Potter Co. TX - Obits from the Amarillo newspapers 16 June 2002 Thanks to http://www.amarillonet.com/ for permission to upload their obits to the USGenWeb Archives. Copyright, http://www.amarillonet.com/ ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** All Obits - Text Only Area R.D. White BORGER - R.D. White, 85, died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in St. Andrew United Methodist Church with the Rev. John Dorn, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Westlawn Cemetery by Brown Funeral Directors. Mr. White was retired from Phillips Petroleum Co. He was a member of St. Andrew United Methodist Church. Survivors include his wife, Mildred; a daughter, Marlyce Garrett of Arlington; and three granddaughters. The family suggests memorials be to St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 100 Amaryllis, Borger, TX 79007. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Clemmie Irene Tackett PAMPA - Clemmie Irene Tackett, 88, died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Grace Baptist Church with the Rev. Kyle Ohsfeldt, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery by Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors. Mrs. Tackett was born May 16, 1914, in Calvin, Okla. She married William "Willie" Roosevelt Tackett in 1927 in Konawa, Okla. Survivors include two daughters, Verna Mae Cooper of Pampa and Barbara Duty of Houston; a son, Bobby Tackett of New Milford, Ill.; a sister, Lucille Attaway of Pampa; eight grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 C. Roberta Ehly BORGER - C. Roberta "Beene" Ehly, 68, died Saturday, June 15, 2002. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church Chapel with the Rev. Gregg Simmons officiating. Burial will be in Westlawn Cemetery by Brown Funeral Directors. Mrs. Ehly was retired from Phillips Petroleum Co. She was a member of the Elks Lodge. Survivors include four sons, David William Johnstone and Ronald Dwayne Johnstone, both of Houston, Gary Robert Johnstone of Denver and Tom Johnstone of Borger; a brother, Donald Beene of Borger; two sisters, Mary Ladelle Davis of Hobbs, N.M., and Merna Morrison of Borger; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, TX 79174. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Mary Forbus VEGA - Mary Forbus, 60, died Wednesday, June 12, 2002. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in First Baptist Church of Vega with James Peach, pastor, and Sam Line, Church of Christ minister, officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery of Vega by Vega Funeral Home. Mrs. Forbus was born in Tucumcari, N.M., and had lived in Vega for the past 37 years. She attended First Baptist Church of Vega and married Jackie Forbus on Oct. 8, 1961, at Boys Ranch. She grew up in New Mexico and California and graduated from high school in Santa Rosa, N.M. Survivors include her husband; three sons, Arthur Forbus and Robert Forbus, both of Houston, and Doug Forbus of Denton; a daughter, Linda Neuman of Beaverton, Ore.; her mother, Lucille Cox of Vega; a brother, Bill Leak of Milton, Fla.; and five grandchildren. The body will be available for viewing from noon to 5 p.m. today at the funeral home. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Grace Mae Leathers CLARENDON - Grace Mae Leathers, 100, died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 3 p.m. Monday in First Baptist Church of Clarendon with the Rev. Truman Ledbetter, pastor of the church, and the Rev. Richard Leathers, grandson of Fort Worth, officiating. Burial will be in Citizens Cemetery by Robertson Funeral Directors. Mrs. Leathers was born on Sept. 6, 1901, in Clarksville, Tenn., to Zachariah and Mary Batson and rode to Donley County in a covered wagon as an infant with her family, arriving in mid-1902. She lived within 10 miles of where her family settled for the rest of her life. She married DeVerdie Eugene Leathers on Aug. 4, 1918, and established a family farm of several hundred acres near Lelia Lake. The couple had two children, Johnny Eugene and Margaret Jean. The family held onto their farm through the "dustbowl" years and the Great Depression of the 1930s. In 1966, Grace and DeVerdie moved into a new home in Clarendon but continued to operate the farm. They took their first trip to Colorado in 1919 and continued to tour the western states every year for the next eight decades. In 1940, Grace and her family were chosen in a nationwide contest conducted by major metropolitan daily newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as the "Typical American Family." The honor showered worldwide media attention on them. The Leathers were flown aboard a chartered American Airlines plane to Detroit, Mich., where Henry Ford gave them a 1940 Super Deluxe sedan and entertained them at his private estate. While they were there, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt summoned them to the White House. Mr. Ford sent them on to Washington, D.C., aboard a special train consisting of a locomotive, Mr. Ford's private car and a caboose. U.S. News & World Report featured the presidential visit, including a photograph of Grace and her family in the Oval Office with the President, who introduced them to reporters as "my family." When asked by a reporter many years later about the selection process for the contest, Grace said "I just wrote out a few pages about how we lived. How we raised our own food, slaughtered our own hogs, made our own soap and survived the dirty '30s. I suppose they just like the way we were plain folk." Grace was living at home, by herself, until just a few weeks before her passing. She was keenly interested in visits to the farm at least once a week to "check up on things," and was still able to cook her own meals, do her own laundry and take care of her own housekeeping at the age of 100. Grace was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Clarendon. On the occasion of her 100th birthday in 2001 she gave to each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren a leather bound Biblical reference book with the inscription "May you 'Seek Ye First' the Lord and find Him 'Your Shepherd' as I have throughout my life. May God bless you." She was preceded in death by her husband in 1990; and a grandson, Jay Williams, in 1977. Survivors include a son, Johnny Eugene Leathers of Clarendon; a daughter, Margaret Jean Williams of Dolores, Colo.; a granddaughter, Sharon McAnear of Durango, Colo.; three grandsons, David Leathers of Amarillo, Richard Leathers of Fort Worth and Jan Williams of Denver; and eight great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Rosalie Chitty SILVERTON - Rosalie Chitty, 91, died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in Silverton Church of Christ with Mr. Ted Kingery and Mr. Tom Craiker officiating. Burial will be in Silverton Cemetery by Myers-Long Funeral Directors of Silverton. Mrs. Chitty was born April 29, 1911, in Quitaque. She married Olos Chitty on June 26, 1926, in Silverton. Survivors include a son, Steve Chitty of Amarillo; three daughters, Naomi Neese and Pauline Nance, both of Arlington, and Hazel Grabbe of Silverton; 11 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Ray Halsey PERRYTON - Ray Halsey, 94, died Saturday, June 15, 2002. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church with the Rev. O.K. Bowen officiating. Burial will be in Ochiltree Cemetery by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home. Mr. Halsey was a longtime Ochiltree County resident and member of the First Baptist Church. He was a World War II veteran in the Army Air Corps. He was a member of the American Legion, the VFW and the Masonic Lodge. He retired from being a square dance caller after 43 years. He married Mabel Jackson on Nov. 15, 1941, in Perryton and retired in 1980 as an auto parts dealer. Survivors include his wife; a son, Joe Ray Halsey and wife, Vickie, of McKinney; a granddaughter, Casey Welsh and husband, Robert, of McKinney; and a great-granddaughter, Kaylee Welsh of McKinney. The family suggests memorials be to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1272, Perryton, TX 79070; the Ochiltree Senior Citizens; the Museum of the Plains; or a favorite charity. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Amarillo Florence Ellen Fry Florence Ellen Fry, 74, of Amarillo died Thursday, June 13, 2002. No services are scheduled. Arrangements are by Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40. Mrs. Fry was born in 1927 in Ipswich, England. She married Clarence Fry in 1948 in Ipswich. She moved to Amarillo on June 8, 2002, from Pampa. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1995. Survivors include a son, Dr. Chris J. Fry of Edmond, Okla.; a daughter, Elizabeth Ann Ricketson of Pennsylvania; and five grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to the American Cancer Society. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Eula Frances Loter Eula Frances "Frankie" Loter, 64, of Amarillo died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Rector Funeral Home Chapel, 2800 S. Osage St. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Loter was born in Bailey County. She moved to Amarillo in 1961 from Muleshoe. She was an avid flower gardener and enjoyed square dancing. She married Larry Loter in 1964 in Amarillo. Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Diane Nicol "Niki" Loter of Garden City, Kan., and Tammy Marie Norton of Dallas; a son, Madison Craig Loter of Amarillo; a sister, Janice Farris of San Antonio; three brothers, Bill Sowder of Littlefield, Joe Sowder of Muleshoe and Roger Sowder of Ruidoso, N.M. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Oklahoma Jimmie Crowder GAGE, Okla. - Jimmie Crowder, 81, died Thursday, June 13, 2002. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday in First Baptist Church of Gage with the Rev. Gary Flynt officiating. Burial will be in Gage Memorial Cemetery by Good Samaritan Funeral Service of Shattuck. Mr. Crowder was born Sept. 7, 1920, in Gage where he attended school. He enlisted in the Army and served during World War II in the Pacific theater. Survivors include a son, Terry Crowder of Oakwood, Okla.; five daughters, Delores Houston of Geary, Janet Pierce of Gage, Dorothy Arthaud of Mustang, Cissie Nunez of Shattuck and Barbara Diercks of Seiling; 15 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Elsewhere Irene Mae Stephens AUSTIN - Irene Mae Stephens, 85, formerly of Amarillo, died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Schooler-Gordon Funeral Directors, Bell Avenue Chapel, 5400 Bell St. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Stephens was a longtime resident of Amarillo. She was a member of the Polk Street Methodist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Gordon W. Stephens, in 1994. Survivors include two daughters, Gayle Stephens of Austin and Karen Rothrock of Kerrville; a son, Gary Stephens of Richardson; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Hospice of Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 New Mexico Ruth Elizabeth Prieto TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Ruth Elizabeth Prieto, 65, died Wednesday, June 12, 2002. Rosary will be at 7 p.m. today in St. Anne's Catholic Church. Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday in the church with the Rev. John C. Daniel as celebrant. Burial will be in Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery by Dunn Funeral Home. Mrs. Prieto was born Dec. 27, 1936, in Grand Junction, Colo. She was a member of the St. Anne's Catholic Church in Tucumcari. Survivors include her husband, Richard; a son, Jimmy Martinez of Tucumcari; three daughters, Natalie Prieto of Dalhart, Texas, Barbara Prieto and Diana Gentick, both of Albuquerque; six brothers, Wilfred Comacho of San Francisco, James J. Ochoa, Modesto Ochoa and Joe Ochoa, all of Grand Junction, Colo., Ben Ochoa of Denver and Virgil Ochoa of El Paso, Texas; a sister, Mary Ann Chavez of Cortez, Colo.; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Larry J. Vincent TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Larry J. Vincent, 56, died Tuesday, June 11, 2002. Private family memorial services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Dunn Funeral Directors, Memorial Chapel. Mr. Vincent was born Sept. 30, 1945, in Moline, Ill. He was a locomotive train engineer for almost 31 years for the Southern Pacific Railroad, now the Union Pacific Railroad. Survivors include his wife, Rhonda; three daughters, Cheryl Vincent of San Rafael, Calif., Erin Vincent and Stephanie Parks, both of Tucumcari; a son, William Vincent of Novato, Calif.; and his father, William C. Vincent of Burlington, Iowa. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Adelle K. Wiley CLAYTON, N.M. - Adelle K. Wiley, 87, died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in Hass Funeral Home with the Rev. Jeff Bayley, pastor of Texline United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Clayton Memorial Cemetery. Mrs. Wiley was born on Nov. 13, 1914, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to George Raymond Kidwell and Lily (Simms) Kidwell. She worked at Union County General Hospital for two years shortly after it opened and worked at Smithson Drug Store in Clayton until she retired. Survivors include two sons, Jack Wiley of Clayton and George Wiley of Amarillo; a daughter, Sandra Kohler of Clayton; two sisters-in-law, Margaret Crites of El Paso, Texas, and Alice Hauser of Lompoc, Calif.; six grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. The family suggests memorials be to New Mexico Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, 8100 Mountain Road N.E., Suite 102, Albuquerque, N.M. 87110. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 Glenn Bocox CLOVIS, N.M. - Glenn Bocox, 72, died Friday, June 14, 2002. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Steed-Todd Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Doug Brooks officiating. Burial will be in Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Mr. Bocox moved to the Pleasant Hill community in 1932. He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church of Clovis. Survivors include his wife, Colleen; a son, Ken Bocox of Clovis; a daughter, Debbie Smith of Amarillo; a sister, Norma McAlavy of Dallas; and four grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to the American Cancer Society. Amarillo Globe-News, June 16, 2002 This story printed from the Amarillo Globe-News Online at amarillonet.com: http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/061602/obi_ob061602-17.shtml