Goldine Elizabeth Claunch

Goldine Elizabeth (Claunch) Latta

A resident of Morrow, AR passed from this life and went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on July 2, 2010 at the age of 93 years, 4 months, 29 days. She was born to William Harvey and Grace Theresa (Loftus) Claunch, on February 4, 1917 at Fuller, KS, Just a couple of miles out of Mulberry, KS.

She was proceeded in death by her husband, Leland Earl Latta and one son John Dennis Latta. Also proceeded in death by 1 sister, Chrystol (Claunch) Edmonson, 3 brothers Harvey, James, & John Claunch.

She is survived by one son, David Latta & wife Carolyn of Morrow. 5 Grandchildren, Alicia & Husband Vince Wofford, Larissa, John, Seth, & Mark Latta. 3 Great grand children Ashlee, Logan, & Lauren Wofford. 5 step children, 3 step daughters, Lila Crutchfield, Wilma Copley, & Erma Nunamaker, & 2 Step sons, Delmer & Ernest Latta and a host of step grand, great grand, great-great grand, &great-great-great grand children. She is also survived by 2 sisters Fern Claunch, and Eunice Patterson & 3 Brothers Joseph, Paul, and Kenneth Claunch.

Goldine was a Homemaker, Pianist, Sunday School teacher, Preacher, Sister, Mother, Grandmother, Friend, Prayer warrior. Her home Church was Hale Mtn. Free Holiness Church.

At the age of 12 on Tuesday, May 7th, 1929, the Claunch’s went to a cottage prayer meeting at Franklin, KS. The cottage belonging to a Belgian couple, Bro. and Sis. Cabot. At Sis. Cabot’s laundry wash bench, Goldine prayed until Jesus washed her sins away. The next night a revival began at Mulberry Church of God of the Apostolic Faith with Bro. Arlis Henegar. She began to seek the Lord to sanctify or set her apart to him and from the world. On Sunday night she prayed at the altar and she was blessed greatly and felt the Lord had done the sanctifying work of grace in her heart. She started to get up from the altar but people were all around her and she couldn’t get through them, so she knelt again and began to pray again. The Lord began to Bless her she began to speak in another Language as the Lord gave her utterance. She rejoiced in the Lord, shout, dance, and speak in tongues(in another Language) and then quote scriptures. (Only God could help her do these things for she was much a one track minded Person). In June she was baptized by Bro. Henegar in a creek.

At the age of 14 she was voted in as a substitute Sunday School teacher and Sunday School pianist, also.

In Her early 20’s She felt the Lord Calling Her to Preach. She didn’t feel like she could do or was qualified to do what the Lord was asking, but she knew she had to. A man from OK was to come in on the train at Mulberry, KS to preach at the Sunday services, but he didn’t come. So.. Grandma read St. John 10. She was around 25. A Bro. in the church told her, “It’s alright. Bro. So & So couldn’t preach either when he started.” She said she knew he meant well by the saying.

She was ordained in the year 1942 at the Oak Grove Camp meeting and began to pastor the Oak Grove, OK church outside of Stilwell, OK. She came to Morrow, AR to pastor on April 15, 1950 at the Pentecostal Holiness Church. She and Leland Latta were married on April 19, 1952. They moved to Fayetteville, AR around 1961 and helped build a church and built a house there. They moved back to Morrow Community. They attended the Pentecostal Holiness church until the early 70‘s, then they made Mt. Pleasant Church their Home Church. Leland pasted away in 1979, in the early 80’s she made Hale Mtn. Free Holiness church her home church, because they didn’t have a pianist and Mt. Pleasant had quite a few pianist. She also Helped by preaching. In Sep. 1984, She was elected to teach the young adult/ married class although there were some that had been married for quite some time. After her 90th birthday in 2007, she had a stroke and she resigned from her Sunday School class. She has taught Sunday School & had Bible studies over the span of 75 years. She preached for 65 years, formally, But Her grandson John has heard some messages preached at home since the one she delivered last in church. You aught to have heard the ones preceding the 2009 Presidential elections. Her preaching has so far come to pass as to what would happen if the one who was elected was elected.