Potter Co. TX - Obits from Amarillo Online Newspapers 21 August 1998
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:
Thanks to the Amarillo Newspapers for allowing us to place
their online obits in the USGenWeb Archives
====================================================================
Last updated; Friday, August 21, 1998, 6:11 AM
Amarillo
Doretta Odom Swift
Doretta Odom Swift, 80, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998.
Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in Memory Gardens
Cemetery at Interstate 27 and McCormick Road. Arrangements are by
Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2820 Virginia Circle.
Mrs. Swift was born in Washburn and moved to Amarillo in 1924 where
she graduated from Amarillo High School. She was an artist, dollmaker
and doll collector. She was a member of International Doll Makers
Association and International Federation of Doll Makers as well as
several local and national doll organizations. She owned Doretta's
House of Dolls and, prior to that, she owned a child-care business for
20 years.
She married Arthur Noel Swift in 1938. He died in 1985.
Survivors include two sons, Leon Swift and Wayne Swift; a sister,
Florene Webb Bahls of Hardy, Ark.; a brother, Oris L. "Pete" Odom;
five grandchildren; a great-grandson; and a stepgranddaughter.
The family suggests memorials be to Baptist St. Anthony's Hospice and
Life Enrichment Center, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Building Fund or
a favorite charity.
Emma Jean McIlroy
Emma Jean McIlroy, 77, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in Central Church of Christ Chapel
with Carroll Thomason, senior adult minister, and Bob Crass, elder,
officiating. Burial will be at 3 p.m. in Plainview Memorial Park
Cemetery in Plainview by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2820
Virginia Circle.
Mrs. McIlroy was born in Carey and had lived in Amarillo since 1967.
She was associated with Furr's Cafeteria for 29 years before retiring.
She was a member of Central Church of Christ.
She married Adrian Clinton McIlroy in 1940 at Childress. He preceded
her in death in 1967.
Survivors include a daughter, LaWana Boyd of Amarillo; two sisters,
Barbara King of Childress and Pauline Moyer of Arlington; two
grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
The family will be at 7600 Cervin. They suggest memorials be to
Harrington Cancer Center, 1500 Wallace Blvd., Amarillo, TX 79106.
John Henry Clupny
John Henry Clupny, 78, of Amarillo, died Thursday, Aug. 20, 1998.
Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. today at Colonial Funeral Chapel, 1010
W. Ninth Ave. Mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Hyacinth's
Catholic Church with the Rev. Bert Horvath officiating. Burial will be
in Llano Cemetery.
Mr. Clupny was a member of St. Hyacinth's Catholic Church and the
Knights of Columbus.
He married Gertrude Clupny in 1947 at Wichita, Kan.
Survivors include his wife; several brothers and sisters; and several
nieces and nephews.
Nelson Harry Shappell
Nelson Harry Shappell, 86, of Amarillo, died Thursday, Aug. 20, 1998.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Schooler-Gordon Funeral
Directors, Bell Avenue Chapel, 5400 Bell St., with the Rev. James
Hawthorne, retired Methodist minister, officiating. Burial will be in
Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Mr. Shappell was born in Lima, Ohio. He moved to Amarillo in 1974 from
Costa Mesa, Calif. In 1971, he retired as a director of operations of
the aerospace division of McDonald Douglas in Santa Monica, Calif. He
was a Mason for 40 years and was a member of Mar Vista Masonic Lodge
in California.
He married Helen Irene Shappell in 1938 at Los Angeles. She preceded
him in death in 1982.
Survivors include a daughter, Nancy Gerard of Amarillo; a brother,
James L. Shappell of Amarillo; three grandchildren; and a
great-granddaughter.
The family requests memorials be to Gary Gerard Respiratory Care
Scholarship, c/o Amarillo College Foundation, P.O. Box 447, Amarillo,
TX 79178.
Elsewhere
Brenston Staggs
ABILENE - Brenston Staggs, 82, died Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1998.
Services will be at 10 a.m. today in the New Beginnings UPC Church
with the Rev. Floyd Leverton officiating. Burial will be in Potosi
Cemetery by ElliottHamil Funeral Home.
Mr. Staggs was born in Brown County and moved to Abilene in 1954 from
Coleman. He attended school in Coleman. He worked for the WPA during
the war and at Eddie Krieger Pharmacy. He worked for the Abilene State
School as a foster grandparent from 1979-1998.
He was a guitar and harmonica player and belonged to a band called the
Texas Three for a number of years. He was a member of Liberty Baptist
Church.
He married Martha Downey in 1936 at Coleman. She preceded him in
death. He also was preceded in death by a son, Clarence Staggs.
Survivors include four sons, Gerald A. Staggs and Jackie D. Staggs,
both of Abilene, Raymond D. Staggs of Belton and Brenston H. Staggs of
Coleman; two daughters, Thelma J. Hubbard and Frances Paige, both of
Abilene; a brother, Tillman Staggs of Burkett; a sister, Joan Pearce
of Fredericksburg; 21 grandchildren; and 58 great-grandchildren.
The family requests memorials be to the American Heart Association,
149 N. Willis, Abilene, TX 79603.
Marvin Eugene Bintliff
ROSEVILLE, Mich. - Marvin Eugene Bintliff, 62, died Tuesday, Aug. 18,
1998.
Memorial services will be at 7 p..m. today Dodson of Wills Point and
Eddie Harrison of Arlington; 10 grandchildren; and seven
great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. today at the
funeral home.
Gary Brinkley
CLEBURNE - Gary Brinkley, 36, of Fort Worth, died Tuesday, Aug. 18,
1998.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Crosier-Pearson-Mayfield
Funeral Home with Dr. Ebbie Smith officiating. Burial will be at Blum
Cemetery in Blum.
Mr. Brinkley was born in Fort Worth. He was employed as a truck driver
and member of Garden Acres Baptist Church. He was a widower.
Survivors include two daughters, Whitney Brinkley and Baele Brinkley,
both of Crowley; two stepsons, Cory Brazil of Crowley and John
Gonzales of Fort Worth; two stepdaughters, Vanessa Gonzales and
Valerie Gonzales, both of Fort Worth; his father and stepmother, Wayne
and Grace Brinkley of Fort Worth; a brother, Greg Brinkley of Fort
Worth; a sister, Leisha Brinkley Faulkner of Amarillo; and his
grandparents, Donald and Mary Taylor of Keene.
Visitation will be from 7 until 9 p.m. today in the funeral home.
Oklahoma
Delbert Franklin Hill
FORGAN, Okla. - Delbert Franklin Hill, 86, died Wednesday, Aug. 19,
1998, in Liberal, Kan.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Midway Cemetery in
Floris. Arrangements are by Clark Funeral Service in Beaver.
Mr. Hill was born in Clifton, Kan. He was employed by Liberal Iron and
Metal Works before he retired.
He married Zaidee Berniece Gonser in 1934 at Clay Center, Kan.
Survivors include his wife; his son, Earl Duane Hill of Forgan; two
daughters, Ruby Hitchcock of Tyrone and Lenora Francis of Geneseo,
Kan.; a brother, Eldon Hill of Clay Center; a sister, Cordelia Hedberg
of Clifton; 12 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; and one
great-great grandchild.
Arthur N. Howe
BEAVER, Okla. - Arthur N. Howe, 91, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Pioneer Cemetery in
Beaver. Arrangements are by Swaim Funeral Home in Dodge City, Kan.,
and Clark Funeral Home of Beaver.
Mr. Howe was born in rural Beaver County near Logan. He was an
abstractor in Wichita, Kan., for 28 years. He was a 52-year member of
Wichita Civitan Club and a lifetime member of Odd Fellows Lodge in
Beaver.
He married Letha H. Kachel in 1934 at Beaver. They retired to Dodge
City Manor of the Plains in 1997.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Carolyn Harner of Dodge City;
a sister, Jo Hartman of Post Falls, Idaho; and two grandchildren.
The family suggests memorials be to Wichita Civitan Club, 901 Porter,
Wichita, KS 67203.
New Mexico
Grover L. Cleveland
CLAYTON, N.M. - Grover L. "Alex" Cleveland, 73, died Monday, Aug. 17,
1998 in Phoenix.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Amistad Cemetery in
Amistad with the Rev. Andy Husted, pastor of Amistad United Methodist
Church, officiating. Arrangements are by Hass Funeral Directors of
Clayton.
Mr. Cleveland was born in Amistad and was a 1943 graduate of Clayton
High School. He served in the Navy from 1943 until 1946. He moved to
California in 1953 where he was a supervisor at a chemical plant in
Brea.
Mr. Cleveland retired in 1982. After his retirement, he lived in
Prescott, Ariz.
He married Nina Miller in 1946 at Clayton.
Survivors include his wife; four sons, Jim Cleveland of Susanville,
Calif., Kenneth Cleveland of Eureka, Calif., Jack Cleveland of
Valencia, Calif., and Gary Cleveland of Danville, Calif.; a daughter,
Terri Bailey of Lake Arrowhead, Calif.; a brother, E.A. Pete Cleveland
of Dumas, Texas; 10 grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren.
Visitation will be this evening in the funeral home.
The family requests memorials be to any hospice program.
Area
Daniel Harrison Farley Sr.
GROOM - Daniel Harrison Farley Sr., 86, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998,
at Weatherford.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Groom First United
Methodist Church with the Rev. Tom Moore, pastor, officiating. Burial
will be in the Groom Cemetery by Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors
of Pampa.
Mr. Farley was born in Berkey, Ohio. He had been a resident of Pampa
from 1957 until 1966, when he moved to Kuwait for three years while
working for Cooper Bessemer Oil Co. He returned to the United States
in 1970 and lived in Odessa. He had lived in the Groom area from 1972
until moving to Granbury in 1989.
He was a Navy veteran of World War II, a member of the First United
Methodist Church and the Groom Masonic Lodge 1170 AF&AM.
He married Sarah L. Barber in 1956 at Raton, N.M. She died in 1994.
Survivors include a son, Daniel H. Farley Jr. of Weatherford; a
stepson, Ben Collard of Granville, Ohio; three stepdaughters, Nancy
Hilliard of Flower Mound, Jean Collard of Austin and Ann Burke of
Stratham, N.H.; a brother, Robert Farley of Lake Charles, La.; a
sister, Ruth Campbell of Malabar, Fla.; seven grandchildren; and two
great-grandchildren.
The family requests memorials be to the American Cancer Society.
The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at the
funeral home.
John Dennis Risinger
QUANAH - John Dennis "J.D." Risinger, 85, died Wednesday, Aug. 19,
1998.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. today in Quanah Memorial Park
Cemetery with the Rev. John Spangler, minister of the Trinity Baptist
Church, and Randy Akers officiating. Arrangements are by Price-Jackson
Funeral Home.
Mr. Risinger was born in Hardeman County and had lived in Quanah all
of his life. He was an Army veteran of World War II. For more than 20
years, he owned and operated service stations in the area. He was a
Baptist.
Survivors include a daughter, Janet Risinger Jones of Quanah; two
sons, Dennis D. Risinger and Spencer Earl Risinger, both of Quanah;
three brothers, Fred Risinger of Paris, W.L. Risinger of Hugo, Okla.,
and Carl Risinger of Houston; a sister, Tollie Bee Pool of Hugo; nine
grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Nick P. Craig
DALHART - Nick P. Craig, 80, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Dalhart Church of Christ with
Gaylord Cook, minister, officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial
Park Cemetery by Hass Funeral Home, Inc.
Mr. Craig was born in Vernon where he graduated from high school. In
1940, he received his bachelor's degree in art from Abilene Christian
College. He moved to Dalhart in 1953 as president of the Dalhart
Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Craig was active in 4-H where he was coach of a state champion
demonstration team, Future Farmers of America and Boy Scouts. He was
two-term president of Band Boosters, secretary of the XIT Rodeo and
Reunion and an organizer and first secretary of Interstate Fair. The
Lions Club awarded him the Lions Share award in 1983 and named him a
lifetime member in 1997.
Mr. Craig was active in the Dalhart Church of Christ where he served
as elder for many years, was song leader and fillin minister for
Dalhart, Boise City, Stratford, Clayton, Channing and Holly, Colo. He
was active in prison ministries and a mentor for the Dalhart Prison
Unit called "New Life Behavior."
In 1959, Mr. Craig was employed by Rita Blanca Electric Cooperative.
He retired as administrative assistant in 1983 after 24 years of
service.
He married Audra Abston in 1945 at Fort Worth.
Survivors include a son, Andy Craig of Mesquite; a daughter, Claudia
Traux of Independence, Mo.; a foster son, Willie Jones of Dalhart; and
two grandchildren.
The family suggests memorials be to High Plains Children's Home and
Family Services, Inc., P.O. Box 7448, Amarillo, TX 79114.
Jo Buse
SUNRAY - Jo Buse, 55, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Sunray Baptist Church with the
Rev. Philip Hilton, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Lane
Memorial Cemetery by Morrison Funeral Directors.
Mrs. Buse was a former longtime resident of Texhoma, Okla., where she
graduated from high school. She had been a Sunray resident since 1967
and was a homemaker.
She married Johnny Buse in 1963 at Clayton, N.M.
Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Christi Adams of Amarillo;
three sons, Mark Buse of Amarillo, Mike Buse of Sunray and Stephen
Buse of Harlingen; two brothers, Jerry West of Dalhart and John West
of Tyron, Okla.; two sisters, Peggy Culver of Guymon, Okla., and
Belinda Tanquary of Texhoma; and nine grandchildren.
The family will be at 1018 Ave. P in Sunray. They suggest memorials be
to American Heart Association, c/o Teresa Chastain, P.O. Box 1208,
Dumas, TX 79029.
Edgar J. Wilson
FRIONA - Edgar J. Wilson, 63, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in First Church of God in Christ
with the Bishop W. Charles Green officiating. Burial will be in
Mission Garden of Memories in Clovis by Muffley Funeral Home of
Clovis.
Mr. Wilson was born in Bellville. For 27 years, he worked for Excell
Beef Packing. He was a member of the Salvation Army Church.
He married Dorothy A. Ransom in 1969 at Farwell.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Edgar Wilson Jr., of Eagle Lake
and James J. McClendon Jr., of Clovis; four daughters, Rachel L.
Wilson of Hereford, Camelia R. McClendon of Fort Worth, Minnie J.
Albert of Silverton and Dorothy Marie Baldwin of Lovington, N.M.;
three brothers, John Wilson and Eugene Wilson, both of Houston, and
Curtis Wilson of Brenham; five sisters, Katherine Blackmon of
Hempstead, and Christine Ray, Inez Wilson, Johnnie Mae Wilson and
Willie Mae Williams, all of Houston; and 11 grandchildren.