Dr. Elderine Wyrick

Dr. Elderine Wyrick, master teacher, loving wife, patient mother, doting grandmother, beloved sister, and friend, age 74, painlessly and peacefully won her battle against cancer on Thursday evening, March 14th, 2024. She ran into the merciful arms of her loving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and was reunited with her parents, A.W. and Olivia Welch; her in-laws, Minnie Leona Brock and Vernon Earl Wyrick; her brother, Louis Hulsey; her grandparents, Henry and Daisy Pugh and Bertha Mitchell and Lewis Welch, her Aunt Henryetta and Uncle Truitt Bullman, along with numerous others. They welcomed Elderine to her new celestial home. Elderine is survived by her husband of 56 wonderful years, Robert Dean Wyrick, and their two sons, Richard Wyrick with wife Tracey, and Russell with wife Theresa, her grandchildren, Zachary, Madison, Olivia, Elliana, and Noah, her sisters, Naomi Hulsey, Maria Rainwater, Pamela Felkins with husband Buddy, Rene Stone with husband Danny, and brothers, A.W. Welch with wife, Barbara and Paul Welch with wife Dretha, along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, students, and friends. Elderine was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, on June 10th, 1949. Even at an early age, she began showing an aptitude for teaching. As a child, she was enthralled with Bible stories. With permission from her Sunday School teacher, Elderine would borrow the flannelgraph characters and take them home. She would then gather the neighborhood kids and use the flannelgraph to teach Bible stories. She was 8 years old when she invited Jesus into her life. Her grandfather, Henry Pugh, led her to Christ one night after a service at the church where he pastored. As she grew in Christ, her faith became very important to her. It directed her in making most of the important decisions in her life. As she started dating and looking for love, she was determined to find a husband who was a churchgoing Christian dedicated to serving God. Elderine met Dean Wyrick at a church party when she was 12 years old. The handsome boy, Dean, was two years older than her. The two of them were paired for a game they played at the party. Dean would ask her a question that had been randomly selected, and Elderine would give her randomly chosen answer in response. The goal was not to laugh or giggle while repeating the question and answer to each other three times. Dean’s question was short and simple. “Will you marry me?” A straight-faced Elderine responded. “Take a walk with me in the moonlight.” As they attempted this exchange a second time, their serious expressions began to crack. Unable to maintain their composure on the third attempt, they broke out in laughter. They may not have won the game that evening, but they won each other’s hearts. Several years later, Dean and Elderine started dating. On their very first date, after a Coke and a movie, Elderine surprised Dean with a kiss. Once a month, Dean would ask Elderine out on a date, always giving her three weeks' notice. Although Elderine had other suitors, Homecoming games were always reserved for dates with Dean. Dean Wyrick proposed to Elderine just before her high school graduation from Carlsbad High School, and the two were later married on October 20, 1967. As Elderine became a mother to two energetic boys, she learned to rely heavily on her husband and her faith to carry her through the challenges of parenthood. After her children, Richard and Russell, started school, the academic challenges of dyslexia and attention deficit disorder began to surface. Teachers would warn Elderine that her kids would likely never finish high school, but she refused to accept this outcome. Instead, she embraced a new lifelong quest: to discover a path to success for both of her children. It was not an easy path, but she did find it. In 1987, Dean and Elderine opened a small private school dedicated to helping struggling students with learning differences. Master’s Academy was designed to give hope and lead struggling children to discover success beyond their unique challenges. In 2003, Elderine finished her Master’s degree in family life education at Omega Graduate School. She later completed her PhD Doctorate in 2017. For 25 years, Elderine and Master’s Academy made a difference for struggling students and their parents. Elderine didn’t just help her two sons succeed. She showed hundreds of individuals their true value, giving them hope for the future and pointing them on a path to success. She is loved by many. Elderine’s walk with her Lord and Savior made her a vessel of God’s love. She learned to pour that love on everyone she met. Some might have suspected the source of her encouragement, while others simply gave her full credit. Truly, God used Elderine to touch many lives and show them the love Jesus gives each of us. Even in her final weeks, filled with pain and discomfort as the cancer ran its course, Elderine continued to encourage and love the people who visited. She ignored her own situation and focused on the nurses and care workers who were taking care of her. She showed them the love that Jesus poured into her. She poured that same love into others, even into her final hours. Elderine is in Heaven. Our prayers were answered. She has been completely healed; no more cancer, not one cell. She is celebrating, and we celebrate with her. But since we love her, she will also be missed. 1 Corinthians 2:9 - As it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” The family will receive friends on Thursday - March 21, 2024 from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. at First Baptist Red Oak, 320 E. Ovilla Rd., Red Oak, TX 75154 with the Funeral Service beginning at 11:00 A.M. (same day). Interment will follow in Laurel Land Memorial Park, Dallas, TX. Those honored to be serving as Pallbearers: Matthew Bond, Michael Jones, Todd Killebrew, Miguel Lunga, David Reimer, Rex Stark, Brian Ulmer, and Zachary Wyrick. Elderine would have wanted donations in lieu of flowers to be made to Omega Graduate School, 500 Oxford Drive, Dayton, TN 37321. https://ogs.edu/give/