Archives for August 2022

Jack Arnold Moreman, 87, of Clarendon died August 16, 2022, in Southlake, Texas.

Graveside services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 20, 2022, Rowe Cemetery in Hedley with Chris Downer officiating. Viewing will be held Friday at the funeral home with family receiving friends for visitation from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Arrangements are under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Jack was born June 15, 1935, in Hedley, to Ray and Oleta Moreman. He graduated from Hedley High School and attended Clarendon College where he graduated with an associate degree. Later, he graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry as well as a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education. While at Tech, Jack was employed by the Department of Animal Husbandry at the Beef Cattle Center and was also the Horse Herdsman. After graduating, he went to work for the Texas Animal Health Commission doing Bangs testing in Jeff Davis, Brewster, and Presidio counties in far West Texas.

Jack went into the U.S. Army where he trained with the Ninth Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado. He served with the Eighth Army in Korea and with the Fourth Army in Fort Hood, Texas. While still in the U.S. Army, Jack married the love of his life, Fredie Jo Carter on June 12, 1959. Two children came out of this marriage, Phillip Wesley and Melody Gay.

After release from the Army, Jack worked as the manager of the Doneghy Ranches in Wellington, and Henryetta, Oklahoma for 8 years. Jack was also Feedlot Manager of the Alpha-Omega Feedyard in Hereford, a 40,000 head feedyard and 8,000 head summer programs in New Mexico and Colorado. Jack became the Assistant Director of the Ranch Management Program at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, for two years.

Jack later became the Manager of the JA Cattle Company in Palo Dura, Texas and Colorado. He left the ranch to become the Director of the Ranch and Feedlot Program at Clarendon College in 1974 and retired from that position in 1994. He then devoted his time to L&M Seed Company and Rolling Plains Ag Compost Inc., where he took care of nine feedyard’s manure, making compost of the manure and applying to farms and ranch land. Jack eventually sold the equipment and inventory in 2017 and retired at 84 years old.

Jack served 38 years on the Donley County Soil and Water Conservation District board as the Vice President, and he received the Conservation Business Man award in 2018 at the district convention. Jack also served for over 20 years on the Clarendon College Board of Regents as well as on the Selective Service Board. He was awarded the Pioneer of the Year in 2014 from the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce. Jack was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and he was the Commander of the American Legion, Post 287 Adamson-Lane in Hedley, TX. He was also a lifetime member of the Methodist Church, serving as Financial Chairman. He attended the Walk to Emmaus and was involved in the Kairo’s Prison Ministry.

He is preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his wife Fredie Jo Moreman; son, Phillip Moreman; daughter, Melody Sanderson and her husband Brent Sanderson, three grandchildren and their spouses Megan Baldock and her husband Hayden, Matt Sanderson and his wife Chandler, Mallory Hennessy and her husband Brandon. He had four great grandchildren, Rory Baldock, Adrinna Sanderson, Witt Sanderson and Lincoln Hennessy.

Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com

Ruth Word Robinson, 93, of Clarendon died Wednesday, August 10, 2022, in Clarendon.

Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, August 19, 2022 (on her 94th birthday) in the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Terry Tamplen, officiating. Burial will follow in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.

Viewing will be held Thursday, August 18, 2022, at the funeral home with the family receiving friends for visitation from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Arrangements are under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Ruth was born August 19, 1928, in Clarendon to William Marvin and Charlie May Taylor Patman. She was a lifelong resident of Clarendon where she was a graduate of Clarendon High School and Clarendon College. She then attended West Texas State University where she was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and was voted Personality Queen and Sun Bowl Princess. She married Robertson Ingham Word on June 25, 1949 and he preceded her in death on May 10, 1973. Ruth had a rewarding teaching and counseling career, working at Idalou, Pleasant Valley, Vernon, Hereford, and Clarendon Jr. College. She later married Joe Frank Robinson on January 21, 1977 and he preceded her in death on March 22, 2017. Ruth was involved in many organizations in Clarendon where she served as President of the Saints’ Roost Museum board from 1999-2002, member of the Clarendon College Board of Regents, Friends of the Library, Red Hatters Society, Donley County Historical Commission, and the Donley County Courthouse Lighting Committee to name a few. She was a proud relative of Col. Charles Goodnight and was a lifetime member of the First United Methodist Church.

Ruth was loved by many, and she loved deeply in return. Some of her favorite loves include, of course, her family, her friends, and the many students whose lives she touched over the years. But also Clarendon College, the First United Methodist Church of Clarendon, and the Willard Skelton Sunday School class. She got a particular delight playing Rummy Dummy with her friends, entertaining Goodnight relatives at the Saints’ Roost Chuckwagon Cook-off, and watching (and loudly cheering for) Patrick Mahomes. And we would be remiss if we failed to mention her abiding affection for Sonic ice, clearance sales at Talbots and Dillards, Snickers chocolate bars, and Diet Coke.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands; a stepson, Jim Robinson; a step son-in-law, Ronny Longan; and three brothers, Ardis, Allen, and Billy Patman.

She is survived by her son, Bill Word of Clarendon; her daughter, Libby Talley and husband Billy of Amarillo; her stepchildren, Jack Robinson and wife Susan of Amarillo, Joe Robinson, Jr. of Junction, and Janny Longan of Howardwick; 14 grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, and extended family.

The family requests that memorials be sent to the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.

Katherine Sue (Sanders) Ariola, 81, of Clarendon passed away on August 6, 2022.

Services will be at 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 12, 2022, at Clarendon Church of the Nazarene in Clarendon, with Allen Posey officiating. Burial will be at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.

Arrangements are under the direction of Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors of Amarillo.

Katherine Sue (Sanders) Ariola was a wonderful woman that was loved, is missed, and will always be cherished. Our “MawMaw” as she liked to be called by her grand boys, was also an amazing wife, mom, grandmom, great-grandmom, sister and certainly a friend to all she met.

Katherine’s story starts on February 5, 1941. She was born to Hugh and Oneta Sanders. Katherine started her life as the headstrong and independent woman everyone knew her to be, entering this world before the physician arrived in Antelope Flat, Texas, and unbeknownst to all, she was not the only one born that day. She was a twin.

She spent her childhood on the farm, learning hard work, honesty, and integrity that farm life so freely teaches. Her school years were in Lakeview, a heritage that she was proud of. She graduated from Lakeview High School as valedictorian of her class. It is there that she met the love of her life, James Bruce Ariola. Bruce’s sister Elly Mae, and Katherine were childhood BFFs. Elly wanted nothing more than to make Katherine “family,” so as to continue the lifelong friendship. And that she did. With her best matchmaking skills, she introduced Katherine to Bruce, and the rest is history. Katherine and Bruce were married in Memphis, Tx at the home of Glen and Shirlene Sanders on December 20, 1958. They started their lives out in Lakeview, as owners and operators of a laundromat and a blacksmith shop.

In 1959, Katherine and Bruce started their family with their firstborn, Kathy Lenae, followed by Janice Renee in 1960, Jaci Sulynn in 1963, and James “BO” Allen in 1969.

Katherine and Bruce fulfilled their lifelong dream of buying a farm in Brice. Together they spent many hardworking years on the family cotton, turned fish farm. Katherine and Bruce faced some gut-wrenching financial/legal struggles on the farm. Her valedictorian skills came in handy in those struggles. In a legal battle to save the farm, and without funds for an attorney, she bought a used set of law books at a garage sale, studied them intensely, and prepared and defended their case before a judge. They walked out of that courtroom victorious—case dismissed. Even through all her struggles and heartaches, never once did she give up hope, or become bitter.

Katherine could dress up to look like a beauty queen, or she could put on work clothes (with Mary Kay makeup, of course) and work the fields and fishponds with the best of them. She could attend Mary Kay ballroom parties or be in cut-off shorts and flip-flops catching rattlesnakes. She was a parts runner, a cotton trailer puller, an irrigation pipe mover, a gardener, a bookkeeper, and everything else farm life demanded. She worked that farm very hard alongside Bruce; however, her “selling ice to an Eskimo” skill was also used productively to help support the farm. Sales in luggage, glassware, jewelry, healthcare products, and finally Mary Kay helped tremendously in farm finances. She was so very proud of her two Mary Kay cars.

She was an amazing cook, and everyone knew and looked forward to delicious homemade meals served at her table. She could even make a fried bologna sandwich taste like the best thing you ever put in your mouth. She could catch, clean, fillet and cook catfish in her sleep and wow – it was incredible. So much so that the family finds it hard to even enjoy catfish elsewhere.

Katherine was no stranger to hardships, pain, and struggles. She buried not one, but two children, Kathy at the young age of 6 years old, and Bo at age 20, in a horrific tragedy, and then finally, her husband Bruce in 2012.
While she was staunch and fierce in her pursuit of what is right and good, she was a loving, kind, gentle soul, that even in her deepest grief, always thought of others first. There were a few times in her life, that she did not have an authentic and beautiful smile on her face – and that smile could and would light up the room. She made every person in her presence feel important and, most of all, loved.

Katherine dreamed of travel and that dream became reality in her and Bruce’s retirement years. A strange twist of fate through a hunting lease turned reverse mortgage type situation afforded Katherine and Bruce the financial freedom to travel, but more importantly, birthed an extraordinary and deep friendship. Katherine so often spoke fondly of the memories of their travels, but even more fondly of their special friend, Bart (whom she thought of and loved like a son). She always believed that was a Devine appointment and intervention ordained directly by God.

Katherine’s boys were her heart, her pride and joy—-Three grand boys, followed by five great-grand boys. There’s no denying that her boys, as she called them, were the people that she loved the most. Time spent at MawMaw’s house was very special for her boys, with so many precious lifelong memories made. Her nieces and nephews were just one step behind the “boys”—she loved them all dearly and always welcomed them as her own.

Loved ones that cleared the path for Katherine, are her parents, Hugh and Oneta, her two children, Kathy and Bo, and the love and light of her life, her husband, Bruce. Other loved ones that preceded her in death were her sisters-in-law, Judy Sanders, Shirley Hodges and Elly Gillespie.

Loved ones that will miss Katherine until they meet again are her two daughters, Janice Harvey, and SuLynn Mester and husband Randy; her grand boys, Matthew Brandes and son Ky, Joshua Brandes and wife Laura and sons, Zach, Hannon and Sloan, Kris Ariola and wife Taylor and son Tanner; her siblings, Leonard Sanders and wife Edna, Kenneth Sanders and wife Lois, and Larry Sanders; bonus “brothers” Robert Sanders and wife Linda, and Carl Sanders; sister-in-law, Lajuana Tucker, along with many nieces, nephews, other extended family and friends.

Sign the online guestbook at www.boxwellbrothers.com.