Katherine Elaine Bybee passed away May 10, 2013, in Hondo at that age of 94. Elaine was born to Albert M. and Mattie Steger Wilson in Tulia, Texas, on Aug. 1, 1918. After graduating from Texas Tech in 1940, she got a job working for the government at Camp Bowie at Brownwood. It was there she met her future husband, Paul W. Bybee, and they were married on Oct. 18, 1942. They had been married 50 years when Paul died on New Year's Eve 1992. After the war Paul was hired to close down military bases in Texas, starting with the WAC base in Sweetwater. It was there where Elaine said they lived in a barracks and slept on army cots, with just a two burner hot plate for cooking and the bathroom sink for washing dishes. After Sweetwater they moved to San Angelo and then to Hondo to close the Hondo Army Air Base. Paul had come to Hondo earlier, so when Elaine arrived by train in San Antonio on Sept. 16, 1946, he picked her up late in the day and drove back to Hondo and straight to a Hondo Owls football game. That started a love for Hondo that she never lost as two sons, Larry and Sam, were born and raised in Hondo and she became active in local life. She was an active member of First United Methodist Church in Hondo, and its Methodist Women's group. Elaine also became a member of the newly-formed Hondo Garden Club in the late 1940s, serving as that group's president on a couple of occasions. She was active in the club's cleanup of the right of way between the railroad and US 90 in the 1950s and turning it into the park area that travelers have long admired while driving through Hondo. She also helped to establish the Garden Club's Thrift Store to help fund the park and other worthy causes the Garden Club supports. She remained a member of the Garden Club until her death. Elaine was also involved with her friends in bridge groups that would meet regularly to play and catch up on local happenings. After Paul retired they enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and to many countries around the world. Elaine loved keeping up with her grandchildren's activities and accomplishments, and the family get togethers at holidays. She was the baby of a large family, so family meant a lot to her, and she always looked forward to annual family reunions with her brothers and sisters. Elaine also cherished her friends, including a group of high school friends she kept in contact with through the years. This group of six girls, who dubbed themselves in high school as the "We Moderns", because they were so hip, got back together after raising their families, and held annual reunions for fun and talking, lasting several days. Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, Albert M. and Mattie Steger Wilson; her loving husband, Paul W. Bybee; son, Larry Lane Bybee; and sisters and brothers, Lucile Youngblood-Ford, Milton Wilson, Mattie Faye Wilson, Raymond Wilson, Rubert Wilson, Mildred Montgomery, and AM Wilson. Elaine is survived by son, Sam Alan Bybee of Hondo; daughter-in law, Tera Shores-Bybee of Canyon Lake; grandchildren, Nathan Bybee and wife Shelly of Austin, Blaine Bybee and wife Leah of San Antonio, Jessica Bybee-Dziedzic and husband Jim of Austin, Lauren Bybee of San Antonio; and great-grandchildren, Grace and Brett Bybee of San Antonio. Funeral services for Elaine were held Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 10:00 a.m., at First United Methodist Church in Hondo. The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to First United Methodist Church of Hondo or a charity of your choosing.