Potter Co. TX - Obits from the Amarillo newspapers 30 March 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 Area Lena Smith King CLARENDON - Lena Smith King, 92, died Thursday, March 27, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Community Fellowship Church in Clarendon with the Rev. Bryan Knowles officiating. Burial will be in Citizens Cemetery by Robertson Funeral Directors. Mrs. King was born Sept. 5, 1910, in Lindsay, Okla., to John Preston Welch and Lilla Verna Melton Welch. She was the eldest of six children. She was a resident of Pampa, then Ruidoso Downs, N.M., before moving to Clarendon in 1979. She married Lue H. Smith on May 23, 1929, in Woodward, Okla. He preceded her in death on May 11, 1968. She married E. Hugh King on Feb. 14, 1972, in Ruidoso Downs. He preceded her in death on Sept. 16, 1975. She was a homemaker and member of Calvary Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers; three sisters; and a grandson, Kenneth W. Teague, on Jan. 7, 1983. Survivors include two daughters, Verna Grace Teague and husband, J.C., of Clarendon and Loretta Anne Bell of Amarillo; a son, Joseph David Smith of Amarillo; five grandchildren, J. Stanley Teague and wife, Linda, of Amarillo, B. Jeffery David Smith and Kerry Ann Michael and husband, John, all of Wichita, Kan., Leah G. Crawford and husband, Paul, of Montgomery, Ala., and Lena Jo "Jodie" Bell of Houston; 10 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and her church family at Calvary Baptist Church in Clarendon. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Delmo Williams HEREFORD - Delmo Williams, 75, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in First United Methodist Church of Hereford with the Rev. Darren Skinner officiating. Private family burial is by Parkside Chapel Funeral Home. Mr. Williams was born March 1, 1928, in Hereford, the son of Carl and Zoe Williams. He married Nell Henry on Aug. 4, 1950, in Rule. He was a self-employed salesman for more than 30 years and a member of First United Methodist Church in Hereford. He was preceded in death by a brother. Survivors include his wife, Nell; a son, Randy Williams of Victoria; a daughter, Charlotte Land of Madison Heights, Va.; a brother, Arvell Williams of Amarillo; two sisters, Carlynn DeLozier of Hereford and Fanelda Westphalen of Schleswig, Iowa; and five grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to the Ethel Womble Scholarship Fund in care of Kerrie Steiert, 105 Westhaven Drive, Hereford, TX 79045; or to First United Methodist Church, 501 N. Main St., Hereford, TX 79045. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 J.B. Cox Jr. BORGER - J.B. Cox Jr., 79, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in Church of Christ at Borger with Mr. Stan Mitchell, minister, officiating. Burial will be in Highland Park Cemetery by Minton/Chatwell Funeral Directors. Mr. Cox was born April 14, 1923, in Wichita, Kan. He was in the Army in World War II. Survivors include a son, Joey Cox of Dardanelle, Ark.; three daughters, Delores Pierce of Sentinel, Okla., Cheral Jaggers of Wagoner, Okla., and Tina Androse of Alaska; a brother, Floyd Cox of Borger; a sister, Dora Haney of Borger; nine grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 John Payne BOOKER - John Payne, 18, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Booker School Auditorium with the Rev. Ralph Mireles and J.T. Goombi officiating. A second service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in First Caddo Baptist Church in Fort Cobb, Okla. Local arrangements are by Johnson's Good Samaritan Funeral Service of Booker. Mr. Payne was born June 27, 1984, in Lawton, Okla., to Paul and Gracie Salas Payne. Survivors include his parents; a brother, Jamie Paul Payne of Lawton, Okla.; and a sister, Jessica Payne of Booker. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Pansy Skipper BOOKER - Pansy Skipper, 71, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Services will be at 3 p.m. today in United Methodist Church of Booker with the Rev. Larry Holder officiating. Burial will be in Heart Cemetery by Johnson's Good Samaritan Funeral Service. Mrs. Skipper was born Oct. 17, 1931, in Lucerne, Mo., to Cecil and Elsie Carter Collins. On Nov. 2, 1947, she married Gerald Leroy Skipper in Kirksville, Mo. Survivors include three sons, Ron Skipper of Elmwood, Okla., Larry Skipper of Garden City, Kan., and Duwane Skipper of Booker; two sisters, Crystal Cooley of Lucerne, Mo., and Brownsville, and Emma Jean Klingensmith of Longview, Wash.; 13 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to United Methodist Church of Booker. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Jake Helfenbein BOOKER - Jake Helfenbein, 76, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Booker Friends Church. Burial will be in Heart Cemetery of Booker by Johnson's Good Samaritan Funeral Service. Mr. Helfenbein was born Nov. 12, 1926, on the family farm southwest of Booker. At age 18, he joined the Army serving in the 32nd signal corps and the 19th infantry and served in the Asiatic Pacific area and in Japan. Survivors include four daughters, Tanya Ann Cantrell, Debra Sue of Geary, Okla., Norma Jean Holder of Watonga, Okla., and Sharla Helfenbein of Oklahoma City; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Ochiltree General Hospital Hospice program. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Patsy "Pat" Wyrick BIG SPRING - Patsy "Pat" Wyrick, 61, died Saturday, March 29, 2003. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in East Fourth Street Baptist Church with the Rev. Dudley Mullins, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Trinity Memorial Park by Nalley-Pickle and Welch Funeral Home of Big Spring. Mrs. Wyrick was born May 14, 1941, in Lamesa. She married Drue Wyrick on June 28, 1958, in Midland. Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Jana Slaughter; a son, Craig Wyrick; her mother, Doris Higginbotham of Lubbock; her father, Roy Burdett; a sister, Peggy Jolly of Tahoka; and two grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Odyssey Hospice, 1510 S. Gregg St., Big Spring, TX 79720. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 William "Ralph" Heckler DUMAS - William "Ralph" Heckler, 71, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in Morrison Funeral Directors Memorial Chapelwith the Rev. Eddie Tubbs, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dumas, officiating. Burial will be in Northlawn Memorial Gardens. Mr. Heckler was born Aug. 13, 1931, in Champaign County, Ill. He had been a Dumas resident since 1962. He was a self-employed diesel mechanic until his retirement in 1986. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Dumas and a veteran of the National Guard. He was preceded in death by two brothers; two sisters; and a son-in-law, John Urban, in 1992. Survivors include his wife, Ruth; two sons, Richard A. Heckler of Albuquerque, N.M., and Donnie R. Heckler of Houston; two daughters, Connie F. Greer of Spring and Patricia A. Beach of Richmond; four brothers, Donald Heckler of McCamey, Bob Heckler of Bridgeport, Ill., Gerald Heckler of Sumner, Ill., and Glenn Heckler of Walkersville, Md.; four sisters, Mary Green of Palestine, Ill., Lavada Smith of West Salem, Ill., Lois Sutton of Paris, Ill., and Geanette Oliver of Vincennes, Ill.; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. The family will be at 500 Willow in Dumas. The family suggests memorials be to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, TX 79105-9985. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Doris Wilson BOVINA - Doris Wilson, 95, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. today in First United Methodist Church of Bovina with the Rev. Quita Jones, pastor, and the Rev. Don McNerlin of Bovina officiating. Burial will be in Bovina Cemetery by Blackwell Funeral Home of Friona. Mrs. Wilson moved to Clovis three years ago from Bovina where she had lived since 1928. She was a retired piano and voice teacher. Survivors include a daughter, Pat Kunselman of Bovina; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to First United Methodist Church of Bovina. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Sue Penn HAPPY - Sue Penn, 52, died Friday, March 28, 2003. Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Happy Cemetery with Curtis House, pastor of First Methodist Church of Happy, officiating. Arrangements are by Brooks Funeral Directors. Mrs. Penn was born May 5, 1950, to Stephen and Della Collins in Pendleton, Ore. She moved to Happy in 1963 and went to Happy Junior High School and graduated from Happy High School in 1968. She married Byron Collins in 1968 and they had a son, Derick Lyle Collins. She later married George Penn on March 15, 1973. She was preceded in death by her husband, George Penn, in 2002; a grandson, Ricky Kincade; two brothers, Frank Collins and Steve Collins, both of California; and a sister, Betty Davis of California. Survivors include a son, Derick Collins and wife, Sondra, of Amarillo; three daughters, Debra Kincade and husband, Charles, of Panhandle, Shirley Calhoun and husband, Eugene, of Happy and Brenda Penn of Canyon; two sisters, Dixie Vogt and husband, Harold, of California, and Sheryll Thomas and husband, Jeff, of Mississippi; three brothers, Terry Collins and wife, Linda, of Happy, Larry Collins and wife, Norma, of California, and J.D. Collins and wife, Kathy, of Tennessee; three grandchildren, Sheryl Chavez and husband, Terry, of Tucumcari, N.M., Dustin Penn of Canyon and Brand Collins of Amarillo; and numerous nieces and nephews. The body will be available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Happy's Memorial Chapel. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, memorials be to First State Bank of Happy in memory of George and Sue Penn tree fund. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Elsewhere John Larry Sullivan Jr. DALLAS - John Larry Sullivan Jr., 37, died Sunday, March 23, 2003. Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Joseph A. Hill Memorial Chapel on the campus of West Texas A&M University. Arrangements are by Forest Lawn Funeral Home. Mr. Sullivan, a 1983 graduate of Canyon High School, attended West Texas State University and Temple College. At the time of his death, he was a senior staffing specialist for Network Staffing Services in Dallas. Survivors include his parents, Larry and Polly Sullivan of Grapevine; a sister, Rachel Sullivan of Austin; grandparents, Ruby and Paul Aaron of Amarillo; and special delights in his life, fiancee, Amy Jacobs and her sons, Jeremy and Beau of Carrollton. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made in Mr. Sullivan's name to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Texas (NAMI Texas), 611 S. Congress Ave., Suite 430, Austin, TX 78704; the High Plains Children's Home, 11461 S. Western, Amarillo, TX 79118; or a charity of choice. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Dominga Casias LUBBOCK - Dominga Casias, 95, died Thursday, March 27, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in La Iglesia de San Jose Catholic Church with Monsignor Arturo Meza and the Rev. Jim O'Connor as celebrant. Burial will be in St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery by Rix Funeral Directors of Hereford. Mrs. Casias had moved from Hereford to Lubbock in 1998. She was a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Lubbock. Survivors include a son, Jesse Casias of Lubbock; four daughters, Antonia Diaz of Hereford, Jovita Aguilar of Amarillo, Linda Lopez of Lubbock and Margie Polanco of Post; a sister, Rita Garza of Friona; 54 grandchildren; 87 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Amarillo Christopher J. Kennedy Christopher J. Kennedy, 45, of Amarillo died Thursday, March 27, 2003. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church with Monsignor Joseph Tash as celebrant. Arrangements are by Schooler-Gordon Funeral Directors, 5400 S. Bell St. Mr. Kennedy was born April 24, 1957, in Kansas City, Kan. He was a 1975 graduate of Amarillo High School and graduated from Amarillo Police Academy. He married Barbara Blevins on May 14, 1982, in Santa Fe, N.M. He was a 27-year veteran of the Amarillo Police Department and was a sergeant of the detective division. He received 13 commendations while on the police force. During the fourth quarter of 1995, he was selected South Rotary Officer of the Quarter. He also received an Advanced Peace Officer Certificate. He was a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Kennedy, in 1995. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; two daughters, Andrea and Allison Kennedy of Amarillo; a son, Anthony Kennedy of Amarillo; his mother, Shirley Kennedy of Amarillo; two brothers, Patrick Kennedy and wife, Darlene, of Amarillo and Kevin Kennedy and wife, Elna, of Austin; and a sister, Teri Kennedy of Amarillo. The family suggests memorials be to the Amarillo Police Department, Benefit Fund, 200 S.E. Third Ave., Amarillo, TX 79101. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Floyd L. Lewis Jr. Floyd L. Lewis Jr., 89, of Amarillo died Thursday, March 27, 2003. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in Memory Gardens Cemetery of Pampa with the Rev. Wesley Holland, pastor of First Methodist Church of Fritch, officiating. Arrangements are by Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Pampa. Mr. Lewis had been a resident of Skellytown for 40 years, moving to Amarillo in 1991. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Skellytown. Survivors include a son, Dennis Lewis of Bozeman, Mont.; two stepsons, L. Dean Tucker and Tommy Tucker, both of Amarillo; three sisters, Neva Peters of Wellington, Kan., Mae Louise Franklin of Pampa and Barbara McRae of Fritch; two grandsons; two stepgrandsons; and two great-grandsons. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 LaRue Allison LaRue Allison, 64, of Amarillo died Thursday, March 27, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Memorial Park Funeral Home, Chapel of Memories, 6969 E. Interstate 40. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Survivors include a brother, James Weaver of Amarillo; a sister, Bonnie Beason of Amarillo; a stepdaughter, Janet Horton of Amarillo; and three grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Amarillo Florine Love Florine Love, 86, of Amarillo died Saturday, March 29, 2003. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in Amarillo Cowboy Church and Arena of Life with Ty Jones, pastor, officiating. Graveside services will be at 4:30 p.m. Monday in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Odessa by Rector Funeral Home, 2800 S. Osage St. Mrs. Love was born in Schulenburg. She moved to Amarillo in 1999 from Odessa where she had lived for 60 years. She was a homemaker and member of Amarillo Cowboy Church. Survivors include a son, Robert McNeil and wife, Shirley, of Amarillo; three granddaughters, Kim Taylor and husband, Terrell, of Ferris, Lavanda Hill and husband, Ike, of Lefors and Judy Mauldin and husband, Billy of Amarillo; three grandsons, Cory McNeil and wife, Shelly, of Lubbock, Roy Gibbs and wife, Tina, of Lubbock, and Bobby Gibbs and wife, Minerva, of Post; and 18 great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Amarillo Cowboy Church and the Arena of Life, Tree Fund, Loop 335 at South Washington, Amarillo, TX 79114. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Clyde W. Tarbox Clyde W. Tarbox, 88, of Amarillo died Thursday, March 27, 2003. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Schooler Funeral Home, Brentwood Chapel, 4100 S. Georgia St., with Ricardo Remley, interim pastor of Amarillo Bible Church, and Mr. James "Bud" Jackson of Amarillo Bible Churchofficiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Mr. Tarbox was born in Ellis County, Okla. He grew up and graduated from high school in Higgins in 1933. He was a deputy and then chief of police in Perryton. He was involved in farming. Before World War II he was part of a construction crew in Alaska. During World War II he worked in Honolulu as a driving instructor for Navy personnel at Pearl Harbor. He then worked in insurance sales in Lubbock. After semi-retiring he managed the Stuckey's in Conway on Interstate 40. He then purchased the Golden Spread Motel and Restaurant in Higgins. He moved to Amarillo in 1977 where he was an active member of Amarillo Bible Church. He was a Mason. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Deliah Gwen Pugh, in 1976; and by his second wife, Alice Vogt, in 2000. Survivors include two daughters, Sammy Jones of Lubbock and Mary Eloise Martinez of Canadian; two sons Danny Tarbox of Amarillo and Jimmy Wilson of Chandler, Okla.; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Sister Olivia Prendergast Sister Olivia Prendergast, 74, formerly of Amarillo, died in San Antonio on Tuesday, March 18, 2003. Memorial Mass will be at 4 p.m. Thursday in St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church with Monsignor Joseph Tash, Bishop Leroy Matthiesen, Monsignor James Gurzynski, Monsignor Francis Smyer and Monsignor Harold Waldow as concelebrants. Arrangements are with Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 S. Georgia St. Sister Olivia was born Ann Frances to Patrick and Ann (Fullman) Prendergast on Aug. 21, 1928, in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland. On March 25, 1949, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. She made her first vows on Aug. 15, 1952, and professed perpetual vows in 1956. A certified midwife and registered nurse, Sister Olivia graduated in 1956 with a bachelor of science degree from Incarnate Word College (now the University of the Incarnate Word - UIW). She later obtained her nursing degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Sister Olivia served on staff at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio for 15 years and concurrently as faculty at UIW for 13 years before moving on to minister to the sick and infirm at Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, St. Joseph's Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M., and St. Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo. She was a highly accomplished professional, having graduated magna cum laude and cum laude, and held memberships in the National League for Nursing, including the chairmanship, as well as American Nurse's Association, American Society of Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics, American College of Nurse Midwives and National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Civic memberships included American Red Cross, Alamo Childbirth Training Association, which Sister Olivia founded, and the Corpus Christi organization for Parent Education. Among her greatest achievements was Sister Olivia's recognition as the woman who "founded hospice in the Texas Panhandle." Under her patient leadership, St. Anthony's Hospital created the Life Enrichment Department in October 1980, which Sister Olivia directed for a number of years. The innovative center provided assistance and resources to terminally ill patients. The program was honored in 1984 with the Most Outstanding Hospice award for the State of Texas, conferred by the Texas Hospice Organization. After the President's personal review, St. Anthony's Hospice and Life Enrichment program also received recognition in January 1991 as the 357th "Presidential Point of Light" in President George Bush Sr.'s 1,000 Points of Light initiative. In a hospital newsletter, the Spectrum, Sister Olivia spoke about her call to hospice and how it had changed her: "While I was working in neonatology at Spohn, we used natural childbirth and music to make the birth process more pleasant. So, people began to say 'Would you come see my mother who is in ICU,' or 'Would you come see my relative who is dying.' I realized something needed to be done about making death a happier transition experience," she said. "I always felt called to the ministry. Most people who feel a calling, I think, feel it early in childhood. But, they may or may not follow it. It's like throwing yourself away if you don't follow it. I could not do it. It's a challenge but if one stays centered in God, all things come under his guidance," she continued, "I have changed tremendously. I'm not simply a Catholic nun anymore. I have grown in the 'universalness' of spirituality, become more ecumenical. In sharing pastoral challenges, I have grown in the deep appreciation of the common concerns and common journey to God." Survivors include her filial and religious sister, Sister Rita Prendergast; her filial sisters, Kathleen Morrison of Newbridge, Ireland, and Phyllis Zimmerman of Grevenbroich, Germany; her brothers, George of Newbridge, Dennis of Athlone and Raymond of Kilmarnock, Scotland; 35 nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; and a great-great-niece. The family suggests memorials be to Olivia's Angels, P.O. Box 950, Amarillo, TX 79101; or Incarnate Word Retirement Community, 4707 Broadway St., San Antonio, TX 78209. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 Roy P. Eastland Jr. Roy P. Eastland Jr., 80, of Amarillo died Thursday, March 27, 2003. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in First Presbyterian Church with Dr. Jim Bankhead, pastor, officiating. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2820 Virginia Circle. Mr. Eastland was born in Waco and had lived in Amarillo since 1926. He was president of the family-owned Texas Sand and Gravel Co. He was also president of the Texas Aggregate Association, member of the Downtown Rotary Club and an elder and longtime member of First Presbyterian Church. He married Barbara Anderson on Dec. 31, 1943, in New York City. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Survivors include his wife; two sons, Roy P. Eastland III and Walt Eastland, both of Amarillo; two daughters, Susan Eastland Cornes of Lexington, Ky., and Rebecca Eastland Peterson of Annandale, Va.; and five grandchildren, Scott, Mark, Andrea, Erick and Amy. The family suggests memorials be to First Presbyterian Church or a favorite charity. Amarillo Globe-News, March 30, 2003 This story printed from the Amarillo Globe-News Online at amarillonet.com: http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/033003/obi_ob033003-21.shtml