Potter Co. TX - Obits: July 11, 2005 ============================================================== 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 ============================================================== Amarillo Globe-News Obituaries Monday, July 11, 2005 Amarillo James B. "Jim" Matthews James B. "Jim" Matthews, 83, of Amarillo died Friday, July 8, 2005. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors Ivy Chapel, 2800 Paramount Blvd. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Mr. Matthews, loving husband and father, avid sportsman, practical engineer and good friend, died July 8. He was born in Vera, Okla., on July 18, 1921, to Dorsey and Leah Matthews. He attended public school in Shidler and Edmond, Okla. He attended Central State College and joined the Army Air Corps and was trained as a photo reconnaissance pilot. He flew more than 50 missions during World War II. He married Betty Jane "Janey" Hill in Edmond in 1943. After the war, he attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) University and earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. After graduation, he began work for Southwestern Public Service Co. (SPS) as a junior engineer at the Moore County plant near Sunray. In 1957, he became plant manager of, then new, Cunningham Station, near Hobbs, N.M. In 1968, he transferred to the Generation Plant Design in Amarillo. Mr. Matthews was made manager of generation design and construction in 1974. He became vice president in charge of generation and construction in 1978. He was a professional engineer in the state of Texas and on the planning board of the OSU engineering curriculum. He was named Engineer of the Year by the Panhandle chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers in 1977. He later was instrumental in the establishment of Utility Engineering Corporation as a design entity of SPS and was its first president and CEO. He retired from Utility Engineering and SPS in 1986. Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Susan Stevenson and husband, Bob, of Amarillo and Sallie Matthews Sapp and husband, Justin, of Albuquerque, N.M.; two sons, Marc and wife, Catherine, of Lubbock and Paul of Amarillo; three grandsons, Matt Stevenson, Micah Stevenson and wife, Keri, and son, Brice, and Toby Stevenson; a granddaughter, Emily Stevenson; and a sister, Billie Kathryn Ransom and husband, Robert "Bob" of Redondo Beach, Calif. The family suggests memorials be to Amarillo Kidney Specialists, Inc., 8604 S. Coulter St., Amarillo, TX 79119, in memory of James B. Matthews. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ruby M. Wilson Ruby M. Wilson, 84, of Amarillo died Saturday, July 9, 2005. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors Ivy Chapel, 2800 Paramount Blvd., with the Rev. Cletus Beights, associate pastor of Polk Street United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Mrs. Wilson was born in Canadian on May 10, 1921. She lived in Amarillo for 55 years. Mrs. Wilson loved to cook, sew and read. For many years, she was a volunteer at the Osteopathic Hospital. She was a longtime member of San Jacinto United Methodist Church, but was currently a member of Polk Street United Methodist Church. Survivors include a son, Tim Wilson of Amarillo; three daughters, Sonya Pair of Memphis, Tenn., Becky Wilson of Spokane, Wash., and Diane Falk of San Antonio; a sister, Ethyl Liles of Dallas; a brother, Ernest Sipes; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- D.L. Bush FRITCH - D.L. Bush, 88, died Saturday, July 9, 2005, in Borger. Graveside services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery with the Rev. Chad Chadwick, pastor of Fairlanes Baptist Church, officiating. Arrangements are by Minton/Chatwell Funeral Directors of Fritch. Mr. Bush was a native of Cisco. He worked at the Phillips Refinery for 38 years. Survivors include a son, Larry Bush of Fritch; two brothers, R.D. Bush of Fritch and T.L. Bush of Fort Worth; two sisters, Bernice Wallthall of Ponca City, Okla., and Audry Rose of Ranger; two grandchildren, Chad Bush and Sharra Karrh; and three great-grandchildren. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert McAfee BORGER - Robert McAfee, 74, died Saturday, July 9, 2005, in Amarillo. No services are scheduled at this time. Arrangements are by Minton/Chatwell Funeral Directors of Borger. Mr. McAfee was a native of Sedila. He was a heavy equipment operator for the Borger Landfill. Survivors include a son, Rockie McAfee of Borger; two brothers, Jack McAfee of Ennis and Lee Henderson of Irving; three grandchildren; and four great- grandchildren. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florencia A. Zepeda HEREFORD - Florencia A. Zepeda, 80, died Saturday, July 9, 2005. Prayer vigil will be at 7 p.m. today in Rix Funeral Directors Chapel. Mass will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in St. Anthony's Catholic Church with the Rev. Hector Madrigal, pastor of Holy Angels Catholic Church of Childress, officiating. Burial will be in St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery. Mrs. Zepeda was born July 7, 1925, in Floresville to Abel Aldrete and Micaela Leal Aldrete. She married Gregorio B. Zepeda on Sept. 23, 1939, in Pleasanton. Survivors include 11 sons, Gregorio Zepeda, Abel Zepeda, Jesse Zepeda, Domingo Zepeda, Ralph Zepeda, Robert Zepeda and Felix Zepeda, all of Hereford, Joe Zepeda of Levelland, David Zepeda and Juan Zepeda, both of Arlington, and Raymond Zepeda of Wolfforth; six daughters, Amelia Frosto, Linda Porras, Delia Garcia and Janie Ortiz, all of Hereford, Gloria Sacido of Amarillo and Rose Gavina of Levelland; three sisters, Susie Leal of Houston, Anastasia Leal of Pleasanton and Felicita Leal of San Antonio; 74 grandchildren; 101 great- grandchildren; and 24 great-great-grandchildren. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Area Margaret Birkenfeld NAZARETH - Margaret Birkenfeld, 89, died Sunday, July 10, 2005, in Tulia. Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. today in the CCD Building at Holy Family Catholic Church. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the church with the Rev. Ken Keller officiating. Burial will be in Holy Family Catholic Cemetery by Kornerstone Funeral Directors of Tulia. Mrs. Birkenfeld was born Feb. 23, 1916, in Evansville, Ind. She grew up in Waterflow, N.M., and attended grade school there. She graduated from Loretta Academy High School in Santa Fe, N.M. She moved to Nazareth in 1939. She married Clarence Joseph Birkenfeld on Oct. 28, 1941, in Nazareth. He preceded her in death on Dec. 24, 1983. Mrs. Birkenfeld was a homemaker. She was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church and belonged to the Christian Mothers. Survivors include two daughters, Delores Gerber of Hereford and Evelyn Albracht of Nazareth; five brothers, Jack, Herman and Jim Wethington, all of Farmington, N.M., and Ed and Sarge Wethington, both of Waterflow; three sisters, Millie Gaylor and Tina Yows, both of Farmington, and Pat Nichols of Waterflow; five grandchildren, Raef Albracht of Clovis, N.M., Stacy Wilhelm of Amarillo, Shelly Huseman of Tulia and Dana Kleman and Ryan Gerber, both of Nazareth; and 13 great-grandchildren. The family suggest memorials be to Meals on Wheels or the Senior Citizens. Sign the online guest register at WWW.KORNERSTONEFUNERALS.COM. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Mexico Opal Ruth Shipley TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Opal Ruth Shipley, 88, died Friday, July 8, 2005, in Clovis. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. today in Dunn Funeral Home Memorial Chapel with Roy Stewart, pastor and Assembly of God minister of Clovis, officiating. Burial will be in Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Shipley was born Feb. 5, 1917, in Hope, Ark. She was a member of First Assembly of God Church in Tucumcari. Survivors include a son, Denny Welch; three granddaughters; two great- grandchildren; a brother, Lloyd Yocom of Tucson, Ariz.; and a sister, Dovie Yocom of Amarillo, Texas. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elsewhere Ashlie Michelle Rogers GRAHAM - Ashlie Michelle Rogers died Friday, July 8, 2005. Services will be 10 a.m. today in Jermyn Baptist Church in Jermyn. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery in Jermyn by McMillan-Satterwhite Funeral Home of Graham. Ashlie was born June 6, 2005, in Graham to Curtis Rogers Jr. and Janella Schmieding Rogers. Survivors include her parents, and grandparents, Ann and Curtis Rogers Sr. and Carol and Allen Schmieding. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lawrence Ray Washington FORT WORTH - Lawrence Ray Washington, 56, died Tuesday, June 28, 2005. Memorial services were at 4 p.m., July 2 in Bible Way Baptist Church. Arrangements were by Warford-Walker Mortuary, 509 N. Hughes St., Amarillo. Survivors include his wife, Sandra; three sons, Markus and Jason, both of Fort Worth, and Kelvin of Signal Hill, Calif.; five sisters, Pearl Gallington, Dorothy Stringfield and Mildred Darton, all of Fort Worth, Ruby Dowd of El Paso and Wanda Nelson and husband, Wayne, of Amarillo; two brothers, Master Ivory of Fort Worth and Edward Dowd of Amarillo; five grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------