Potter Co. TX - Obits from Amarillo Online Newspapers 14 May 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 ==================================================================== Area Elijah Jesus Martinez BORGER - Elijah Jesus Martinez, 1month-old son of Edwardo Martinez and Sabrina Watkins of Borger, died Saturday, May 10, 1997. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. today in Highland Park Cemetery, Evergreen Babyland Garden, with the Rev. Jose Gomez of St. John's Catholic Church officiating. Arrangements are by Minton / Chatwell Funeral Directors. Elijah was born in Amarillo. Survivors include his father and mother; a brother, Isaiah Jacob Martinez of Borger; and grandparents, Pablo and Maria Martinez of Borger, and Betty Nevins of Lone Wolf, Okla. Clarence Albert Guffee FLOYDADA - Clarence Albert Guffee, 93, died Monday, May 12, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Howell Farnsworth officiating. Burial will be in Floyd County Memorial Park by MooreRose-White Funeral Home. Mr. Guffee was born in Chico. He attended school at Grub Hill School and graduated from North Texas State in 1935 with a bachelor's degree in education. He married Opal Mae Moody in 1923 at Bridgeport. They moved to Floyd County from Wise County in 1926. She died March 11. Mr. Guffee taught school and was principal of the Fairmont, Cedar Hill, Liberty, Allmon and Sandhill schools for 17 years. He was the Floyd County school superintendent for 33 years. He retired from education in 1972. He also had farmed and ranched for most of his life. He was a Red Cross chairman for eight years, secretary for Germania Insurance for 35 years and a member and deacon of First Baptist Church of Floydada. He also was a member of the Texas Guard, the Lions Club and the Rotary Club. Survivors include a son, Clarence E. Guffee of Floydada; a daughter, Sonja Ragsdale of Stratford; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. The family requests memorials be to the Floydada Nursing Home or First Baptist Church of Floydada. The family will receive friends and family at the Guffee home, 809 W. Missouri, in Floydada. Ruth Price HIGGINS - Ruth Price, 84, died Monday, May 12, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in United Methodist Church of Higgins with the Rev. Monte Kreis and the Rev. Wesley Holland officiating. Burial will be in Higgins Cemetery by Good Samaritan Funeral Service of Shattuck. Mrs. Price was born in Wichita Falls. She moved to Mobeetie and graduated from high school there. She married Frank Bradney in 1934 at Lipscomb. They made their home in the Higgins and Lipscomb area until she moved to Braman, Okla., in 1942. She moved to Higgins in 1951. She married Ode Price in 1954 at Clayton, N.M. They made their home in Higgins and were engaged in ranching. Mrs. Price was a homemaker and a member of United Methodist Church of Higgins, the United Methodist Women, the Extension Homemakers Club, the Litera Club, the Quilting Club and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ode, in 1988. Survivors include a son, Jim Bradney of Canadian; a daughter, Arlene Walker of Higgins; a sister, Clotile Purcell of Higgins; two grandchildren; a great-grandson. The family requests memorials be to the Helping Hand Fund of United Methodist Church of Higgins. Nelda Ruth Stinnett Cordell CHILDRESS - Nelda Ruth Stinnett Cordell, 68, died Tuesday, May 13, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in First Methodist Church of Childress with the Rev. Johnny Robertson, pastor, and the Rev. Kerry Wood, minister of music at First Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Childress Cemetery by Johnson Funeral Home. Mrs. Cordell was born in Tell. She married Rowden Jefferies Cordell in 1950 at Childress. He preceded her in death. She owned the Fashion Shoppe and retired from the Texas Employment Commission in 1993. She also was active in the management of her farm. She was a member of First Methodist Church of Childress and the Childress Country Club. Survivors include two daughters, Cayla Cordell Cielencki of Amarillo and Cara Cordell Wood of Conroe; two sisters, Juanita Stinnett of Amarillo and Laverne Mikeal of Wichita Falls; and a grandchild. Shaunda Venable OLTON - Shaunda Venable, 32, died Sunday, May 11, 1997. Joint services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Wendell Horn, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Olton Cemetery by Foskey-Lilley-McGill Funeral Home. Mrs. Venable was born in Plainview. She lived in Hale Center before moving to Olton in 1982. She married Kenny Venable in 1982 at Plainview. She was a homemaker and a member of First United Methodist Church of Olton. She was active in church activities. Her daughter, Sydnee Venable, also died Sunday, May 11. Survivors include her husband; a son, Shane Venable of Olton; two brothers, Kyle White of Plainview and Mickey Blankenship Jr. of Hale Center; a stepfather, Earl White of Plainview; and grandmothers, Flo Foraker of Hale Center and Jesse Blankenship of Plainview. The family requests memorials be to First United Methodist Church, P.O. Drawer K, Olton, Texas 79064; or Olton Ambulance Association, P.O. Drawer X, Olton, Texas 79064. Sydnee Venable OLTON - Sydnee Venable, 13, died Sunday, May 11, 1997. Joint services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Wendell Horn, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Olton Cemetery by Foskey-Lilley-McGill Funeral Home. Sydnee was born in Plainview and had been a lifetime resident of Olton. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, the church youth group, 4-H and band. She also was active in basketball and track. Her mother, Shaunda Venable, also died Sunday, May 11. Survivors include her father, Kenny Venable of Olton; a brother, Shane Venable of Olton; grandparents, Travis Venable of Lubbock and Nelda Hardin of Abernathy; stepgrandfather, Earl White of Plainview; and great-grandparents, Ima Venable of Olton and Jim Durham of Kress. The family requests memorials be to the Sydnee Venable Scholarship Fund c/o Olton Banking Center, Olton, Texas 79064. Amarillo Sophi R'Shea Merriman-Woodruff Sophi R'Shea Merriman-Woodruff, infant daughter of Tommy Merriman and Alanna Woodruff of Amarillo, died Saturday, May 10, 1997. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. today in Llano Cemetery with Jason Welch officiating. Arrangements are by N.S. Griggs & Sons Funeral Directors, 2615 Paramount Blvd. Survivors include her mother and father; and grandparents, Rudy Montano and Debra Woodruff Montano, and Hilton and Lydia Merriman, all of Amarillo, and David and Pat Woodruff of Azle. Eleanor M. O'Brien Eleanor M. O'Brien, of Amarillo, died Monday, May 12, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in Memorial Park Funeral Home Chapel of Memories, 6969 E. Interstate 40, with the Rev. Douglas Beck of Faith Baptist Church officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. O'Brien was born in Chicago. She moved to Amarillo in 1985 from Crystal Lake, Ill. She attended St. Joseph Catholic Church. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Charlotte Lagerman, in 1981. Survivors include a son, Chuck Wieger of Amarillo; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Crown of Texas Hospice. Gordon L. Stewart Gordon L. Stewart, 73, of Amarillo, died Monday, May 12, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in N.S. Griggs & Sons Funeral Directors Pioneer Chapel, 2615 Paramount Blvd., with Lee Roark, chaplain of Baptist St. Anthony's Health System, officiating. Burial will be in Stockton Cemetery at Stockton, Kan. Mr. Stewart was born and raised in Stockton. He was an Army veteran of World War II having served in New Guinea. After being in the service, he owned and operated a shoe store in Stockton for eight years. He then moved to Ohio and was a shoe salesman for Williams Manufacturing. He married Lois Wilkerson in 1966 at Denver. He moved to Amarillo in 1969 and was an insurance salesman for Bankers Life & Casualty until retiring in 1985. Since retiring he had been a security guard at Amarillo National Bank at Bell Street and 45th Avenue. Mr. Stewart was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Stockton. He was preceded in death by a stepson, Mitchell Stephens, on April 9. Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Teresa Stamps of Amarillo and Becky Stewart of Kansas City, Kan.; two sons, Bruce Stewart of Wichita, Kan., and Alan Stewart of California; a stepson, Michael Stephens of Amarillo; two stepdaughters, Michelle Nichols of Gaylord, Kan., and Melanie Bartley of Smith Center, Kan.; and eight grandchildren. Elsewhere Beverly Foster Dieffenderfer MONROEVILLE, Ohio - Beverly "Kay'' Foster Dieffenderfer, 45, a former Amarillo resident, died Friday, May 9, 1997. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Olsen Park Baptist Church at Amarillo with the Rev. Raymond Bowlin of Bushland Baptist Church officiating. Cremation was by Malloy Memorial Service of Ohio. Survivors include her husband, Roy; a son, Brian Scott Davis of Ohio; her mother, Lovena Foster of Amarillo; three brothers, Rickey Foster of Plano, Texas, Frank Foster of Amarillo and Charles Foster of Wichita Falls, Texas; and four sisters, Dianna Wood, Shirley Hand and Jennifer Been, all of Amarillo, and Lynda Foster of Lubbock, Texas. The family suggests memorials be to the American Diabetes Foundation. Milton C. Horst LUBBOCK - Milton C. Horst, 79, died Monday, May 12, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Resthaven Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Elton Wyatt, associate pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Resthaven Memorial Park. Mr. Horst was born in Butler, Okla., and raised in Weatherford, Okla., where he graduated from high school. He attended Weatherford College for three years before enlisting in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he was in the Air Force Reserves. He retired in 1977 as a lieutenant colonel in the reserves. He owned Downtown Brake and Electric from 1960 until 1971. He then moved to Amarillo to be a professor of automotive technology at Amarillo College. He taught from 1971 to 1985 when he retired. He was a member of St. Luke United Methodist Church and was a 32nd degree Mason in the Yellowhouse Lodge. He married Norma Livesay in 1942 at Weatherford. Survivors include his wife; a son, Greg Horst of Lubbock; a daughter, Beckie Zieschang of Austin; three sisters, Betty Rowlett of Oklahoma City, Francis McCammon of Torrence, Calif., and Esther Hamburger of Weatherford, Okla.; and a brother, Harold Horst of Oklahoma City. The family suggests memorials be to St. Luke United Methodist Church in Lubbock. New Mexico Curtis C. Batson TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Curtis C. Batson, 81, died Saturday, May 11, 1997. Services were at 2 p.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Bob Miller, pastor, officiating. Burial was in Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery by Dunn Funeral Home. Mr. Batson was born in Endee and had lived in Tucumcari since 1985. He was a member of First Baptist Church. He was an Army veteran and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He was an artillery officer during the close of World War II and the Korean War, serving more than 21 years with the Armed Forces. He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2528. His wife, Mary Helen, died in 1991. Survivors include his children, Cheryl Gilliberto of New Orleans, Tonia Collins of Brawley, Calif., Curtis Batson Jr. of Reno, Nev., and Jackie Ayers of San Jon and Becky Bryant of Tucumcari; two brothers, Wyatt Batson and Ray Batson, both of Anton; a sister, Lucille Johnson of Amarillo; 16 grandchildren; and 26 greatgrandchildren. The body will be available for viewing at the funeral home until service time. The family suggests memorials be to the American Cancer Society or the First Baptist Church. Enrique Galvan PORTALES, N.M. - Enrique "Henry'' Galvan, 81, died Monday, May 12, 1997. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in Portales Cemetery with the Rev. Anthony Martinez officiating. Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary. Mr. Galvan was born in Mexico. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 6 months old. They moved to San Angelo, Texas, and later moved to Loving. He lived in the Loving and Carlsbad areas and worked on local farms until 1956, when they moved to Portales. He continued to work as a farm laborer until 1972, when he began working at Eastern New Mexico University as a custodian. He retired in 1977. Mr. Galvan was Catholic. He married Francisca "Frances'' Galvan in 1937 at Loving. She died in 1974. He also was preceded in death by a son, Ramon Galvan. Survivors include three sons, Manuel Galvan of Clovis, Ralph Galvan of Alamogordo and Ruben Galvan of Portales; three daughters, Roselda Espinoza, Roguelia "Mary'' Ojeda and Margie Viera, all of Portales; a brother, Adolfo Galvan of San Francisco; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Daisy E. Bass TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Daisy E. Bass, 87, died Saturday, May 10, 1997. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Bob Miller, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery by Dunn Funeral Home. Mrs. Bass was born in Hampton, Ark., and had lived in Tucumcari since 1927. For many years she was employed as a dietitian in the kitchen at Trigg Memorial Hospital. She was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church and for 57 years had worked in the nursery department. Her husband, W.C. Bass, died in 1983. Survivors include a son, W.C. Bass Jr. of Tucumcari; two daughters, Cora Mae Himelick of Upland, Ind., and Louise Vance of Tucumcari; three half brothers, Alfred Reynolds, Pet Reynolds and Ennis Reynolds, all of Arkansas; seven grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. The body will be available for viewing until 9 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Phyllis Peralez CLOVIS, N.M. - Phyllis Peralez, 45, died Monday, May 12, 1997. Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today in Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday in Sacred Heart Catholic Church by the Rev. Carlos Chavez. Burial will be in Floyd Cemetery at Floyd by Muffley Funeral Home. Ms. Peralez was born in Skidmore, Texas. She moved to Clovis in 1968 from Portales. She was a homemaker and a Catholic. Survivors include a son, Davis Childress of Clovis; two daughters, Trina Childress and Heather Childress, both of Clovis; three brothers, Augustin Peralez Jr. of Colorado Springs, Colo., Margarito Peralez of Clovis and Tommy Peralez of Castle Rock, Colo.; three sisters, Juanita Peralez, Mercedes Belez and Elisa Dixon Jr., all of Clovis; and three grandchildren. Mary E. Wallace CLOVIS, N.M. - Mary E. Wallace, 70, died Wednesday, April 23, 1997. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday in Muffley Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Stan White officiating. Burial will be in Mission Garden of Memories. Ms. Wallace was born in Tucumcari. She married Ellis Wallace Sr., and they moved to Clovis in 1958. She was a seamstress for Levi Strauss and also had worked for the Allsups convenience store in Bovina, Texas. She was a member of Westbrook Baptist Church. Survivors include four sisters, Ruth Hethcox of Silver City, Helen Hailey of Freemont, Calif., Patsy Cloonan of San Francisco and Margaret Doran of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and four brothers, Thomas Truax of Mimbres, Johnny Truax and Van Truax, both of San Jose, Calif., and Louise Truax of Brush Prairie, Ore. There will be no viewing. Lawson Williams CLOVIS, N.M. - Lawson Williams, 85, died Tuesday, May 13, 1997. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday in The Chapel with the Rev. Bob Brown officiating. Burial will be in Texico Cemetery by Muffley Funeral Home. Mr. Williams was born in Lamesa, Texas. He moved to Texico in 1918 with his parents. He graduated from the Texico schools in 1929. He married Leora Purselley in 1934 at Portales. She died in 1979. He married Mary Peyton in 1980. She died in 1992. He also was preceded in death by a daughter, Jeanne Williams, in 1940. Mr. Williams was the city clerk for Texico from 1934 to 1935. He then moved to Clovis and was a bookkeeper for the Gateway Motor Co. for 24 years before moving to Hobbs and worked the General Tire Co. from 1959 to 1963. In 1963 he returned to Clovis and worked for the Employment Security Commission in the Department of Labor until retiring in 1978. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Texico and had been a member of the Woodmen of the World since 1942. He also coached the Pirates for National Little League Baseball from 1964 to 1976. Survivors include a son, Rocky Williams of Clovis; a brother, Leonard Douglas Williams of Las Cruces; and three sisters, Theda Sharp of Hereford, Texas, Lena Belle Bell of Clovis and Bobbie Davis of Roswell.