Lillian Frances Wheat McGregor, 78, of Texarkana, Texas, passed away surrounded by her family at home on October 22, 2025. She was born on October 31, 1946, in DeKalb, Texas, to Johnnie Marshall Wheat and Maybeth King Wheat.
They raised her with a strong faith as a member of the DeKalb First United Methodist Church.
She was a proud member of the DeKalb High School class of 1965, where she developed lifelong friendships.
Although they had met as children, on September 3, 1967, she walked into her Biology class at East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas, and sat directly in front of her future husband. On December 17, 1967, they went on their first date, a double date, to a movie in Clarksville, Texas. She married the love of her life, Carlos Grady McGregor, at the DeKalb First United Methodist Church on July 16, 1971, at 11:00 a.m. Together, they built a beautiful marriage that lasted for 54 years. Their marriage was filled with love, family, children, grandchildren, and a love for educating the youth.
She completed her education from East Texas State University, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. She was an educator in the Texarkana, Texas area for many years, spending a number of years in the Maud Independent School District as an early childhood teacher and counselor. The friendships and stories she collected while working at Maud were some that she carried for the rest of her life. During the final 11 years of her career, she worked as a senior counselor at Liberty Eylau High School, where she was able to help her students procure millions of dollars in college scholarships.
While still working and following her retirement in 2003, she was an active member of the Alpha PI chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. She became an appointed Board of Trustees member for Community Healthcore, providing mental, emotional, and behavioral health services to the residents of the Northeast Texas area. She volunteered and dedicated her time to this community organization until 2017. In 2015, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Captain Nathaniel Mills chapter, certified that she was an approved member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
She was an avid reader, traveler, and loved to cook holiday meals, filling her home with warmth, happiness, much laughter, and love. Her husband, children, and grandchildren were the lights of her life. She cherished her grandchildren, Mac and Ella, who brought her immeasurable joy, endless pride, and happiness.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Johnnie Marshall Wheat and Maybeth King Wheat, and her very special and beloved Aunt Frances W. King. She is survived by her husband, Carlos Grady McGregor of Texarkana, Texas; one son, John Jeffery “Jeff” McGregor of Texarkana, Texas; daughter, Jennifer Anne “Jenny” McGregor Abell of Fort Worth, Texas; daughter, Amy Rebecca “Becca” McGregor and Ronnie Gibson of Texarkana, Texas; two grandchildren, Daniel McGregor “Mac” Abell and Ella Annebeth Abell, both of Fort Worth, Texas; one sister, Johnette Wheat Tinsley of Buda, Texas; and several beloved in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends. She also leaves behind her grandcats, Leo and Ebony Sue, and special family members through Gentiva Hospice: Ellen, Takita, and Joy.
A visitation with family will be held Friday, October 31, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Bates Family Funeral Home in DeKalb, Texas.
Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Hubbard Community Chapel Cemetery in DeKalb, Texas.
Lillian Frances will be remembered for her loving and honest heart, her devotion to her husband, children, grandchildren, and craft, and the laughter and warmth she brought to all the lives she touched.
Donations can be made to The Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF). This foundation is dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for every person affected by primary immunodeficiency diseases, and to The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), which is dedicated to accelerating the development of new treatments and ultimately a cure for pulmonary fibrosis.
