Potter Co. TX - Obits from Amarillo Online Newspapers 20 October 1998 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 ==================================================================== Last updated; Tuesday, October 20, 1998, 6:06 AM Amarillo Ray D. Williams Ray D. Williams, 76, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in North Amarillo Church of Christ with Glen Walton, minister of Northridge Church of Christ, officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery by SchoolerGordon Funeral Directors, 5400 Bell St. Mr. Williams was born in Lindsay, Okla., and moved to Amarillo in 1942 from Estelline. During World War II, he served in the Army in Okinawa and was in occupational forces in Japan until 1946. Mr. Williams was a longtime employee of Borden Milk Co. In 1986, he retired from the Amarillo Independent School District. He was a member of North Amarillo Church of Christ. He married Dorothy Mae Ray in 1939 at Estelline. Survivors include his wife; a son, David Williams of Amarillo; a daughter, Carolyn Wilkins of Lubbock; a brother, Felix Williams of Olton; a sister, Bessie Mae Mabery of Olton; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Sylvester G. Rink Sylvester G. Rink, 88, of Amarillo, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in St. Stephen United Methodist Church with the Rev. Jim Smith of the church officiating. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery by Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Directors, Memorial Chapel, Fifth Avenue and Pierce St. Mr. Rink was born in Milwaukee. During World War II, he served as a civilian mapmaker. He became a journeyman in 1948. In Milwaukee, he was a master jeweler engraver for Bundy & Meyers prior to working for the U.S. government as a topographer/map engraver. In 1978, Mr. Rink moved to Amarillo from Washington, D.C. He was a member of St. Stephen United Methodist Church and sang in the choir at his former church. He married Dorothy Lewis in 1937 at Milwaukee. Survivors include his wife; a son, Glenn E. Rink of Springfield, Va.; a daughter, Virginia R. Elliott of Lexington, Ky.; a sister, Viola Knoebel of Glendale, Wis.; a brother, Larry Rink of Pleasanton, Calif.; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Billy Ray Skaggs Billy Ray Skaggs, 62, of Amarillo, died Monday, Oct. 19, 1998. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Rector Funeral Home Chapel, 2800 S. Osage St., with Phillip Roland, pastor of First Christian Family Worship Center, officiating. Mr. Skaggs was born in Quail and moved to Amarillo 21 years ago. He was an Army veteran of the Korean conflict. For 48 years, he was involved in sales. He attended Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. Survivors include his ex-wife, Pat Skaggs; a daughter, Anglia Smith of Antlers, Okla.; two sons, Flint Skaggs of Wichita Falls and Billy Skaggs of Las Vegas; a sister, Inez Stephens of Lefors; and two brothers, Harvey Skaggs of Ojai, Calif., and J.D. Skaggs of Hedley. The family will be at 2212 S. Ong. They suggest memorials be to Veteran Affairs Hospice Program, 6010 W. Amarillo Blvd., Amarillo, TX 79106. Felicita Thompson Villarreal Felicita Thompson Villarreal, 79, of Amarillo, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, Ivy Chapel, 2820 Virginia Circle. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Mrs. Villarreal was born in Alice and had been an Amarillo resident for 10 years. She was a retired labor contractor. In Alice, she was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and had attended St. Joseph Catholic Church in Amarillo. She was preceded in death by her husband, Manuel Villarreal, in 1988. Survivors include a daughter, Angela Chapa of Amarillo; a son, Jose Aveline Villarreal of Sacramento, Calif.; a sister, Pauline Gomez of Edinburg; a brother, San Thompson of Littlefield; 11 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren. The family will be at 3205 Oakdale Dr. Harold Norris Spurgeon Harold Norris "Nubbin" Spurgeon, 82, of Amarillo and formerly of Clarendon, died Monday, Oct. 19, 1998. Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday in River Road Baptist Church with Michael Carter, pastor, and Mitch Wilson of Shallowater, officiating. Burial will be in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon by Robertson Funeral Directors Inc., of Clarendon. Mr. Spurgeon was born in Allen and was a resident of Clarendon for most of his life before moving to Amarillo 34 years ago. He retired after 50 years with Gilvin & Terrell Road Construction Co. He was a member and deacon of River Road Baptist Church. He married Opal Inez Brown in 1939 at Seagraves. She died in April. Survivors include two daughters, Pat Contreas and Zo Womble, both of Amarillo; a sister, Lorrain Hudson of Van Vleck; four grandchildren; and four greatgrandchildren. The body will be available for viewing from 10:30 a.m. until service time Wednesday at River Road Baptist Church. The family suggests memorials be to River Road Baptist Church. Elsewhere Camille Curry Price SAN ANTONIO - Camille Curry Price, 31, a former Amarillo resident, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998. Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in San Jacinto Baptist Church in Amarillo with Jimmy Evans and Tom Lane of Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo officiating. Private burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2820 Virginia Circle. Mrs. Price was born in Elmhurst, Ill. She moved with her family to Amarillo in 1970, where she attended schools. She graduated from Tascosa High in 1985. She attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Abilene Christian University and graduated with honors from the University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in education. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, the Amarillo and San Antonio Junior leagues. She taught special education in San Antonio from 1991-1995. She married Walter Thomas "Four" Price IV in 1990. Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Abigail "Abby" Kathryn Price of the home; a son, Thomas Curry Price of the home; her parents, Dr. John C. and Donna Curry of Amarillo; a sister, Heather Curry Payne of Dallas; two brothers, Joshua Lewis Curry of Arlington and Evan Andrew Curry of Amarillo; and grandparents, Donald and Betty Lewis, and Pearl Curry all of Amarillo. Earnest Alexander PULLMAN, Wash. - Earnest Alexander, 80, a former Amarillo resident, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Church of Christ at Pullman. Arrangements are by Kimball Funeral Home of Pullman. Mr. Alexander was born and raised in Cameron, Texas, where he attended school. He moved to Fort Worth, Texas, when he was 14 years old and to Amarillo in 1947. While living in Amarillo, he was a member of the Methodist church. After moving to Pullman he became a Church of Christ member. He married Ina Mae Cleveland in 1949 in Amarillo where they lived until moving to Pullman in 1989 after his retirement. He had worked in the landscaping industry. Survivors include his wife; two sons, Ornate Smith of Grand Prairie, Texas, and Sterling Alexander of Arlington, Texas; a daughter, Donna Rhodes of Pullman; eight grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren. The family requests memorials be to Home Health & Hospice, 102 W. Main St., Pullman, WA 99163. Mildred Lucile Klein LUBBOCK - Mildred Lucile Klein, 82, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Plainview Cemetery with Bettye Givens, a Christian Science reader, officiating. Arrangements are by Rix Funeral Directors. Miss Klein was born in Kansas and moved to Amarillo with her family and then to Plainview where she attended school. She graduated from Wayland Baptist College and Baylor University where she received a bachelor's degree in music. She did post graduate work at Colorado State University and the Eastman School of Music in New York. Miss Klein taught choir, band and orchestra in the Plainview and Dallas public schools. After moving to Lubbock, she taught piano and organ for many years. She was an active leader in the music community and its organizations. Among the many honors Miss Klein received was the Dealy Music Award of the Dallas Morning News, which she received twice. She also was named Texas Teacher of the Year and Lubbock Music Teacher of the Year. Miss Klein served as a past president of the Texas Music Teachers Association, was president of the Lubbock Music Teachers Association, the Lubbock Music Club and Mu Phi Music sorority. She was past editor of "The Texas Music Teacher" and an adjudicator for student piano auditions throughout Texas, New Mexico and the southwest. She presented a radio and television series for adults and children in Dallas, Plainview and Lubbock. She was preceded in death by two brothers. Dorothy Carrolyn McDonald Hannon HOUSTON - Dorothy Carrolyn McDonald Hannon, 85, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery in Houston with Daniel Hannon officiating. Arrangements are by Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home of Houston. Mrs. Hannon was born in Houston. Following her graduation from Rice University, she was a fashion illustrator. After her 1936 marriage to John Louis Hannon, she moved to Amarillo. Mrs. Hannon was a member of First Presbyterian Church, the Women's Circle and was a volunteer in the gift shop of Northwest Texas Hospital. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1987. Survivors include four children; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch or to a favorite charity. New Mexico Lonnie Earl Tharp CLOVIS, N.M. - Lonnie Earl Tharp, 62, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998. Services will be at 11 a.m. today in Steed-Todd Funeral Home Chapel with Butch Tharp officiating. Burial will be in Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens. Mr. Tharp was born in Clovis where he was a lifelong resident. He was a member of the Church of Christ at Farwell, Texas. Survivors include his wife, Sheryl; a son, Jeff Tharp of Clovis; two daughters, Debbie Lambert of Wellman, Texas, and Cheri Thompson of Colorado Springs, Colo.; a sister, Elaine Barnett of Clovis; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Theresa Ann Kelley CLOVIS, N.M. - Theresa Ann Kelley, 36, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Faith Family Christian Church with Rick Burke, pastor, officiating. Cremation and arrangements are by Muffley Funeral Home. Mrs. Kelley was born and raised in Tampa, Fla., where she married Patrick Kelley in 1983. They moved to Clovis in 1996. She was employed as a cook at the End Zone at Cannon Air Force Base and was of the Baptist faith. Survivors include her husband; three sons, Paul Kelley of Clovis and Christopher Kelley and Neal Kelley, both of the home; a daughter, Ashley Kelley of the home; her parents, Leonard Adams and Betty Adams, both Tampa; a brother, Kenneth Kirkland of Fort Sill, Okla.; and a sister, Terri Wood of Trussville, Miss. Helen M. Howard MELROSE, N.M. - Helen M. Howard, 65, died Monday, Oct. 19, 1998. Memorial services will be at a later date. Inurnment will be in Headrick, Okla. Cremation and arrangements are by Muffley Funeral Home of Clovis. Mrs. Howard was born in Headrick. In 1997, she moved to Melrose from Truth or Consequences. She was a homemaker and member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post No. 3224. She was of the Baptist faith. She married Isaac "Forrest" Howard in 1995 at Melrose. Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Dianna Heenan of Melrose; a son, David Doyle of Truth or Consequences; a stepson, Forrest W. Howard of Lubbock, Texas; a sister, Thelma Clover of Bosque Farm; a stepsister, Texana McIntire of Caballo; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to New Mexico Boys and Girls Ranch. Oklahoma Gwin Marvin Fessler SHATTUCK, Okla. - Gwin Marvin Fessler, 75, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Church of the Nazarene in Shattuck with the Rev. Wayne Fagalia, the Rev. Larry Bowen and the Rev. Tom Evans officiating. Burial will be in Gage Memorial Cemetery by Good Samaritan Funeral Service of Shattuck. Mr. Fessler was born on a farm southeast of Gage and grew up near Harmon where he attended a country school. During the depression, he moved with his family to the Horton-Old Gulf, Texas, area, and he returned to Gage in 1938. When he was 17, Mr. Fessler attended the Civilian Conservation Camp at Buffalo. He later worked for the Santa Fe Rail Road and then Sperling Service Station in Fargo and for Ellis County as heavy equipment operator. He was a member of Full Gospel Temple. He married Lillie Ann Coonfield in 1955 at Shattuck. Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Lois Fessler of Shattuck; and his twin brother, Glen Fessler of Amarillo. Area Bessie Stevenson MULESHOE - Bessie Stevenson, 92, of Arlington, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Trinity Baptist Church of Muleshoe with the Rev. Robert Brown, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Muleshoe Memorial Cemetery by Ellis Funeral Home. Mrs. Stevenson was born in Collingsworth County. She was a graduate of McLean High School. She was a homemaker and member of Trinity Baptist Church since 1945. She moved to Arlington in 1994. She married Murl Stevenson in 1944 at Clovis, N.M. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1981 and by a daughter, Doris Dorsey, in 1956. Survivors include three sons, Weldon Stevenson of Arlington, Gaylon Dorsey of Denton and Dewey Dorsey of Hesperia, Calif.; a sister, Anna Mae Stotts of Waterford, Calif.; a brother, Charlie Nicholson of Washington; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Trinity Baptist Church, Muleshoe, TX 79347. Billie Lucille Martin QUANAH - Billie Lucille Martin, 83, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Services will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday in First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Jesse Dea officiating. Burial will be in Quanah Memorial Park Cemetery by Price-Jackson Funeral Home. Mrs. Martin was born in Tell and lived in Quanah all of her life. She was a homemaker and member of First United Methodist Church. Survivors include her husband, Charlie Martin; two sons, Jerry Martin of Lakeland, Fla., and Donnie Martin of Quanah; a daughter, Carolyn Shrum of Quanah; a sister, Helen Roberts of Olney; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to First United Methodist Church. Simon Cervantes Trevino QUANAH - Simon Cervantes Trevino, 96, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998. Services will be at 1 p.m. today in Price-Jackson Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. John Spangler, minister of Trinity Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Quanah Memorial Park. Mr. Trevino was born in Mexico. He moved to Quanah in 1960 and had lived in this area for most of his life. He was a farmer and a member of Willowview Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Mary Castro, in July and a son, Tino Trevino. Survivors include a daughter, Martha Lechuga of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and four grandchildren. Naomi Morris PLAINVIEW - Naomi Morris, 92, died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Trinity United Methodist Church in Plainview with the Rev. Tommy Ewing officiating. Burial will be in Parklawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery by Wood-Dunning Funeral Home. Mrs. Morris was born in Cloudchief, Okla. She was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. She married Audric Morris in 1923 at Motley County. She was preceded in death by her husband and by a son, A.J. Morris, of Grants. Survivors include two sons, Fred Morris of Two Buttes, Colo., and Albert Morris of Fort Worth; three daughters, Juanita Jones of Anchorage, Alaska, Dorothy Winders of Broken Bow, Okla., and Betty Quillen of Hereford; two sisters, Amy Merritt of Morton and Oleta Moore of Oden, Ark.; 18 grandchildren; 35 greatgrandchildren; and 21 great-greatgrandchildren. Ronnie Lee Thompson TULIA - Ronnie Lee Thompson, 52, died Monday, Oct. 19, 1998. Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Ninth & Columbia Street Church of Christ of Plainview with Mike Prather of the church and Charles Davenport of First Baptist Church of Tulia, officiating. Burial will be in Plainview Memorial Park by Wood-Dunning Funeral Home. Mr. Thompson was born in Grand Saline and moved to Plainview at a young age. He graduated from Plainview High School in 1964 and received his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University in 1971. For 25 years, he was a CPA employed by Rucker-Holton CPAs in Tulia. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Tulia. He married Dottie Arnold in 1983 at Amarillo. Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Shelia Thompson of Lubbock and Debra Mikulik of Mesquite; two stepdaughters, Janie Arnold of New York City and Beth Arnold of Spearfish, S.D.; his parents, Tull and Adell Thompson of Plainview; and two brothers, Gary Thompson of Plainview and Col. Dennis Thompson of Colorado Springs, Colo. The family suggests memorials be to M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center.