Potter Co. TX - Obits from the Amarillo newspapers 6 January 2003 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 ------------------------------------------------------ All Obits - Text Only Amarillo Eloy Spencer Estrada Eloy Spencer Estrada, 40, of Amarillo died Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003. Mass will be at 10 a.m. today in St. Laurence Cathedral. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery by Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40. Mr. Estrada was a member of St. Ann Catholic Church. Survivors include his parents, Eloy A. and Evelyn Estrada of Amarillo; a brother, Guy D. Estrada and wife, Princess, of Amarillo; two sisters, Emily Garcia and husband, Sam, and Yileen Ladd and husband, Wes, all of Amarillo; grandfather, Conrad Martinez of Amarillo; numerous aunts and uncles; four nephews; and a niece. The family suggests memorials be to the Epilepsy Foundation. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Grace Ann Jones Grace Ann Jones, 51, of Amarillo died Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003. Memorial services will be at 5 p.m. today in Central Church of Christ with Elder Tom Crass, of the church, officiating. Arrangements are by Schooler-Gordon Funeral Directors, 5400 Bell St. Ms. Jones was born Aug. 14, 1951, in Dimmitt. She attended Abilene Christian University and finished her degree at West Texas A&M University. She worked in the Fritch Independent School District for two years before coming to the Amarillo Independent School District to teach special education. She taught at Ridgecrest Elementary for the past several years. She had been a member of the Central Church of Christ since coming to Amarillo in the 1980s and was a member of the Family Life Class there. Survivors include a daughter, Teran Jones of Amarillo; a son, Jeremy Jones of Amarillo; her mother, Gladys Flood of Hereford; a sister, Kathrine Musser of Hereford; and three brothers, Ernest Flood Jr., Darrell Flood and Joe Flood, all of Hereford. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Lillian E. Cheves Lillian E. Cheves, 85, of Amarillo died Friday, Jan. 3, 2003. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Schooler-Gordon Funeral Directors Chapel, 5400 Bell St., with the Rev. Barney Railsback, of Irwin Road Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery. Mrs. Cheves was born April 15, 1917, in Tell. She was a veteran of the Army. Survivors include her husband, Orval; two daughters, Pat Vance and Tera Buckner, both of Amarillo; a son, Doug Patterson of Amarillo; three stepdaughters, Betty Egyes of Richmond, Calif., Dorothy Coleman of Spanish Fort, Ala., and Anita Jesse of Amarillo; three stepsons, Jack Cheves of Houston, Perry Ray of Hereford and Warner Ray of Spanish Fort; 16 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Mack K. Foster Mack K. Foster, 75, of Amarillo died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Llano Cemetery with Terry Lowe, of St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, officiating. Arrangements are by Schooler-Gordon Funeral Directors, 5400 Bell St. Mr. Foster was born Aug. 10, 1927, in Denton. He was preceded in death by his former wife, Dorothy Foster, in 1995. Survivors include his wife, Leona; two daughters, Teresa Goodman of Amarillo and Linda Strange of Albuquerque, N.M.; a son, Jimmy Mack Foster of Richardson; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Mary Zella Riley Holcomb Mary Zella Riley Holcomb, 87, of Amarillo died Sunday, Jan. 5, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Trinity United Methodist Church with the Rev. Scott Richards, pastor of the church, officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery by Holley Funeral Home of Canyon. Mrs. Holcomb was born Sept. 22, 1915, in Tolbert to E.L. Riley and Nova Jane Owens. She married Howard J. Holcomb Sr. on March 23, 1945. She was a charter member of Trinity United Methodist Church of Amarillo. Survivors include six children, Patsy and Bill Parker and Jimmie and Marilyn Todd, all of Bowie, Dee and Ray Ramirez of Amarillo, Carla Sue Tatum of Grahanna, Ohio, Howard Johnny and Sharron Kay Holcomb of Brazoria and David and Vicki Holcomb of Crowley; three sisters, Edith Cole of Amarillo, Nell Hopf of Winter Park, Fla., and Josephine Leard of Carmichael, Calif.; 16 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 LaVona H. Bradley-Marston LaVona H. Bradley-Marston, 94, of Amarillo died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Harmon Cemetery in Harmon, Okla., with the Rev. Rick Simms officiating. Arrangements are by Johnson's Good Samaritan Funeral Service of Shattuck, Okla. Mrs. Marston was born July 12, 1908, in Kansas City, Kan., and resided in Dumas, Amarillo, Woodward, Okla., and Arnett, Okla. She was a member of Grand Avenue Baptist Church. Survivors include a son, James Sober of Amarillo; 34 great-grandchildren; 36 great-great-grandchildren; and 12 great-great-great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Bea Sampson Higgins Bea Sampson Higgins, 77, of Amarillo died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church with Dr. Howard Batson officiating. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery by Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 S. Georgia St. Mrs. Higgins was born Feb. 14, 1925, in Gatesville. She grew up in the Corsicana State Orphans Home. She attended North Texas State Teachers College. She returned to the Corsicana State Orphans Home to teach. She married Earl Sampson in 1949 and they divorced in 1962 and remained very good friends. She married Dr. John Higgins in 1966 in Tulsa, Okla., where she lived until 1990 and retired to Amarillo. She was an avid reader and writer. She taught the Adult Literacy Program at First Baptist Church. She was a very outgoing person and she never met a stranger. She loved to make people laugh and also was an avid animal lover, especially cats. She worked for Aetna Insurance in Tulsa, and she was a loving mother and grandmother to her family. She was a member of the First Baptist Church. Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Debi Swafford of Amarillo; a sister, Ruby Daniels of Houston; a brother, Arthur Herrington Sr. of Athens; a brother-in-law, Harlan Higgins Jr. of Coweta, Okla.; a granddaughter, Whitney Swafford of Amarillo; two nieces, Dena Conrad of Arlington, Va., and Cheryl Herrington of Houston; and three nephews, John Daniels of Houston, Art Herrington Jr. of North Richland Hills and Brent Higgins of Coweta. Visitation will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials be to SCCI Funds for Friends or to Potter County 4-H Horse Program. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 W.A. "Bill" Branum W.A. "Bill" Branum, 83, of Amarillo died Sunday, Jan. 5, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, Ivy Chapel, 2820 Virginia Circle, with Larry Branum, Church of Christ minister, officiating. Burial will be in Dreamland Cemetery. Mr. Branum was born in Hollis, Okla. He served four years in the Marines during World War II and on the Quata Canal. He had been a locomotive engineer for Santa Fe Railway for 40 years. He was a member of the Church of Christ. He married Helen Jean Thomas on Nov. 15, 1945, in Amarillo. He was preceded in death by his wife in 1984. Survivors include three sons, Ken Branum and wife, Jody, of Hereford, Mike Branum and wife, Alma, of Blytheville, Ark., and Ron Branum and wife, Karen, of Amarillo; two brothers, Blaine Branum and wife, Leota, of Tulsa, Okla., and Larry Branum and wife, Reba, of Springdale, Ark.; seven grandchildren, Todd, Kevin, Amy, Karen, Robert, Whitney and Evan; and a great-granddaughter, Sarah. The family will be at 5605 W. 43rd. The family suggests memorials be to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, TX 79174-0001. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Harry N. Garretson Harry N. Garretson, 89, of Amarillo died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Services will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Memorial Park Funeral Home Chapel, 6969 E. Interstate 40, with Dr. Chester Beavers officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mr. Garretson was born in Panhandle to a pioneer family in Carson County, Amarillo and the Panhandle area. His family farmed the land where the Pantex offices are now located. He attended Washburn University in Kansas. He was an aircraft builder with Boeing Aircraft Company since the beginning of World War II. He also worked on all the NASA Apollo space modules with Bell Helicopter of Amarillo. He had many patents in the Library of Congress for Aircraft Manufacturing. He was a Mason and a Shriner. He was preceded in death by his wife, Wilma Garretson; his parents, James Newton and Beulah Ware Garretson; and a daughter, Ramah Wagner. Survivors include two sons, James Garretson and Jerry Garretson, both of Amarillo; two daughters, Georgia Bauchman of Kingman, Kan., and Lynda Isbell of Amarillo; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Wilida Neely Wilida Neely, 96, of Amarillo died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in First Presbyterian Church Chapel with Dr. Jim Bankhead officiating. Private family burial will be in Llano Cemetery by Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 S. Georgia St. Ms. Neely was born in Channing in 1906. She was a life-long member of First Presbyterian Church. She served as regent of the Esther McCrory Chapter DAR, treasurer of the Plains Presbyterian Society, president of the Woman's Association of the First Presbyterian Church, president of Chapter C.B. of the PEO, president of the local PEO council and she was a member of the Session of First Presbyterian Church. She was a volunteer at Northwest Texas Hospital Auxiliary and served on the board of the YMCA. Survivors include a niece, Claire Rigler of Amarillo; two great-nieces, Marcia Kelly and husband, H.R., of Amarillo and Susan Sherman and husband, Ron, of Channing; a great-nephew, Mark Rigler and wife, Marilyn, of Amarillo; a great-great-niece, Dawn Van Noy and husband, Doug, of Amarillo; a great-great-nephew, Bobby Rigler and wife, Cheryl, of Amarillo; a cousin, Mildred Caufield and husband, George, of Amarillo; three great-great-great-nieces; and three great-great-great-nephews. The family will be at 2301 Judy. The family suggests memorials be to the First Presbyterian Church, 1100 S. Harrison, Amarillo, TX 79101; Craig Methodist Retirement Community, 5500 W. Ninth Ave., Amarillo, TX 79106; or to Crown of Texas Hospice, 1000 S. Jefferson, Amarillo, TX 79109. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Gordon Gross Gordon Gross, 74, of Amarillo died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church of Gruver with the Rev. David Fletcher, a nephew, and the Rev. Coy Wylie, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in the Gruver Cemetery by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors of Spearman. Mr. Gross was born Oct. 27, 1928, in Liberal, Kan. He married his wife of 53 years, "Sis," on Oct. 27, 1949. He was a veteran of the Korean War. He lived much of his life in Gruver. He retired in Amarillo. He was a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. Survivors include his wife; a sister, Margaret Ormon of Arlington; a daughter, Nancy Andrews of Elkhart, Kan.; two sons, Phil Gross and Scott Gross, both of Amarillo; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Viewing will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church of Gruver. The family suggests memorials be to BSA Hospice, P.O. Box 950, Amarillo, TX 79176. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Area Vada D. "Bell" Tow WELLINGTON - Vada D. "Bell" Tow, 94, died Sunday, Jan. 5, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Adams Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Charles Addington, pastor of First United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Quail Cemetery of Quail. Mrs. Tow was born March 10, 1908, to Tom and Martha Hunt Duckworth in Boyd. She married L.P. "Dry" Tow on Dec. 24, 1923, in Wellington. She was a homemaker and a partner with her husband in the farming industry in Quail. She also worked at the Wellington Care Center for many years before retiring. She was a Methodist. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1984; a daughter, Aline Tow, in 1926; two brothers; and three sisters. Survivors include a sister, Pauline Boen of Wellington; three brothers, Robert Duckworth and Billy Duckworth, both of Sweetwater, and Bert Duckworth; and a host of nieces and nephews. The family suggests memorials be to Crown of Texas Hospice or the Quail Cemetery Association. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Olive Freda Vandruff Bugbee CLARENDON - Olive Freda Vandruff Bugbee, 94, died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Memorial services will be at a later date. Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors. Mrs. Bugbee was born in Martin's Ferry, Ohio, on April 17, 1908, to Ross and Mame Buskirk Vandruff. She spent much of her childhood traveling in the Southwestern United States with her geologist father and her mother. In Chicago she studied with the painter Edmund Giesbert at the University of Chicago. She also studied with Chicago sculptors Elisabeth H. Hibbard and Frederick C. Hibbard in the mid 1940s, eventually becoming an assistant to them. She moved to San Antonio in 1931 where she became an assistant to sculptor Pompeo Coppini. About 1937 she married the engraver Charles F. Anderson. In 1950 she operated a sheep ranch near Kerrville. While in the Hill Country she became a renowned painter of animals and birds and was often commissioned to paint pet and horse portraits. She met Western artist H.D. Bugbee of Clarendon in 1960, marrying him the following year and relocating to Clarendon. Upon Mr. Bugbee's death in 1963, she succeeded him as curator of art at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum until her retirement in 1982. After retiring she still volunteered at the museum, driving the 150-mile round trip from Clarendon nearly every day until November 2002. She worked in several media including pastel, watercolor, casein and oil. She was a member of the Coppini Academy of Fine Arts in San Antonio and began exhibiting there in the early 1930s. By the early 1960s she had had numerous solo exhibitions. Her paintings are found in private collections across the United States. Among her patrons were former President Lyndon B. Johnson and Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe. Her public commissions consist of murals in Texas and Oklahoma, including a mural of Palo Duro Canyon for the First National Bank of Amarillo (now Bank of America). In 1976 She was included in the landmark exhibition, "The Woman Artist in the American West, 1860-1960," in Fullerton, Calif. Recently she was included in the Dictionary of Texas Artist, 1800-1945, published by Texas A&M University Press. A memorial exhibition of her paintings will be presented in the Bugbee Gallery at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon. The exhibition will include works of art from her personal collection as well as from the museum's. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Eva "Mur" Lookingbill HEREFORD - Eva "Mur" Lookingbill, 94, died Sunday, Jan. 5, 2003. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Summerfield Baptist Church with the Rev. Ellis Parsons, pastor of the church, officiating. Burial will be in Rest Lawn Cemetery by Gililland-Watson Funeral Home. Mrs. Lookingbill was a lifetime resident of Summerfield Community. She played piano at Summerfield Baptist Church for more than 50 years. She was preceded in death by her husband; a son, Bill Lookingbill, in 1993; a grandson; and a great-granddaughter. Survivors include three sons, Bradley Lookingbill of Hale Center, Fred Lookingbill of Dimmitt, and Jim Lookingbill of Dumas; a daughter, Ann Clearman of Ovala; two brothers, J.B. Noland of Summerfield and Otho Noland of Amarillo; 22 grandchildren; 46 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Summerfield Baptist Church, Crown of Texas Hospice or to a favorite charity. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Don Holt BORGER - Don Holt, 64, died Friday, Jan. 3, 2003. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Brown Funeral Directors, Chapel of the Fountains, with the Rev. Jimmy Gillmore, pastor of Riverview Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Highland Park Cemetery. Mr. Holt was the retired owner of Holt Grocery Store. He was a lifetime resident of Borger. Survivors include three sons, Kenneth Holt of Fritch, Robert Holt of Panhandle and Rick Holt of Amarillo; two daughters, Glynda McWilliams of Stinnett and Donna Moore of Santa Fe, N.M.; a brother, Roy Holt of Downers Grove, Ill.; and four grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Janice Macias CANADIAN - Janice Macias, 71, died Friday, Jan. 3, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in the chapel of Stickley-Hill Funeral Directors with Shawn Davis, minister of Panhandle Church of Christ, officiating. Burial will be in Edith Ford Memorial Cemetery. Mrs. Macias was born in Coburn and graduated from Higgins High School in 1951. She married Justo Macias on Sept. 12, 1953, in Canadian. She worked as a bookkeeper for many businesses in Canadian. She enjoyed quilting, painting, cooking and spending time with her family. Survivors include her husband; three sons, Ralph A. Macias and wife, Paula, Danny Macias and wife, Lynn, and Rory Macias and wife, Lori, all of Canadian; two brothers, Pete Ramos and Charley Ramos, both of Enid, Okla.; a sister, Mary Curtis of Enid; and seven grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to the American Diabetes Foundation. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Richard A. Morris MULESHOE - Richard A. Morris, 63, died Friday, Jan. 3, 2003. Services will be at 3 p.m. today in First Assembly of God Church with the Rev. Linda Stanberry, of Oklahoma City, and the Rev. Bob Burris, of Muleshoe, officiating. Burial will be in Bovina Cemetery of Bovina by Ellis Funeral Home. Mr. Morris was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Texico, N.M. He worked for the Texas Department of Transportation as a supervisor for the past 13 years and retired after 30 years of service. Survivors include his wife, Evelyn; a son, Michael Morris of Farwell; a daughter, Darla Jaynes of Frisco; his mother, Lena Morris of Ola, Ark.; three sisters, Rose York of Belleville, Ark., Lucille McAnally of Ola and Mary Williams of Farwell; and a granddaughter. The family suggests memorials be to the Assembly of God Church, P.O. Box 25, Texico, N.M. 88135. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Janice Marie Sanders MULESHOE - Janice Marie Sanders, 58, died Friday, Jan. 3, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Steed-Todd Funeral Home Chapel of Clovis, N.M., with the Rev. Tony Reynolds officiating. Burial will be in Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens at Clovis. Mrs. Sanders was born Dec. 15, 1944, in Slaton to George W. and Velma Jackson Jenkins. She married Gene Sanders on May 5, 1967, in Stinnett. Survivors include her husband; a son, Jim Ed Sanders of Clovis; a daughter, Shawnna Thiele of Tucson, Ariz.; a sister, Robin Barker of Muleshoe; a brother, Rodney Jenkins of Clovis; and six grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to the American Cancer Society. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Elsewhere Laura Bettye Bailey Hier ELKIN, N.C. - Laura Bettye Bailey Hier, 89, died Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. today in First United Methodist Church Chapel with the Rev. Sandy Giles officiating. Arrangements are by Hodges Funeral Home. Mrs. Hier was born in Warren, Ark., on Oct. 13, 1913, to Bert and Ruth Bailey. She married Doug Hier on March 14, 1936. Survivors include a son, Charles Hier of Pittsburgh; three daughters, Bonnie Sanders of Amarillo, Rozanne Shumate of State Road and Melinda Rule of Bartlesville, Okla.; 11 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, memorials be to Hospice of Surry County or the Paige Shumate De Vries Memorial Music Scholarship Fund, Wake Forest University. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Bonnie Ruth Gamble THALIA - Bonnie Ruth Gamble, 85, died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Sullivan Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Clinton Young and the Rev. Ron Fox officiating. Burial will be in Wilbarger Memorial Park. Mrs. Gamble was born Dec. 15, 1917, in Thalia, the daughter of the late W.S. and Nettie Fox Tarver. She was a homemaker. Survivors include a son, Mike Gamble of Quanah; two daughters, Jean Long and Amarillo and Dorothy Wright of Canyon; 10 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to a favorite charity. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 Oklahoma Erous Joan Berry TEXHOMA, Okla. - Erous Joan Berry, 99, died Friday, Jan. 3, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. today in First Baptist Church with Harold James officiating. Burial will be in the Texhoma Cemetery by Dawson-Welch Funeral Home. Mrs. Berry was born June 24, 1903, in Thornton to D.D. and Nealie Deans Johnson. She was a beautician for many years. Survivors include three sons, Douglas Berry and George David Berry, both of Weatherford, Texas, and Larry Berry of Texhoma; two daughters, Yvonne Elliott and Marlene Overstreet, both of Texhoma; a sister, Phalba D. Woods of Tahoka, Texas; 20 grandchildren; 45 great-grandchildren; and 15 great-great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Coldwater Manor in Stratford, Texas, or Texhoma First Baptist Church. Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 6, 2003 This story printed from the Amarillo Globe-News Online at amarillonet.com: http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/010603/obi_ob010603-23.shtml