Potter Co. TX - Obits from Amarillo Online Newspapers 14 March 1997 Copyright, http://www.amarillonet.com/ ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Thanks to the Amarillo Newspapers for allowing us to place their online obits in the USGenWeb Archives ==================================================================== Amarillo Colt Wayne Harris Colt Wayne Harris, 8-week-old son of Jodi and Trey Harris of Amarillo, died Tuesday, March 11, 1997. Services will be at 11 a.m. today in Weed-Corley-Fish Chapel at Austin. Burial will be in Capital Memorial Park Cemetery at Austin. Local arrangements were by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2820 Virginia Circle. Colt was born in Amarillo. Survivors include his parents; a brother, Wade Roger Harris of the home; grandparents, Judy and Jack Novak of Houston and Sandra and Roger Harris of San Antonio; and great-grandmothers, Rita Harris of San Antonio and Marcella Novak of Gurnee, Ill. Goldsmith Davis Goldsmith "Buck" Davis, 90, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in N.S. Griggs & Sons Funeral Directors Pioneer Chapel, 2615 Paramount Blvd., with the Rev. Howard F.M. Childers officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Mr. Davis was born in Montague County. He was a member of Masonic Lodge No. 731 and Westminster Presbyterian Church. His first wife, Myldred Joy Davis, died in 1973. He married Geneva Voss in 1978 at Lubbock. Survivors include his wife; a son, Donald Deane Davis of New Orleans; a daughter, Dorothy Jane Stubblefield of Poolville; and two grandchildren. Delores Charlene Jeter Delores Charlene Jeter, 70, of Borger, died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Services will be at 3:30 p.m. today in San Jacinto Baptist Church at Amarillo with Dr. Stan Coffey, pastor, and the Rev. Tunis Schuurman of Gateway Baptist Church of Borger officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery at Amarillo by Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40, in Amarillo. Mrs. Jeter was born in Dalhart and had lived in Borger for many years. She married J.T. Jeter in 1944 at Amarillo. She worked for Panhandle Bank and Trust in Borger and retired after 23 years. She was a member of Gateway Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by two sons, David Lee Jeter in 1945 and Russell Owen Jeter in 1975. Survivors include her husband; two sons, James Richard Jeter of Cypress, Calif., and Gene Jeter of Amarillo; two sisters, Mary Wade and Jane Barnes, both of Amarillo; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Leola Gafford Leola Gafford, 86, of 1614 Lockney St., died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Llano Cemetery with the Rev. Richard Holloway of Paramount Terrace Christian Church officiating. Arrangements are by Schooler-Gordon Funeral Directors, 5400 Bell St. Mrs. Gafford was born in Taylor County and had lived in Amarillo since 1939. She married Russell Gafford in 1929 at Clovis, N.M. He died in 1988. She also was preceded in death by a daughter, Shirley Joan Vance, in 1988. She retired from the Amarillo Independent School District. She was a member of Industrial Baptist Church. Survivors include a son, Frenchie Gafford of Amarillo; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. The family will be at 6702 Bayswater Road. They request memorials be to a favorite charity. Harold Strebeck Harold Strebeck, 75, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Memorial Park Funeral Home Chapel of Memories, 6969 E. Interstate 40, with Loran Harper of Lawndale Church of Christ officiating. Burial will be in Whispering Pines of Memorial Park Cemetery. Mr. Strebeck was born in Winfield, La. He graduated from Ballinger High School in 1939. He attained the rank of sergeant major in the 7th Corps of the Anti-Aircraft Division of the Army during World War II. He married Christine Broughton in 1942 at Corpus Christi. She died in 1996. He moved to Amarillo in 1959. He worked for Cooper & Woodruff Inc. for 27 years from 1955 to 1982. He attended Lawndale Church of Christ and was a member of the Yellow Rose Good Sam Club, Loners on Wheels and WPS. He also was a member of the Top-O-Texas Airstream Travel Trailer Club and served as president in 1990. Survivors include two daughters, Janice Fritsch of Amarillo and Joyce Batts of Arlington; two brothers, Ben Strebeck of San Angelo and A.D. Strebeck of Stephenville; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. The family requests memorials be to High Plains Children's Home. Lee R. Nicholson Lee R. Nicholson, 83, of Amarillo, died Saturday, March 8, 1997, in Childress. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Memory Gardens Cemetery with Windell Taylor, chaplain at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, officiating. Full military honors will be by Reese Air Force Base of Lubbock. Arrangements are by Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Directors, Martin Road Chapel, 1505 Martin Road. Mr. Nicholson was born in Howe and had lived in Amarillo since 1961. He enlisted into the Army, Company E, 2nd Infantry Division, in 1937 and served during World War II. In 1947 he went into the Air Force and served during the Korean War. He served for 20 years in the Air Force and retired in 1959 at the rank of tech sergeant. After retiring from the Air Force, he was an auto mechanic for the city of Amarillo for a number of years. When Bell Helicopter moved to Amarillo he began working for Bell retiring after 10 years of service. He married Dorothy V. Cranvill in 1945 at Dallas. Survivors include his wife; a son, Bobby Lee Nicholson of Amarillo; two daughters, Marsha Plexico and Irene Reyna, both of Amarillo; two brothers, Walter Nicholson of Salt Lake City and Elbert Nicholson of Levelland; two sisters, Bonnie Clark of Fort Worth and Lorena Wiedeman of Hazelton, Idaho; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The family will be at 1827 Orange St. They request memorials be to the Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center, 1500 Wallace Blvd., Amarillo, Texas 79106. Babe Reed Babe Reed, 67, of 1217 W. 10th Ave., died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Services will be at 4 p.m. Saturday in Memorial Park Cemetery with the Rev. Sherman Eastland, chaplain at Northwest Texas Hospital, officiating. Burial will be in Garden of Whispering Pines at Memorial Park Cemetery by Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40. Mr. Reed was born in Hereford and had been a lifelong Amarillo resident. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He was a member of the Church of Christ. Survivors include two brothers, Jessie R.T. Reed of Fullerton, Calif., and Dorman Roy Reed of Lakewood, Calif.; and two sisters, Jeanne Reed of Plant City, Fla., and Joan James of Amarillo. The family will be at 7110 Marlowe. They request memorials be to the Friendship House, 1217 W. 10th Ave., Amarillo, Texas. Vynne Beasley Vynne Beasley, 89, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Private family services will be Saturday. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2820 Virginia Circle. Mr. Beasley was born in Charleston, Okla., and had lived in Amarillo for more than 52 years. He was the owner and operator of Beasley Feature Syndicate. He was a member of the Ad Club and the Church of Christ. He was an Army veteran of World War II. He married Bobbie Clift in 1944 at Carter, Okla. Survivors include his wife; and two sisters, Gladys Ring of Detroit and Nada Ayers of Muskogee, Okla. Eldon Lee Moore Eldon Lee "Dick" Moore, 72, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Services will be at noon Saturday in Memorial Park Funeral Home Chapel of Memories, 6969 E. Interstate 40, with the Rev. Danny Hodges of Osage Baptist Church officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mr. Moore was born in O'Donnell and grew up in the San Antonio and Fort Worth areas. He was a Marine Corps veteran of World War II and a Baptist. He was a pharmaceutical salesman for many years and retired from Goree Auction in 1987. He was a member of the Palo Duro Masonic Lodge No. 1239 and a 32nd Degree York Rite Mason. He also was a member of the ABC Bowling Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1475 and the Amarillo Area Singles Dance Club. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Moore, in 1990. Survivors include three sons, Robert Moore and Rodger Moore, both of Amarillo, and Larry Moore of Texarkana; a daughter, Barbara Sterle of Buena Vista, Colo.; 14 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Etta Kelton. Oklahoma Bobby Lee Polk GUYMON, Okla. - Bobby Lee "Bob" Polk, 66, died Tuesday, March 11, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Sunset Lane Baptist Church with the Rev. Lloyd Riddles, pastor, and the Rev. Charles Gibson, associate pastor of First Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Elmhurst Cemetery by Bunch-Roberts Funeral Home. Mr. Polk was born in Wheeler, Texas. He attended school in Allison, Texas, Reydon and Cheyenne. He was an Army veteran stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. He married Linda Lanning in 1950 at Santa Rosa, N.M. They moved to Guymon from Dalhart, Texas, in 1971. He owned and operated Polk Real Estate and Insurance Agency and had been self-employed since 1955. He was a charter member of Sunset Lane Baptist Church and served as quartermaster of the Guymon Veterans of Foreign Wars for many years. He was a member of the Guymon Board of Realtors, the Black Mesa Club and Sunset Hills Golf Club. He was past member of the Guymon Elks Lodge and co-founder of the Guymon Teen Center. Survivors include his wife; his mother, Opal Polk of Dalhart; three daughters, Janet Smith and Stacie Reid, both of Guymon, and Judy Eytcheson of Lindsay; two sisters, Lois Gossett of Dalhart and Maxine Christy of San Antonio; and six grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to the American Heart Association or a favorite charity, c/o Bunch Roberts Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1112, Guymon, Okla. 73942. Julian Ruiz Jr. MIDWEST CITY, Okla. - Julian Ruiz Jr., 53, died Tuesday, March 11, 1997. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. today in St. Philip Neri Catholic Church. Burial will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in Garden of Memories Cemetery at Paducah, Texas. Arrangements are by Bill Eisenhour Northeast Funeral Home. Mr. Ruiz was born in San Benito, Texas. He grew up in Paducah and was a resident of Amarillo for 20 years until 1996. He recently was a resident of Midwest City. He worked for A.J. Hollander & Co. for 15 years. Survivors include his mother, Maria C. Ruiz of the home; two sisters, Mauricia Kile of the home and Rosa Trevino of Lubbock, Texas; two brothers, Marcelino Ruiz of Texas and Roy Estrada of Amarillo; and a stepdaughter, Modesta Garcia of Amarillo. Area Harold E. Call PAMPA - Harold E. Call, 80, died Tuesday, March 11, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors Colonial Chapel with Tom Russell, minister of Central Church of Christ, officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery. Mr. Call was born in Broken Bow, Okla. He graduated from high school at Monroe, La. He moved to Pampa in 1952 from Lefors. He owned and operated Call's Photography Studio for 33 years, retiring in 1982. He also owned and operated Call's Antique Shop. He was a member of the Central Church of Christ. He married Dollie L. Craven in 1952. Survivors include his wife; four daughters, Gail Molberg of Duncanville, Terri Griffith of Haughton, La., Betty Johnson of Monroe and Beverly Krouse of Rhinelander, Wis.; a stepson, Freddy Tisdale of Delhi, La.; a brother, Robert Call of Carmichael, Calif.; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Verlin Caroline McCracken PAMPA - Verlin Caroline McCracken, 80, died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors Colonial Chapel with Dr. Jim Prock officiating. Burial will be in Rowe Cemetery at Hedley. Mrs. McCracken was born and raised in Hedley and had been a longtime Pampa resident. She graduated from Hedley High School in 1936. She was a homemaker and a member of Pampa First Baptist Church and the Order of Eastern Star. Survivors include her husband, Wesley Eugene; a daughter, Joan Kingham of Laredo; a son, Winfred Eugene McCracken of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; a brother, Winfred E. McPherson of Amarillo; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her twin brother, Vergil McPherson, in 1994. The family suggests memorials be to the Pampa First Baptist Church or the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Oveta Thomas OLTON - Oveta Thomas, 77, died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Northside Church of Christ. Burial will be in Olton Cemetery by Foskey-LilleyMcGill Funeral Home. Mrs. Thomas was born in Clovis, N.M. She lived in San Diego before moving to Olton in 1945. She married W.E. "Bill" Thomas Jr. in 1938 at Clovis. She was a volunteer at the Runningwater Draw Care Center. She also owned and operated a beauty shop in Olton for many years. Survivors include her husband; a son, Lonnie Thomas of Houston; a brother, Don Jordan of Tampa, Fla.; a sister, Ester Berrenburg of Denver; and a grandson. The family requests memorials be to the Runningwater Draw Care Center, P.O. Box 409, Olton, Texas 79064. Mamie Lee Moore PADUCAH - Mamie Lee Moore, 96, of Denver, a former Paducah resident, died Saturday, March 8, 1997. Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Garden of Memories Cemetery with the Rev. Eli Cooper of Breckenridge officiating. Arrangements are by Seigler Funeral Home. Mrs. Moore was born in Woodside, La. She moved to Texas where she married Henry Lee Moore in 1917. He died in 1961. She also was preceded in death by a son, Bryson, and a daughter, Annette. She was a homemaker and a longtime member of the Antioch Baptist Church, where she served as church secretary for many years. Survivors include three sons, Andrew Moore of Denver, and Henry Moore Jr. and Bobby Moore, both of Las Vegas; a daughter, Verline Gant of Denver; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Hazel Fern Abernethy PLAINVIEW - Hazel Fern Cline Abernethy, 89, died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Wood-Dunning Funeral Home Colonial Chapel with Dr. Travis Hart, pastor of First Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Parklawn Memorial Gardens. Mrs. Abernethy was born in Moorewood, Okla. She married Caris L. Abernethy in 1928 at Santa Ana, Calif. He died in 1996. She also was preceded in death by a daughter, Mary Patricia Abernethy, in 1996. She worked in the family-owned business, C.L. Abernethy Agency, dealing with insurance, real estate and abstracts in both Hollis, Okla., and Plainview. Mrs. Abernethy was a civilian recruiter for the WAC and secretary of the local chapter of the American Red Cross in Hollis during World War II. She was a member of First Baptist Church and a former Sunday school teacher. She was a four-time past president of the PEO and a member of the Delphian Club. She also was active in the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. She was the director of the High Plains Children's Training Center in Plainview and helped organize the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. She also helped establish the senior citizen centers in a ninecounty area while on the Advisory Committee for the Office on Aging. She was a participant in the Regional Conference on Aging, the Governor's Conference on Aging and the White House Conference on Aging. She also was the regional supervisor of the Green Thumb Project for the Central Plains-Caprock Region of Texas. Mrs. Abernethy was a consultant for the "Homemaker Service for the Elderly" for Texas Tech and the author of three books, "The Report on the Study of Employment: The Effect Upon the Older Worker," "The History of Green Thumb in the Central Plains of Texas," and "Potpourri, A Collection of Potpourri Recipes." Survivors include two daughters, Carolyn Rankin of Pecos and Betty Jane Crow of Plainview; a brother, J.D. Cline of Tyler; four grandchildren; and eight greatgrandchildren. The family requests memorials be to a favorite charity. Blanche Horan DALHART - Blanche Horan, 82, died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Church of the Nazarene with Jimmye Cole, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery by Hass Funeral Home. Mrs. Horan was born and raised in Cornwall, N.Y. She married Charles W. Horan in 1932. He died in 1986. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene. Survivors include two daughters, Erma Odell of Staten Island, N.Y., and Madeline Mackey of Dalhart; a brother, Charles Barnes of Edgewater, Fla.; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Elsewhere Mary Jayne Tucker ELKHART, Kan. - Mary Jayne Tucker, 61, died Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Elkhart High School Auditorium with Ron Wilson and Jim Cunningham officiating. Burial will be in Elkhart Cemetery by Harrell Funeral Home. Mrs. Tucker was born in Portland, Ore., and had lived in Elkhart since 1957. She was a retired high school teacher. She was a member of First Christian Church, ESA, KNEA, NEA and the American Kennel Association. She married Lloyd Tucker in 1957 at San Francisco. Survivors include a son, Thaddeus L. Tucker of Keyes, Okla.; a daughter, Jennifer Tucker Hart of Lincoln, Neb.; and six grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Morton County Home Health, First Christian Church or the ESA Scholarship Fund. New Mexico Margie Key Smith CLOVIS, N.M. - Margie Key Smith, 87, died Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. today in 16th and Pile Church of Christ with Jerry Kendall officiating. Burial will be in Mission Garden of Memories by Steed-Todd Funeral Home. Mrs. Smith was born in Benson. She was preceded in death by two husbands, Archie W. Key in 1947 and Homer G. Smith in 1992. Survivors include a daughter, Londa Key Downing of Clovis; two sisters, Pauline Newman of Lovington and Wilma Wilkens of Houston, Texas; two granddaughters; and three great-grandchildren. Lucille Elizabeth Fitzner TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Lucille Elizabeth Fitzner, 84, died Tuesday, March 11, 1997. Services will be at 1 p.m. today in Logan United Methodist Church at Logan with the Rev. G.E. Richardson and the Rev. Gary Eggert officiating. Burial will be in Logan Cemetery. Mrs. Fitzner was born in Meridian, Miss., and had been a longtime resident of the Logan and Tucumcari areas. For many years, she and her husband, Herman, owned and operated the Fitzner Cash Grocery at Logan. While living in Logan, she was active in her church and with the schools. She moved to Tucumcari in 1953. She earned her LPN degree at the Tucumcari General Hospital and worked at the Tucumcari Hospital for many years. She was a member of Ruth Rebekah Lodge No. 4 of Tucumcari and of the Center Street United Methodist Church. For a number of years, she and her husband worked at the Tucumcari Historical Museum at Tucumcari. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1992 and by a son, Carl, in 1973. Survivors include three sons, Donald Fitzner of Estancia, Dale Fitzner of Welton, Ariz., and Gerald Fitzner of Springdale, Ark.; three daughters, Shirley Gilmore of Tucson, Barbara Oldham of Monte Vista, Colo., and Susie Dover of Bentonville, Ark.; 24 grandchildren; 26 greatgrandchildren; and three great-greatgrandchildren. The family suggests memorials be made to the Logan United Methodist Church Building Fund. Ethel Elizabeth Jacobs CLAYTON, N.M. - Ethel Elizabeth Jacobs, 80, died Thursday, March 13, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Billy Rammage, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Clayton Memorial Cemetery by Hass Funeral Directors. Mrs. Jacobs was born in Greenwood, Ky. She graduated from high school in 1934 at Harriman, Tenn. She married Leland M. Jacobs in 1944 at Williams Field, Ariz. She had been a resident of Clayton since 1945. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the Home Extension Club, the Twentieth Century Club, the Lariat Cowbelles, the Lioness Club and the Baptist church. Mrs. Jacobs was instrumental in the formation of the Clayton Senior Citizens and served as its director for many years. She also served on the Governor's Council on Aging. Survivors include her husband; two sons, J.W. Jacobs of LaVeta, Colo., and Duane Jacobs of Fritch, Texas; a daughter, Cynthia Bynum of LeVeta; a brother, Cleo Denney of Kingsport, Tenn.; a sister, Cora Petticord of Wartburg, Tenn.; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. The family requests memorials in lieu of flowers be to Baptist St. Anthony's Hospice and Life Enrichment Center, P.O. Box 950, Amarillo, Texas 79176. Una Eller CLOVIS, N.M. - Una "Sis" Eller, 93, died Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Steed-Todd Funeral Home Chapel with Greg Martin officiating. Burial will be in Mission Garden of Memories. Mrs. Eller was born in Delta County, Texas. She married Charles W. Eller in 1928. He died in 1978. She also was preceded in death by an infant daughter in 1934. She was a member of Advent Christian Church. Survivors include numerous nieces and nephews.