French, Elmer Lee "Slim" French, Sam T. French, Shirlene Hennig, and Jerry French.

Juanita was born in Oglesby, Texas, and grew up along the Leon River in the Mother Neff Park area. She began picking cotton at a very early age along with her family. She met her husband Fred at the fair in McGregor, Texas. Juanita and her sister, Mary Ann, were sitting atop a Ferris Wheel, when Juanita spotted Fred below in his Military Police uniform. At the time, Fred was stationed at Fort Hood. Soon after that, Juanita and Fred were married on January 6, 1956, in Moody, Texas, and that began a life-long relationship of true love that never died. After they were married, Fred was transferred to Fort Polk, Louisiana, where their daughter, Patty, was born; they spent four years overseas in Frankfurt, Germany; returned to the states in 1960 to Fort Jay, New York, where they lived in Brooklyn. In October of 1963, he retired from the Army and Juanita and Fred bought their home in Valley Mills and never moved again. Juanita had found her home and loved Valley Mills.

Juanita was involved in church and music her whole life. She could play any instrument, by ear, from a guitar to a fiddle to a piano, organ or even a mandolin. She loved to play and sing gospel and bluegrass along with her sisters and brothers. She also wrote many songs. Music was her passion and she always had a song in her heart.
She went to work later in life for the Valley Mills Elementary Cafeteria and thoroughly enjoyed being with all the students every day. She also assisted on the Special Needs bus and became very close to and loved those children. She never thought of it as a job – it was her pleasure, a part of her genuinely caring and nurturing nature.

She moved into the Clifton Lutheran Sunset Home in March 2011, at the onset of Alzheimer's Disease, where she made new loving friends and was very active in all the various activities. She found that she loved painting and two of her paintings took first place at the annual Resident Art Show at the Clifton Art Gallery. She continued to attend Church services there regularly. She also played her guitar and sang for parties and events as a resident.

Juanita took great pride in being a loving wife, an incredible homemaker, cherished mother and an endlessly caring grandmother. She loved her two grandsons, Scott and Lance, more than life itself. She enjoyed spoiling them with the best home-cooked meals imaginable, and never missed a chance to be at any sporting or school event to cheer them on – win or lose. They were her babies, "the boys" forever.

Memorials may be made to the Clifton Lutheran Sunset Home or the Alzheimer's Association. If you prefer to send flowers to the family you may call our local flower shop at 254-675-3444.

Juanita Sargent Memorial Video

You may sign the online register book at www.fossfuneralhome.com

Video will be forth coming