Potter Co. TX - Obits from Amarillo Online Newspapers 09 Mar 2001 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: Darren McCathern (quohadi@quackquack.com) Thanks to the Amarillo Newspapers for allowing us to place their online obits in the USGenWeb Archives ==================================================================== Flossy Lacy Burnett TURKEY - Flossy Lacy Burnett, 83, formerly of Turkey, died Tuesday, March 6, 2001, at Fort Worth. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Bruce Hess officiating. Burial will be in Dreamland Cemetery by Myers-Long Funeral Directors. Mrs. Burnett married P.M. "Buddy" Burnett on Nov. 26, 1933, in Oklahoma. She was a homemaker. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1992. Survivors include five daughters, Beth Martin of Roby, Reta Birkhead of Midland, Pat Hamilton of Dallas, Jenny Armstrong of McGregor and Lynda Teal of Waco; a son, Max Burnett of Waco; two sisters, Coy Jane Young of Grayson, Ga., and Norma Hess of Roscoe; 13 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Allie Olene Bickerstaff PANHANDLE - Allie Olene Bickerstaff, 88, died Thursday, March 8, 2001, in Amarillo. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Jim Perkins, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Panhandle Cemetery by Minton / Chatwell Funeral Directors of Panhandle. Mrs. Bickerstaff, a native of Red River County, had lived in Panhandle since 1937. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Sidney Bickerstaff, in 1957. She also was preceded in death by a grandson, Kylon Sitz, in 1984. Survivors include two sons, Riley Zane Bickerstaff of Odessa and Keet Bickerstaff of Panhandle; two daughters, Amy Wright of Panhandle and Sandra Pregartner of Marlow; a brother, Francis F. Chandler of Oklahoma City; 12 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to First Baptist Church building fund; or St. Ann's Nursing Home in Panhandle. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Billie Ann Holman PAMPA - Billie Ann Holman, 66, died Wednesday, March 7, 2001, in Amarillo. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Hobart Baptist Church with the Rev. Jim Powell, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery by Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors. Mrs. Holman was the organist at Hobart Baptist Church. She married Frank Holman on March 6, 1954. Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Dee Randall of Pampa and Mary Thrasher of San Marcos; three sons, William Holman and Dennis Lee Holmann, both of Pampa, and Danny Holman of Miami; a brother, Jack Combs of Pampa; and 11 grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Hobart Baptist Church music fund, 1100 W. Crawford, Pampa, TX 79065. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Alvin Duck PAMPA - Alvin Duck, 76, died Wednesday, March 7, 2001. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Lowell-Tims Funeral Home Chapel at Altus, Okla. Burial will be in Altus Cemetery at Altus. Arrangements by LowellTims Funeral Home and local arrangements by Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Pampa. Mr. Duck was a truck driver in Pampa. He was a deputy sheriff in Bastrop, Lefors and Blair, Okla. Survivors include four daughters, Linda Daniels and Marsha Bush, both of Pampa, Alene Monday of Stigler, Okla., and Laveda Rust of Keota, Okla.; two brothers, Fred Duck of Cedar Creek and Elvis Duck of Geronimo; 10 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and a greatgreat-grandchild. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Verna Jean Boone GRUVER - Verna Jean Boone, 68, died Tuesday, March 6, 2001, in Bangs. Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Gruver Cemetery with the Rev. Gary Gumfory officiating. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors in Spearman. Mrs. Boone was a member of the First Baptist Church in Gruver. She graduated from Gruver High School in 1950. Survivors include her husband, Kermit Boone of Lake Brownwood; two sons, Tommy Boone of Buffalo, Okla., and Billy Boone of Abilene; a daughter, Rhonda Boone of Rosharon; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. The family suggests memorials be to Ben Richey Boy's Ranch; or a favorite charity. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Faye Wilson FRIONA - Faye Wilson, 92, died Thursday, March 8, 2001. Services will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in Calvary Baptist Church with the Rev. Alvin Petty, pastor, and the Rev. Don Boren, minister of the Friona United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Friona Cemetery by Ellis-Blackwell Funeral Home. Mrs. Wilson had lived in Friona since 1926, moving from Pleasant Hill, N.M. She and her husband had owned Plains Hardware until 1978. Survivors include a daughter, Terri Cox of Friona; a sister, Evelyn Tuckness of Amarillo; and two grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Praire Acres Nursing Home, 201 E. 15th, Friona, TX 79035; Friona Meals on Wheels; or Calvary Baptist Church. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Amarillo Kirsten Grace Springer Kirsten Grace Springer, infant, of Amarillo, died Monday, March 5, 2001. Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Memorial Park Cemetery by Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40. Survivors include her parents, Jolby and Angela Springer of Amarillo; a brother, Dustyn Springer; a sister, Makaela Springer; grandparents, Randy and Susan Anderson of Muleshoe and Charles and Daleine of Hereford; and great-grandmothers, Isabel Skidmore and Evaleen Anderson, both of Canyon. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Pao Van Houang Pao Van Houang, 73, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, March 7, 2001. Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in First Baptist with the Rev. Home Keomoungkhoune, of First Baptist Church, and the Rev. Dr. Boon Vongsurith, of Trinity Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery by Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Directors, Martin Road Chapel, 15th Avenue and Martin Road. Mr. Houange moved to Amarillo from Laos, 21 years ago. He was a lieutenant with the Hmong and Lao Special Forces. Mr. Houang was in the Hmong and Lao Special Combat unit in Southeast Asia. He received the Vietnam Veterans National Medal on May 14, 1997, for his courageous defense of his people and homeland against communist aggression, and his support and sacrifice on behalf of the U.S. military and clandestine forces from 1961 to 1975. This unit operated in crucial air and ground operations for the U.S. military and clandestine forces, including the rescuing of downed air crews and the interdiction and destruction of enemy troop and supply convoys. Survivors include seven daughters, Sengchanh Phengphachan, Chuen Houang, Linda Ouanemalay, Toc Houang Thi, Loy Phomsopha, Bea Vongsurith and Deng Houang; two sons, To Houang and O. Van Houang; and 12 grandchildren. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Evie Ragster Evie Ragster, 96, of Amarillo, died Monday, March 5, 2001. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Bethel CME Church of Beckville with the Rev. W.R. Gardner, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Bethel Cemetery at Beckville by Warford-Walker Mortuary Inc., 509 N. Hughes St., of Amarillo. Mrs. Ragster was a native of Beckville. She was a longtime member of Bethel CME Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ephram Ragster, in 1978. Survivors include two sons, Ozell Ragster of Sacramento, Calif., and Leroy R. Ragster of Amarillo; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Bernice M. Brown Bernice M. Brown, 87, of Amarillo, died Thursday, March 8, 2001. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in N.S. Griggs & Sons Funeral Directors, Pioneer Chapel, 2615 Paramount Blvd., with the Rev. Alan Williamson, pastoral care at Park Central Retirement Community, officiating. Burial will be in Vega Memorial Park Cemetery at Vega. Mrs. Brown was born in Hamilton, Kan., and raised in Vega. She married Graham Bell in 1935. He died in 1951. She married Rex Brown in 1952. He died in 1995. Mrs. Brown was a bookkeeper for Amarillo Hardware. She also worked at the hospital in Groom. She lived in Amarillo for many years before moving to Jericho in 1960. Mrs. Brown returned to Amarillo in 1998. She was a Methodist. Survivors include a stepdaughter, Lee Ann Mitchell of Amarillo; a sister, Elsie Vetesk of Amarillo; and two grandsons. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Helen Ruth Balogh Helen Ruth Balogh, 76, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, March 7, 2001. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Memorial Park Funeral Home, Chapel of Memories, 6969 E. Interstate 40, with the Rev. Jerry Coffman officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Balogh was preceded in death by her parents, five sisters and four brothers. She was a longtime resident of Amarillo, approximately 45 years. Survivors include a son, Gary Upton of Riverside, Calif.; three daughters, Brenda Leavitt of Amarillo and Linda Stagno and Nelda Tucker, both of Lodi, Calif.; a brother, Hollis Jones of Neodesha, Kan.; six grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Stella Goforth Stella Goforth, 84, of Amarillo, died Thursday, March 8, 2001. Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today in Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40. Mass will be celebrated at 4 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home in the Chapel of Memories. Burial will be in Memorial Park. Mrs. Goforth was a resident of Amarillo for 58 years. She married Noel Goforth in 1934 at El Reno, Okla. He died in 1994. Survivors include two sons, Billy Goforth of Amarillo and Firman Goforth of Cedar Park; three daughters, Karen Sanders of Amarillo, Christy Martin of Liberty Hill and Donna Linton of Chickasha, Okla.; a sister, Mary Lorett; 18 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to BSA Hospice. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Regina Baird Regina Herrmann Baird, 81, formerly of Amarillo died Friday, Feb. 23, 2001, in Phoenix. Graveside services were held Tuesday in Llano Cemetery at Amarillo with Monsignor Joseph Tash officiating. Mrs. Baird married Roy Baird in 1939 at Amarillo. Mrs. Baird was preceded in death by her husband in 1963; by a daughter, Debbie; and by a son, Tim. Survivors include five sons, George Baird and Larry Baird, both of Tucson, Ariz., Rick Baird of Dallas, Roy Lee Baird of Phoenix and David Baird of Scottsdale, Ariz.; three sisters, Jo Ann Rogowski of Amarillo, Rosemary Watson of Plano and Kathleen Beckerman of Woodland Hills, Calif.; 14 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Elsewhere Martha Foreman Gossett TEMPLE - Martha Foreman Gossett, 87, formerly of Clovis, died Tuesday, March 6, 2001. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Texico Cemetery at Texico, N.M., with the Rev. Melvin Jester of Victoria officiating. Arrangements are by Steed-Todd Funeral Home of Clovis, N.M. Mrs. Gossett married Ferman Alton Gossett July 4, 1934, at Fort Sumner, N.M. She was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church of Temple. Survivors include two sons, Leroy Gossett of Temple and David Gossett of San Angelo; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Bessie Rolen CROSBYTON - Bessie Rolen, 87, died Thursday, March 8, 2001, in Lubbock. Graveside services will be at 4 p.m. today in Ralls Cemetery at Ralls with the Rev. Jackie Farmer officiating. Arrangements are by Adams Funeral Home of Ralls. Mrs. Rolen was a member of the Freewill Baptist Church in Lubbock. She had operated day-care centers for children in Durant, Okla., Stratford, and Crosbyton. Survivors include a son, Ardith Rolen of Stratford; a daughter, Treva Rolen of Crosbyton; a sister, Eula McDonald of Bakersfield, Calif.; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to favorite charity. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Amarillo Mildred Marie Bass Mildred Marie Bass, 85, of Amarillo, died Monday, March 5, 2001. Services will be at 11 a.m. today in BlackburnShaw Funeral Directors, Martin Road Chapel, 15th Avenue and Martin Road, with Dr. Charles Jones, of Second Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Bass was born in Porum City, Okla. She was a clerk for several grocery chains in Amarillo, retiring in 1974. She was a member of Second Baptist Church and Dorcas Sunday school class. She was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence Bass, in 1985. Survivors include a son, Clarence Bass Jr. of Amarillo; two daughters, Jeanette Tebo of Amarillo and Kathryn Huckabay of Houston; a sister, Rachael Phillips of Bowie; nine grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren. The family will be at 5807 Devon Drive. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Cora Vencill Grant Cora Vencill Grant, 90, of Amarillo, died Tuesday, March 6, 2001. Services will be at 1 p.m. today in River Road Baptist Church with the Rev. Michael Carter of the church officiating. Graveside services will be at noon Saturday in Restlawn Cemetery in La Feria. Arrangements are by Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Directors, Martin Road Chapel, 15th Avenue and Martin Road. Mrs. Grant was born in Soper, Okla. She had lived in Harlingen for 50 years and moved to Amarillo in 1990. She was a member of River Road Baptist Church and River Road Pleasant Valley Senior Citizens. Survivors include a sister, Verlie Ditto of Amarillo; two nephews, Dale Ditto and Lynn Ditto, both of Amarillo; and many friends. The family suggests memorials be to River Road Baptist Church, 8605 River Road, Amarillo, TX 79108-1711. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Lawrence R. Daugherty Lawrence R. Daugherty, 86, of Amarillo, died Tuesday, March 6, 2001. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Memorial Park Funeral Home, Chapel of Memories, 6969 E. Interstate 40, with Jim Fox, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mr. Daugherty served in the Army and was a veteran of World War II. He retired from the Santa Fe Railway. Survivors include a daughter, Barbara Daugherty of Levelland; and a sister, Dimple Phillips of Bald Knob, Ark. The family suggest memorials be to Hillcrest Baptist Church. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Irving B. Akst Irving B. Akst, 81, of Amarillo, died Monday, March 5, 2001. Vigil services will be at 7 p.m. today in Schooler Funeral Home Brentwood Chapel, 4100 S. Georgia St. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Mary's Catholic Church with the Rev. Phil Lindley officiating. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Fairview Cemetery in Pampa by Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 S. Georgia St. Mr. Akst was raised in Northport, N.Y., and Freeport, N.Y. During World War II, he was a pilot in the Army Air Corps at the former air base near Pampa and later captained B-25 bombers in the European Theatre. He also served in the Air Force Reserves, retiring as a major. He was a former member of the Texas Civil Air Patrol. He and his former wife, Marguerite Jones Akst of Amarillo, owned Merry Melodies, a downtown Pampa music store, from 1951 to 1952. Mr. Akst earned a bachelor's degree in physics in 1950 from West Texas A&M University. He joined the Pantex Plant on Dec. 7, 1952, and left in 1973 after serving as director of development and research. He formed Idos Corp., a scientific consulting company specializing in development of explosives for weapons and construction. Idos Corp. was a primary subcontractor to several U.S. facilities during the Cold War, including Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, Lawrence Livermore Laboratories in California, and BRL Laboratories in Maryland. During the mid 1970s, Mr. Akst also played keyboards and sang in a popular Panhandle area band, The Apple Corps. From 1981 to 1985, he was a senior staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratories in Los Alamos, N.M. He retired in the early 1990s after a successful scientific career as inventor or co-inventor, yielding at least 10 U.S. patents on his work in the field of explosives. During the 1990s, he also contributed feature photos to the Amarillo Globe- News and Pampa Daily News. He was a technical consultant to the Globe-News for a special section on the future of the Pantex Plant, "Pantex 21: Expansion into the next century," which was published in July 1991. The section garnered a firstplace Associated Press award for team reporting. Mr. Akst was a member of St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church in Pampa. He was an avid snow skier, private pilot, scuba diver, photographer, and billiards and table tennis player. He was preceded in death by his parents, Emanuel and Georgie Akst, and two brothers, Harold Akst of Westchester, Pa., and Leo Akst of Pampa. Survivors include four daughters, Carol Mathews of Lee's Summit, Mo., Cherie Clifton and Teresa Railsback, both of Amarillo, and Janet Martin of Fort Worth; two sons, Adam Akst of Cedar Park and Jason Akst of Sycamore, Ill.; a sister, Elaine Akst of Mohawk, N.Y.; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Amarillo Parkinson's Association, P.O. Box 19721, Amarillo, TX 79114; Baptist St. Anthony's Hospice, P.O. Box 950, Amarillo, TX 79176; or History of Pampa's Air Field - Freedom Museum, 600 N. Hobart, Pampa, TX 79065. Amarillo Daily News, March 9, 2001 Lola Garcia Mata Lola Garcia Mata, 88, of Amarillo, died Tuesday, March 6, 2001. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Christ Lutheran Church with Elder Scott Hubert, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery East by Golden Gate Mortuary, 1416 N. Hughes, St. Mrs. Mata was born in St. Marcus and was a longtime Amarillo resident. She was a homemaker. Survivors include one son, Joe Mata of Amarillo; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.