Merle Henry Styles

Funeral is 1 p.m. Monday, March 5, 2012 at Outreach of Love Church, 3591 E. Hwy 199, Springtown, Texas with burial in New Hope Cemetery. Family will receive friends 2-4 p.m. Sunday at Christian-Hawkins Funeral Home in Boyd. Rev. Gary Veazey will officiate. Pallbearers are Gary Styles, Junior Styles, Bob Noah, Bill Harvison, Rev. Jeff Strickland and Sherwin Williams. Honorary pallbearer is Don Stoker.

Merle was born on May 18, 1932 to Earl Henry and Opal (Darnell) Styles in Fort Worth, Texas. He graduated from Tech High School in Fort Worth in 1950. Merle married Doris Marie Walls on April 23, 1955 in the Kopperl Baptist Church in Kopperl, Texas. He attended Texas Christian University and received an associates degree in mechanical engineering. Merle retired from Bell Helicopter in 1993 as a mechanical engineer. He did not like the retired life and in 2005 went into the bail bond business in Azle. Merle attended the Outreach of Love Church for the past 10 years.

Merle was preceded in death by his parents; his twin brother, Earl L. Styles and his sister, Virginia, Kern.

Those left behind to cherish his memory are his wife of 56 years, Doris Styles of Boyd; his sons, Gary Merle Styles and wife Debbie of Boyd and Gregory Warren Styles of Springtown; his grandchildren, Junior Styles and wife Amy of Boyd, Kristin Barnes and husband Jason of Ft. Worth, Chanda Styles of Decatur, Amanda Styles of Lewisville and Derrick Brister of Boyd, his great grandchildren, Taylor Etter, Addison Barnes, Cooper Barnes, Tre