Barbara Sue Hasten, 76, of Mineola, passed away peacefully in the arms and hands of family members and dear friends on Wednesday October 4, 2017. Sue was born in Wood County, TX, to W.H. and Vester Phillips on May 27, 1941.
She is survived by her son Michael, his wife Kelly, her grandchildren Justyn, Allyson, Abby, and Emily, her brother/sister-in-law Carl and Judy Hasten, many cousins, nieces, nephews, and her beloved Missy.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Darrell, in 2016, her first son Marty in 1976, and her brother Ronald Phillips in 2016.
Along with Darrell, Sue was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Whitehouse, TX. After retiring and settling in the Hainseville community, Sue had been a faithful member of New Hope Baptist Church in Mineola, TX since 2005. She was a faithful servant of Christ and very much loved her church families in both Whitehouse and Mineola.
Sue graduated from Mineola High School in 1959, and married William Darrell Hasten in July of 1960. After later graduating from Federal Institute School of Business in the late 60's, Sue began a career at Peoples National Bank in Tyler. Not long after moving their family to Whitehouse, she spent 25 years as an Administrator at Whitehouse ISD, serving as the district’s Food Service Director. She retired from there in 2000, and immediately began enjoying retirement with her family. No one worked harder than Sue, whether that be at home or in the office. She blessed her family with a loving home, and always made sure every person’s needs were met. Most often, at the expense of her own needs. There was never a night when a home-cooked meal was not on the table by 6:00pm. Throughout her time as the Mom of our household, she experienced the loss of her first-born child and the tragic experience of almost losing Darrell in a work accident. Though the pain was intense and long-lasting, she was always Mom and always maintained such a sweet, servant’s heart. That was a true credit to her strength as a woman, and her tremendous faith in Christ. From the early days of their marriage, Sue loved to take trips in one of their many different RVs. She was content with a weekend trip to a local campground. Anything to get her on the road with their RV, she was happy with. While raising her family, vacations by RV were always the norm and much of the eastern half of the United States was enjoyed through the late 70s and early 80s. Once she and Darrell became “empty-nesters”, they began combining a newfound love of Square Dancing with their passion for RVs, and enjoyed many trips to different exhibitions and conventions across the United States. Sue loved the costumes and pageantry of Square Dancing and one of her greatest life successes certainly was her ability to convince Darrell to begin Square Dancing. Other than family events, she never seemed happier during her life as those times she was Square Dancing and RVing with Darrell and their friends. Immediately after retiring, she and Darrell took off on their first 3-month trip to Alaska with their fifth wheel in tow. On this first trip to Alaska, they were able to see and visit parts of the country that neither of them ever imagined being able to see. A few years later, they were able to repeat this Alaska trip and see even more of the Mountain and Western states they loved. She was able to see and visit much more of the U.S. than not, and that was always something she was both thankful for and very proud of. She absolutely loved to travel. We’re thankful that we were also able to show her the beauty of Hawaii, the marvelous Fall foliage of New England, and the cheerfulness of New York City during the Christmas season.
Sue was also a very talented and creative person. Over the course of her adult life, she became very skilled with painting, ceramics, and cross-stitching. Because of this, she always loved visiting a good craft show. In recent years, she became very proficient in sewing, embroidery design, and quilting. She was working on different quilting projects up until her illness required hospitalization.
Nothing, though, gave Sue more joy than her family and she always loved unconditionally. She loved her son with every bit of her heart. She loved his wife Kelly, even more than she could have had Kelly been her own child. The closeness of her relationship with Kelly was something she cherished immensely. Each of her grandchildren were so very special to her, and brought her great joy and pride. She was so thankful to have Justyn back in our life, and absolutely cherished their time together. She was so proud of the young adult Allyson has become, and was always so supportive of her. She always wished for nothing but the very best for both of them. She loved Abby with all of her heart, and was overjoyed by the young lady she has become. She was also proud of the “G-Maw” name Abby started for her several years ago. The fact that Abby recently began driving, and freed her up for more sewing and quilting, was something we know had her jumping for joy inside (though she’d probably never would’ve admitted that). Finally, Emily brought her so much joy and regularly kept her laughing. She absolutely loved the fact that Emily was embracing sports, and was especially proud of Emily’s recent interest in softball. She was a very good softball player, herself, during her school-age years. Sue Hasten loved her family wholeheartedly and unconditionally. Of that, there was never any doubt.
A celebration of her life will take place at New Hope Baptist Church in Mineola, TX, on Sunday October 8, at 2:00pm. A brief graveside service will be held at the Whitehouse Cemetery immediately following, at 4:30pm. Visitation with the family is scheduled for 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm on Saturday, October 7, at Beaty Funeral Home in Mineola, TX.
Pallbearers will include Gary Watkins, Jeff Casey, Kevin Carlile, Chris Carlile, Ron Hanks, and Justyn Hasten. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations on her behalf to “New Hope Baptist Church – Girl’s Missionary Auxiliary (GMAs).” She loved New Hope Baptist Church, and she loved to see Abby and Emily actively participating there as members. If you wish to donate, your contributions can be mailed to 3855 FM 1801, Mineola, TX, 75773
Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Breathe easy and walk freely, G-Maw. We’ll love you for eternity.

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