LaQuita Herrington Verde, familiarly known as Quita, was beautiful both inside and out. She had a radiant smile that she readily shared. All who knew her described her as sweet and kind. She and her husband, Sam, accommodated each other in their interests. She accompanied him on business trips and he accompanied her in horseback riding and camping! Quita loved the outdoors. She was fond of plants, flowers, and birds.
As a young mother she spent much time with her sister-in-law Neoma. They took many memorable field trips with their seven children. And her four sisters were her best friends! Betty, Francis, Jewel, Barbara and Quita, along with their beloved brother, James, celebrated holidays and birthdays with their parents and their many children!
Quita was a proactive parent. She volunteered at school and in the extracurricular activities of her daughters. She frequently shared her love of baking with cookies and special birthday cakes. Her daughters especially remember the lamb cake she made for Easter. Her homemade candied apples were a favorite and requested every fall.
Her daughters say that in addition to being a fun mom, she was a great role model in her inclusive relationships with others. They admire their mother for her genuineness and compassion.
She formed an immediate and close bond with her six grandchildren. They remember her with these words:
One of the greatest gifts of our lives was the unconditional love, tenderness, and support of our grandmother. Only later did we realize that her generosity wasn’t reserved for her grandchildren but the way she treated everyone she encountered. She was unique in her ability to see the good in everything. She was attuned to the natural world - in communication with the birds and kitties and flowers in her garden. She was a grandmother who propped up a lawn chair outside and delighted in watching us ride bikes and play for hours. She observantly took in the world, and let out only kindness, and goodness, and beauty.
LaQuita was instrumental in organizing an annual beach trip for the Verde family. It became an anticipated intergenerational event for thirty-seven years!
LaQuita is predeceased by her husband, Sam Verde; sisters Betty Renken (Slim) and Jewel Boyett (AD) and brother James Herrington (Johnnie). She is survived by sisters Frances Malone (MC) and Barbara Read; in-laws Neoma and Coley Verde and Verna and JC Verde; daughters Rebecca Windham (Ron), Deborah Wallace, Kim Stagg (Cliff); grandchildren Lauren Harris (Matt), Blake Sparks (Adam), Zachary Wallace, Ronny Catherine Thomas (Andrew), Savannah Stagg, and Colton Stagg; great grandchildren Layne Harris, Wheeler Harris, Sam Harris, and Sol Sparks. And numerous beloved nieces and nephews!
LaQuita was greatly loved and enjoyed and is greatly missed. Her Christian faith sustained her and it will sustain her family in her absence.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St Elizabeth Catholic Church in Port Neches, Texas, Juvenile Diabetes Research, or St Jude Children’s Hospital.
Due to Coronavirus-19 the family wishes to have a private family ceremony to honor their beloved mother.