Potter Co. TX - Obits from the Amarillo newspapers 19 Feb 1999 Thanks to http://www.amarillonet.com/ for permission to upload their obits to the USGenWeb Archives. Copyright. All rights reserved. Amarillo Globe-News http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ------------------------------------------------------ \ Last updated; Friday, February 19, 1999, 9:48 AM Amarillo Franklin Nimmo Franklin "Frank" Nimmo, 86, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Schooler Funeral Home, Brentwood Chapel, 4100 S. Georgia St., with the Rev. Philip Daniels officiating. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Beggs Cemetery in Beggs, Okla. Mr. Nimmo was born and raised in Beggs. He was a pipeline inspector in Illinois and Louisiana for Texico for 32 years. In 1974, he retired and moved to Amarillo. He was a member of the First Church of God. He married Beulah Jones in 1933 at Sulphur, Okla. Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Pat Browning of Amarillo; two sisters, Johnnie Ruth Cannon and LaVada Allen, both of Pampa; a brother, J.P. Nimmo of Lineville, Ark.; four grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a great-greatgrandchild. Loretta Shirley Loretta Shirley, 80, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in First Baptist Church in Vega with the Rev. James Peach, officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery in Vega by Vega Funeral Home, 110 S. Main. Mrs. Shirley was born in Wildcat, Okla. She lived in Vega from 1939 until 1960 when she moved to Amarillo. She was a homemaker who helped in florist shops and was a member of First Baptist Church in Vega. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lewis Edward Shirley, in 1991. Survivors include four sons, David Fergerson of Amarillo, Jim Fergerson of Fritch, Dillon Fergerson of Pampa and Donald Ferguson of Vega; a brother, Albert Herron of Salina, Kan.; 14 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Memorial Park Cemetery Association, Box 496, Vega, TX 79092. Doris Culton Singleton Doris Culton Singleton, 83, of Orlando, Fla., died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1999. Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Directors, Memorial Chapel, Fifth Avenue and Pierce St., with Dr. Bob Singleton officiating. Entombment will be in Llano Mausoleum. Mrs. Singleton was born in Tulia and was a longtime resident of Amarillo. She was a homemaker and member of Paramount Baptist Church. Two years ago, she moved to Orlando. She married W.M. "Rip" Singleton in 1938 at Amarillo. He died in 1982. Survivors include a daughter, Sue Bryant of Orlando; three sons, Don Singleton of Tulsa, Okla., Bill Singleton of Lawton, Okla., and the Rev. Bob Singleton of Orlando; and six grandchildren. Viewing will be from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The family suggests memorials be to Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association Panhandle Chapter, 2200 W. Seventh Ave., Amarillo, TX 79106; or the American Cancer Society, 3915 S. Bell, Amarillo, TX 79109. David Gilbert Coatney David "Big Dave" Gilbert Coatney, 49, died Sunday, Feb. 14, 1999. A memorial procession will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday leaving Boondocks proceeding to the Palo Duro Canyon Overlook. Cremation was by Oak Cliff Funeral Chapel in Dallas. Mr. Coatney was born in Amarillo where he was a longtime resident. He held a degree in horticulture and was a leather craftsman. He was the winner of several cook-off awards. Mr. Coatney was a member of the PTO. He supported the Stepping Out Youth Organization. Survivors include a daughter, Meaghan; a stepdaughter, Airman Tracy Hayden; a sister, Darlene; four brothers, Troy, Danny, Kenneth and Carl; and a special friend, Sherry Floyd. The family suggests memorials be to the Liver Foundation or to the Meaghan Moore Benefit Fund at Amarillo National Bank. The body will not be available for viewing. Canyon William A. Adcock William A. Adcock, 76, of Fort Smith, Ark., and formerly of Amarillo, died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Memory Gardens Mausoleum with Dr. Charles Price, pastor of First Baptist Church of Canyon, officiating. Arrangements are by Brooks Funeral Directors of Canyon. Mr. Adcock was born in Greenville and raised in Memphis. Prior to serving with the Army Air Corps in World War II, he was in the Civil Conservation Corps. He also served in the Korean War. In 1950, he received his bachelor's degree in chemistry and math from West Texas State College. He moved to Amarillo where he taught at Horace Mann Middle School in 1950. He was an air traffic controller from 1951 until 1978. He was at the Amarillo tower for 20 years before moving to Fort Smith, Ark., in 1971. He married Othella Pruitt in 1949 at Canyon. She died in October. Survivors include a daughter, Deborah A. Egner of Atlanta; a son, Doug Adcock of Canyon; a brother, Joel Adcock of Midland; three sisters, Ruth Ellerd of Memphis, Jane Lewis of Odessa and Laverne Hamel of Oklahoma City; and four grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Alzheimer's Association Panhandle Chapter. Elsewhere Bob Natho DALLAS - Bob Natho, 73, a former Amarillo resident, died Friday, Feb. 12, 1999. Services were Monday in Dallas by Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home. Mr. Natho was a former radio and television engineer. He began work for KGNC in Amarillo in 1949. When the station was granted a license, he received RCA and Ampex factory training for installing the station's first black-and-white studio equipment. In 1963, he set up the first camera to transmit local color to the High Plains area from KGNC-TV studios in Amarillo. He retired in 1991 from KDFW-TV in Dallas. Survivors include his wife, Mary Louise; and his children, Gena, Sheila and Robert. Frances Alti KELSO, Wash. - Frances Alti, 72, a former Amarillo resident, died Monday, Feb. 15, 1999. Graveside services will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in North Fairview Cemetery at Memphis, Texas, with the Rev. Wade Messer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Friona, Texas, officiating. Arrangements are by Holley Funeral Home Inc. of Canyon, Texas. Mrs. Alti was born in Memphis and was raised in the Amarillo area. She had lived in Washington for 23 years. She had worked as a nurse and was a Baptist. She was preceded in death by her husband. Survivors include a daughter, Tamara Harper of Harrisburg, Ore.; two sisters, Helen Ruth Buck of Castlerock, Wash., and Alene Eula Wells of Lubbock, Texas; five brothers, Buddy Messer of Canyon, Jerry Messer of Amarillo, the Rev. Don Messer of Graham, the Rev. T.C. Messer of Clifton and the Rev. Rod Messer of Nocona, Texas; and a grandchild. Wheeler Paxton DALLAS - Wheeler Paxton, 43, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1999, in Cedar Hill. Services will be at 4 p.m. today in Laurel Land Memorial Chapel in Dallas. Graveside services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Amarillo. Mr. Paxton was born in Borger and grew up in Phillips. In the 1980s, he moved to Dallas where he was employed by Cybertek. Survivors include a daughter, Jessica Paxton; and two sisters, Lavona Kuhn and Sandra Hadley. Sister Mary Amabillis Raef SAN ANTONIO - Sister Mary Amabillis "Nellie" Raef, 88, died Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999. Mass of Christian burial was held Monday, Feb. 15, in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word followed by burial in the Convent Cemetery. Arrangements were by the Angelus of San Antonio. Sister Raef was born and raised in Amarillo where she attended St. Mary's Academy. In 1930, she became a member of the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. For more than 50 years, she taught piano and singing in congregation-sponsored schools in Texas and Louisiana. After her retirement in 1973, Sister Raef continued with her music in the Liturgy for the Motherhouse community as well as the retirement community of St. Joseph's on Hildebrand. Survivors include two brothers, Lewis Raef of Umbarger and George Raef of St. Francis community; and a sister, Florence Hatfield of Amarillo. The family suggests memorials be to Incarnate Word Retirement Community Building Fund. Barney D. Crume LUBBOCK - Barney D. "Dick" Crume, 80, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1999. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in W.W. Rix Chapel with the Rev. Ray Hamlin officiating. Entombment will be at Memorial Park Mausoleum in Amarillo. Mr. Crume was born in Boone County, Ark., and moved to Texas in 1921 in a covered wagon. During World War II, he served in the Army with the military police. In 1947, Mr. Crume moved to Lubbock. He played semi-professional basketball for several years. He was employed by Western Windmill and was the former owner of C&M Supply in Lubbock. He married Betty Crume in 1943 at Muskogee, Okla. She died in 1989. Survivors include a daughter, Patricia Crume of Austin; three brothers, Kirt of Albuquerque, N.M., Charles Jr., of Orlando, Fla., and Bill of Columbus, Ga.; and a sister, Mary Lou Taylor of Friona. The family suggests memorials be to a favorite charity. New Mexico Everitt Romero TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Everitt Romero, 49, died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. today in St. Anne's Catholic Church by the Rev. John C. Daniel. Burial will be in the family plot of the Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery by Dunn Funeral Home. Mr. Romero was born in Tucumcari. He attended the Tucumcari school system before entering the Army in 1967. He served in the Army for 20 years, retiring in 1987. He was a member of St. Anne's Catholic Church. Survivors include his parents, Bonafacio and Rita Romero of Tucumcari; a daughter, Jasmin Romero of Germany; a brother, Ruben Romero of Tucumcari; three sisters, Billie Jean Romero of Tucumcari, Lisa Capps of Roswell, and Christi Hermosillo of Tucumcari. The body will be available for viewing until service time today. The family requests memorials be to the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion in his memory. Eric Todd Heggelund TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Eric Todd Heggelund, 20, died Monday, Feb. 15, 1999. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Dunn Funeral Home Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Jim Witcher, minister of the First Christian Church, officiating. Burial will be in Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery. Mr. Heggelund was born in Watertown, S.D. He was a registered horse trainer and was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association and the Palomino Horse Breeders Association. He graduated from Dodge City Community College with a degree in Equine Science where he had been on the dean's list. He received many awards including High Point Youth and Reserve High Point Youth while showing at quarter horse and palomino shows. Survivors include his parents, Van and Nancy Heggelund of Tucumcari; a brother, Heath Heggelund of Mitchell, S.D.; a sister, Sara Heggelund of Tucumcari; and grandparents, Inez Heggelund of Tucumcari and Kenwood and Lois Eggen of Watertown, S.D. The family requests memorials be to South Dakota Palomino Youth c/o the family at Box 601, Tucumcari, NM 88401. Oklahoma Leonard G. Muske PAOLI, Okla. - Leonard G. Muske, 78, died Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Wooster Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jeff Duke and the Rev. Joe Campbell officiating. Burial will be in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Mr. Muske was born in Coloma, Wis., and was raised in Coloma and Richford, Wis. He graduated from Wautoma High School, then joined the Army Air Corps. A World War II veteran, he was a survivor of Pearl Harbor. He attended the 50th anniversary reunion of the Pearl Harbor attack. He retired as a civil service supervisor after 38 years. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Pauls Valley, the American Legion at Ardmore, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, the Pauls Valley Stars Square Dance Club, the Skurley Sams RV Club, and the Oklahoma Sams. He also was a member and secretary of the All American Veterans Center at Stratford and a member of Paoli United Methodist Church. He married Carol M. Franklin in 1990 at Pauls Valley. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Joy Shoffott Muske. Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Sherril Muske of Pauls Valley and Carol June Ladd of Amarillo; a stepdaughter, Ruth Wallace of Lamar, Colo.; a stepson, Bryan Wyche of Nennekah; a brother, Gilbert A. Muske of Franklin Grove, Ill.; seven stepgrandchildren; and seven stepgreat-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to the Paoli Methodist Church Building Fund.