Another one of God's chosen ministers was called home to be with the Lord. God whispered his name Van Earl Hughes on March 5, 2011 and said "Well done thou good faithful servant". Funeral Service for Van Earl Hughes will be Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at the First United Methodist Church at 2:00 PM with Rev Derrel Evins and Rev. Ruby Moultrie officiating. Burial will follow in Castro Memorial Gardens Cemetery under the direction of Colonial Funeral Home of Dimmitt. Family Visitation will be on Monday, March 7, 2011 from 6:30PM - 8:00PM at the funeral home Van Earl Hughes was born Jan. 12, 1923, in Kress, TX to the parents of Guy T. and Pearl Hughes.. He graduated from Kress High School in 1940 the attended Baylor University and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with majors in Bible and Spanish. He was a Spanish Linguist and could also communicate very well in Portuguese. In 1948 he received his Masters in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX. Other schooling consisted of a Certification in Horticulture from Texas Tech University in Lubbock under the tutelage of Dr. Ashdown. God definitely called Van Earl to minister to Spanish speaking people which he did for forty-four years. He preached and taught exclusively in Spanish to the people of Cuba, Costa Rica, Old Mexico, and Texas. When he was interviewed one time, he said that his favorite thing to do was teaching and preaching. He also enjoyed his landscaping work with trimming and planting trees and plants, sowing lawns and putting in lawn sprinklers. Van was a member of the Beautification Committee of Dimmitt, TX. They called themselves the "Cu-Fu-Pu Group" meaning "Clean up, Fix up, and Perk up" Dimmitt. In 1944 he married his "Queen of Queens", Waurayne Duree, as he said she was the love and joy of his life. Waurayne enjoyed being a participant in his mission work. To this union two daughters were born; Javan of Dunedin, Florida, and Karyn of Dallas, Texas. Van Earl's family consist of two brothers and one sister. He is survived by his brother and sister in law, Glen and Layvon Hughes of Canyon, Texas and their two sons and wives Fred and Irene Hughes of Dumas, Texas and Michael Joe and Janice Hughes of Canyon, Texas. His brother and sister-in-law, La Rue and Marjorie Hughes of Kress, Texas and their four children and spouses: Kenny and Sharon Hughes of Plainview, David and Vickie Hughes of Plainview, Randy and Sandy Hughes of Plainview, and Benjie and Bryan Foster of Kress, TX. His sister, Doris Dorrough and husband Buster of Kress, TX and their two daughters and spouses, Alanda and Darrell Tomsu of Kress and Cindy and Joel Jackson of Amarillo. A sister-in-law and spouse, Waldeen and Imy Holt of Oceanside, CA and their son, Garland Holt. His niece and her husband, Susan and Scott Middleton of Corsicana, TX. His nephew and wife, Frank and Risa Marx III, of Corsicana, and many great nieces and nephews, plus a lifetime friend, Jane Kirkpatrick Bailes Koonce of Golf, Illinois. Many children enriched the lives of the Hughes. It all began on 2th Street. The little ones came to visit and also for cookies, to work puzzles, make crafts and to read. Then other children came from various parts of Dimmitt to visit. These we call our adopted grandchildren. The Hughes express to their parents many thanks for sharing their children to be a part of the Hughes Family. Van Earl enjoyed a number of things outside of his work such as listening to gospel music, traveling, writing and talking to Spanish speaking people, watching old western movies, reading, being with family, attending the opera, and rooting for the Dallas Cowboys. Memorial may be made to The United Methodist (UMW) for missions at First United Methodist Church, Attn. UMW, 110 SW 3rd St., Dimmitt, TX 79027