Mrs. Lottie Salter Houston

Mrs. Lottie Naomi Salter Houston, 90, of Sylvester died Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at PruittHealth-Sylvester. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at First Baptist Church with interment to follow in the Hillcrest Cemetery. The Rev. Donnie Duncan will officiate. Mrs. Houston was born on January 20, 1927 in Habana, Cuba to the late Rufus and Lou Ann Taylor Salter. She retired from Federal Civil Service having worked at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah; Army Customs Office in New Orleans; Fort Benning, GA; Fort McNair; the Pentagon and the Navy Annex in Washington, DC before finishing her career at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany. While raising her children, Mrs. Houston worked at Coats and Clark in Albany. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Sylvester. Mrs. Houston was widowed at the age of 28, single handedly raised five children (four boys and a girl), and was able to put all of them through college. She had a sense of humor, gave boundless love to all, and was seated in good common sense. She was asked once how she raised five children alone to which she replied, "Well, I just started raising them, and the only thing I ever got from crying was a runny nose". She didn't dwell on the past. She lived in the present and the future. Her home was a happy home where all the neighborhood children hung out to play. Her discipline technique was much different from discipline techniques today. When she got home from work, she put up her pocket book and picked up her paddle. All the boys told on each other, including the neighborhood boys, so normally everybody got a whipping. Her technique worked because she was loved by all the children in the neighborhood. After retirement, Mrs. Houston finally had time for her hobbies. She loved flowers, cooking, playing tennis, visiting friends, traveling in Europe and Israel. She took many cruises, did volunteer work at a cleft lip clinic, and gave support to the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She loved the stock market and when asked why she picked her own stock instead of using a broker, she said, "I can guess as good as them". Mrs. Houston readily accepted change and new technology and never lost her optimism of life. Survivors include her daughter, Joyce Ann Shiver (Ray) of Leesburg; son, Mike Houston of Sylvester; grandsons, Billy Mitchell Houston (Becky) of Atlanta, Jason Shiver (Tabitha) of Atlanta, and Alex Harrod (Susan) of Atlanta; granddaughter, Erika Crook (Rob) of Atlanta; three great granddaughters; five great grandsons; brother, Bennie Salter of Sylvester; and sister, Dina Hudson of Sylvester. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Houston was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Rose Houston; sons, Tommy Rose Houston, Arthur Johnny Houston, and Billy Mitchell Houston; and a great-grandson, Will Houston. The family will receive friends on Thursday from 10:00 AM until the Service Hour at First Baptist Church. Please sign our online guest registry at www.banksfh.com. Banks Funeral Home in Sylvester is in charge of arrangements. .

Mrs. Lottie Salter Houston

January 20, 1927 - September 5, 2017