Corpus Christi in Nueces County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Sunshine Cemetery
Photographed by Dave W, February 20, 2022
1. Sunshine Cemetery Marker
From the late 1800's until the early 1940's, the Sunshine Community encompasses this part of what is now Corpus Christi. The small farming and ranching settlement, also known as Encinal, boasted a school, union church, and post office. The sunshine school was in operation from 1887 until 1942, when it was consolidated with the Aberdeen School. Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, and other denominations alternated Sunday services at the Union Church.
The post office and the cemetery at this site are the only physical remnants of the Sunshine Community. The oldest marked grave in the cemetery, that of Ethel Eva Capeheart, is dated 1903.
Tombstones in the Sunshine Cemetery reflect the family names of some of the early settlers who came to the area. John James Parry (d. 1920), a native of Wales, came to Texas in 1872. A farmer and rancher, Parry also preached Baptist services at the Union Church. His wife, Mary Elizabeth (1854-1935), and five of their ten children and buried in the Parry Family plot. The Haney Family section includes the burial site of James Silas Haney (1871-1939), his wife Ella Smith (1882-1962), and seven of their ten children. Other members of the Sunshine Community and their descendants also are buried here.
Erected 1985 by Texas Historical Commission
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 27° 40.663′ N, 97° 21.097′ W. Marker is in Corpus Christi, Texas, in Nueces County. It is on Wooldridge Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7102 Wooldridge Rd, Corpus Christi TX 78414, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Karankawa Indians (approx. 2.3 miles away); Jovita Gonzαles de Mireles (approx. 2.6 miles away); WWII Meeting of Presidents Camacho and Roosevelt (approx. 3.1 miles away); Ward Island (approx. 3.1 miles away); American Flag Memorial (approx. 3.8 miles away); Rabbi Sidney A. Wolf (approx. 3.9 miles away); Travis Baptist Church (approx. 4 miles away); General W.W. Sterling (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Corpus Christi.
Photographed by Dave W, December 27, 2025
2. Sunshine Cemetery Marker
Marker seen here mid-frame on the north side along Wooldridge Rd.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 822 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 29, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. 2. submitted on December 27, 2025, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
