Brent Paul Shields of Clarendon, Texas, passed away Saturday, October 28, 2023 in Amarillo, Texas.
Brent Paul Shields
A private family memorial and celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity of your choosing.
Cremation and Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Brent was born in June 7, 1966, to Jerry and JoAnn Shields. He went to school in Memphis and spent much of his young adult life in Amarillo. He enjoyed his later years as a resident of Clarendon.
Brent was an amazing cook. He had owned and worked in restaurants for many years. If you ever tasted his “famous” chocolate pie you would definitely want more. His sharing attitude and desire to help people will be missed.
He was preceded in death by his father, Jerry Shields; step-father, C.D. Dickens; his paternal grandparents, Colman Shields and Vida Shields; step grandmother, Sadie Shields; maternal grandparents, Joseph Stanley and Cellie Koen; step grandfather D. B. Koen, as well as several aunts, uncles, and great grandparents.
Survivors include his mother, JoAnn Dickens; brother, Todd Shields; son, Spencer Shields and wife Kaitlynn; grandson, Hunter Shields, who was one of his greatest joys, all of Clarendon; stepson, Scott Knox and wife Stacy; grandchildren, Libby and Nicholas Knox, all of Cleburne, Texas; several uncles, aunts and cousins; his best friend and the mother of his son, Kathy Shields.
All of Clarendon was like family to Brent, and he had many, many friends and acquaintances who will miss him dearly.
Restaurant owner Ricardo Santillan stands in the dining room of REFZ Sports Bar & Grill Tuesday morning as the business gets ready for its grand opening next week.
A new downtown restaurant will hold its grand opening next week after several months of construction and remodeling.
REFZ Sports Bar & Grill, located at US 287 and Kearney Street, will open its doors to the public on Wednesday, November 1, and owner Ricardo Santillan is just as ready as the community is.
“It’s been hard and definitely a lot of work,” Santillan said, “but it’s also been very exciting watching the process of taking a building where there was nothing and what it has turned into.”
For eight months, Santillan has overseen a complete overhaul of the former Clarendon Steakhouse building, remodeling the front end, ripping out and installing a new kitchen, remodeling bathrooms, and more. With the final pieces going into place this week, Santillan is planning an invitation-only “soft opening” only in the next few days to make sure everything is ready for Wednesday.
REFZ has hired 24 people and plans to be open seven days a week. Its hours will be Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Happy hour will be everyday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., and weekday $8 lunch specials will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In addition to a full and varied menu, REFZ will have a full bar, including mixed drinks; 16 big screen TVs showing all kinds of sports; and seating for 136 people.
Santillan currently has five of his new hires from Clarendon working at his first REFZ location in Guymon, Okla., which has been in business for six years.
“We want everyone to come enjoy themselves here as place of entertainment,” Santillan said. “Come with your family and hang out and have a good time.”
The process of bringing a restaurant to downtown has been a long one. The Clarendon Economic Development Corporation first purchased the building in 2015 after it was heavily damaged by an automobile and has made significant investments in the building since that time to make it attractive as a potential restaurant. Discussions with Santillan began in November 2022 with an agreement reached in February 2023 and construction starting the following month.
“It’s been great working with the CEDC,” Santillan said. “Those guys helped me all along the way. They have been gracious and supportive of me, and I’ve been thankful for that. I could not have done this project without the CEDC, and it’s one of the main reasons I decided to do it.”
CEDC President Brandon Frausto is also very happy to see the REFZ project come to fruition.
“We are excited to have REFZ be a part of our community,” Frausto said. “This has been a goal of the CEDC for quite some time. I hope this helps build momentum as we move toward our vision for the future of Clarendon.”
Santillan is also looking to the future.
“It’s going to work,” Santillan said. “It’s taken a lot of time, energy, and investment by all of us (Santillan’s business and the CEDC), but we’re doing it for the town as well. We both saw a need for the town, and now we hope everyone comes and enjoys it.”
The Donley County Courthouse Lighting Committee is asking for volunteer help this season.
Every year the committee puts lights on the trees around the courthouse, and they invite and welcome anyone to come be a part of this worthy project. The volunteers will be at the courthouse on Saturday mornings October 28 and November 4 from 9:00 to noon.
For more information, please call any CLC committee member or Denise at 806-336-1417.
Once again, the Panhandle Workforce Development Area (WDA) holds the second-lowest unemployment rate in the state of Texas, standing at 3.2 percent, with Permian Basin WDA reporting the lowest unemployment rate at 3.0 and Lower Rio Grande WDA with the highest at 6.0 percent.
The Panhandle Workforce Development Area (WDA) as a whole also experienced a decrease in our unemployment rate, going from 3.6 percent to 3.2 percent, a 0.4-point reduction, indicating an overall declining trend across the Panhandle.
Donley County’s unemployment rate of 4.0 percent follows a rate of 4.3 percent in August and 4.6 percent in July. Armstrong County’s unemployment figures were slightly lower for the same three-month period, and Hall County’s figures were slightly higher.
The labor force in the Texas Panhandle has undergone significant changes over the past year, our labor force grew from 209,090 to 212,667, marking an increase of 3,577. Much of the growth was in the city of Amarillo, increasing from 99,869 to 104,604, reflecting an increase of 4,735 employed individuals.
According to the release, 25 counties within the Panhandle WDA saw reductions in our unemployment rates, with Armstrong County being the only exception, experiencing a 0.1 percent increase from 3.7 to 3.8 percent.
Hutchinson County continues to hold the highest unemployment rate in the Texas Panhandle at 4.6 percent, although it did see a decrease from 5.0 in August. In contrast, Hartley County maintained the lowest unemployment rate at 2.3 percent with 2,473 individuals employed out of a possible 2,531.
Statewide, total nonfarm employment increased by 31,400 positions in September to reach a new milestone with job count of 14,049,400. This marked the 24th consecutive series high as employment expanded in 40 of the last 41 months. Since September 2022, Lone Star State employment grew by 372,900 positions as all 11 major industries achieved positive annual growth for the 24th consecutive period.
The number of employed persons also reached a new record high adding 26,900 people over the month.
The Texas seasonally adjusted civilian labor force fell four-tenths of a point over the month to 4.1 percent in September 2023.
A Donley County case was among 19 pleas in the district court when it met in Childress last Thursday, October 19.
Honorable Judge Dale Rabe presided for the first time in the 100th Judicial District with District Attorney Luke Inman, along with Assistant District Attorney Harley Caudle, prosecuting the cases for the State of Texas.
Susan Faye Kyle, 34, from Amarillo, Texas, was sentenced to time served in the Donley County Jail for the state jail felony offense of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Kyle was arrested on March 17 by Donley County Chief Deputy Jay Longan. Kyle was also ordered to pay $290 in court costs.
Casey James Mills passed away October 14th, 2023, at his home in Lamar, Oklahoma at the age of 27.
Casey James Mills
Casey was born April 12, 1996, in Raton, New Mexico to Gerald Dewayne Mills and Kaye Lynn (Wilkerson) Mills. Casey graduated from Moss Public School. After high graduation, he attended Southeast School of Welding in McAlester. He worked as a welder for Platinum Cross Welding Inc. in Okemah, Oklahoma. Casey married Jessye Duckworth on November 23, 2018, in Holdenville, Oklahoma. Casey had his own fencing company at age 16. He was a hard worker and very talented at whatever he did. Casey was an awesome father, good provider, son and husband. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and fabricating. Casey was a perfectionist, always positive and had the best grin.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Dale Mills, Jan Curtis, Lawrence Wilkerson and Josie Mae Wilkerson.
He is survived by his wife Jessye Mills of the home, parents; Gerald and Kaye Mills, children; Kendall Dale Mills of Lamar, Nova Lynn Mills of Lamar, 3 brothers; Monty Mills and wife Alicia of Holdenville, Alex McClain and wife Kristen of Ft Worth, Texas, Kord King and wife Stacie of Shamrock, Texas, grandmother Mary Kay Mangum and husband John of Clarendon, uncles; Jeff Mills, Johnny Mangum, Bud Curtis and Aunt Frances Miller. Casey is survived by numerous other uncles, aunts, relatives, and friends.
Pallbearers are Monty Mills, Alex McClain, Hagen Mills, Keith McCoy, Kyle Linaueaver and Jarrod Johnston. Honorary pallbearers are Chad Rogers, Mike Goodson, John Goodson, Jimmy Jett, Bill McCoy, Kyle Cates, Paul Camp and Jason Lambert.
Viewing was 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Oct 17th and 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Oct 18, and the family greeted guests from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Oct 18, at Hudson Phillips Funeral Home, in Holdenville, Oklahoma.
Funeral service was be 3:00 p.m., Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Holdenville, Oklahoma with Pastor James Poulain officiating.
Interment will follow at Lamar Cemetery.
Services are under the direction of Hudson-Phillips Funeral Home in Holdenville, Oklahoma.
John Wayne Stepp entered into the gates of Heaven on Monday, October 9, 2023, at the age of 86. He joined his wife Mary Ann Stepp to dance eternally in the Grace of God. He was born on October 3rd, 1937, in Abilene, TX to the late John Conley and Ruth Beatrice McMinn Stepp.
John Wayne Stepp
John Wayne graduated from Lelia Lake High School and a few short years later married Mary Ann Douglas, and they were happily married for 66 years. John worked in the Agriculture Industry, he started at The Donley County Office in Clarendon, TX, and later retired in 1996 as the County Executive Director from the Calhoun County Farm Service Agency, in Port Lavaca, TX.
John Wayne is survived by his daughters, Denise Ann Stepp Pozzi (Zane Hartman), and Carrie Jean Stepp Spence (Jeff Spence). He is also survived by his grandchildren, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi (Garrett Tonozzi), Travis Spence (Veronica Spence), Brooke Pozzi Smith (Blake Smith) and Colt Spence. Also, great grandchildren Jaedynn, Haley, Chris, Bryce, Taylor, and Aubrey Spence, Tinlee Tonozzi, and Sloan Smith, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Our Dad and Grandad brought so much joy and laughter, not only to his family, but to everyone who ever met “The Real” John Wayne as he would say. He was known to tell a joke or two, but all jokes aside, he was a good man that would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it. In his retired years in Victoria, TX John Wayne enjoyed his days on the golf course, his evenings at Klotch with friends, and always time with family.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife Mary Ann Stepp, and they’re grandson Dillon Spence.
Services will be held at Grace Memorial Chapel, 8819 U.S. Hwy. 87 North Victoria, TX 77904 on Saturday, October 28th, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. A reception will follow next door at Son Valley Ranch, 8973 U.S. Hwy. 87 North Victoria, TX 77904. To leave a comforting message, or to share a fond or funny memory, please visit www.gracefuneralhome.net.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Gentle Hearts Assisted Living, 1101 Salem Rd. Victoria, TX 77904.
Poem: In loving memory of Dad: Those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near. Still love, still miss and always very dear.
Blade Cash Barker, 58, of Clarendon died Wednesday, October 18, 2023, in Clarendon.
Blade Barker
Services will be 10:00 AM Monday, October 23, 2023, in Calvary Baptist Church in Clarendon with Joe Neal Shadle officiating. Burial will follow in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.
Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Blade was born September 22, 1965, in France to Billie Elwin and Martha Jane Rich Barker. He had been a lifetime resident of Clarendon where he worked as a cook at several restaurants. Blade was a collector of many things such as model cars, football helmets, and hot wheels. He enjoyed working on bicycles and cooking on the grill. Blade loved to tell loud and wild stories.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a nephew, Steven Howell; and a great niece, Ashley Herndon.
Survivors include his daughters, Shelina Wilkins and husband Chris of Howardwick and Sarah Barker and Jon Mark Yankie of Clarendon; his sons, Justin Barker of Oklahoma City and Brandon Barker and wife Amy of Clarendon; his brothers, Billie “Trooper” Barker and wife Pam of Stinnett, Flint Barker of Clarendon, Shawn Barker of Amarillo, and Duel Barker and wife Misty of Stinnett; his sisters, Naomi Tolbert and Martha Jett both of Clarendon; and Starlet Taylor and husband Robert of Canyon; 10 grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family.
The family request memorials be sent to Citizens Cemetery Association in Clarendon.
Emergency responders work to free the driver of a car struck by a train at the Kearney Street crossing Wednesday afternoon. Enterprise Photo
A Clarendon man lost his life Wednesday, October 18, when the car he was riding in went around railroad cross arms and was struck by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train.
Donley County Deputy Kelly Hill said the train conductor and engineer separately said two vehicles went around the cross arms traveling north at the Kearney Street crossing at about 3:00 p.m. The first car made it through, but the second car, driven by 70-year-old Naomi Tolbert of Clarendon, was struck by the westbound BNSF train. The accident was also captured on the railroad’s video, Hill said.
Tolbert’s brother, 58-year-old Blade Barker, also of Clarendon, was thrown from the car and was later pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Pat White.
Tolbert was extricated from the vehicle by the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department and the Associated Ambulance Authority. She was awake and alert at the scene, according to Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn. Hill said Tolbert was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo and later transferred to University Medical Center in Lubbock.
No citations or charges have been filed in the accident, which remained under investigation Thursday afternoon.
My child arrived just the other day. He came to the world in the usual way.
Roger Estlack, Publisher & Editor
October 19, 2006, to be exact. That’s when Benjamin Allen Homer Estlack came into our world and changed my life forever by making me a Dad. Seventeen years ago seems like “just the other day,” but as Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle” warns, time passes all too quickly when you’re raising kids. You have to savor every moment.
I’ve always said that song has got to be one of the saddest ever written. The story of a boy and his dad who very much love and admire each other but never seem to quite find time to spend together.
“When you comin’ home, Dad?” “I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then. You know we’ll have a good time then.”
The life of a newspaperman is busy – going to evening meetings, covering events, and often working late – but “Cat’s in the Cradle” was always in my mind every time little Ben would follow me to the front door and tell me to “Be careful on that road, Daddy.” And so, I tried to make sure when I was home, that we played Tinker Toys or cars or whatever as often as we could.
Our family life has been busy – busier than most, but we’ve been busy together for the most part. Ashlee and I have tried to temper that busy-ness by making sure there were fun memories for Ben and his sister. Fun activities and great vacations and a philosophy of “we work hard so we can have fun, too.”
My son turned ten just the other day. He said, “Thanks for the ball, Dad, c’mon let’s play. Can you teach me to throw?”
Let’s face it. I’m a band guy. Sports were never my forte. But if Ben wanted to play catch, that lyric would hit me, and I’d say, “yes.” The chances won’t always be there, so I’d take them and try to soak them up. And perhaps, I even learned to throw a little better myself. It worked both ways. Ben was and often still is my sidekick. The guy I love to spend time with whether working or playing.
“I’m gonna be like him, yeah. You know I’m gonna be like him.”
In the song, the kid hopes to be like his Dad. But for me, I’ve always wished I could be a little like more Ben. He’s a great guy with a great personality, great friends, and is so good at so many things – art, cooking, music, math, science, humor, writing, and more. I give his mother most of the credit for that. She’s more talented than I am.
So much like a man, I just had to say, “Son, I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?” He shook his head, and he said with a smile, “What I’d really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys. See you later, can I have them please?”
And boom. Just like that, he became independent. He drives himself and his sister everywhere. He drives his mother and me also (which I enjoy). And he’s off… to band, to history club, to work, to hang out with friends, to workout, to wherever. It’s harder now to find time for just us, but we both are trying. His attention recently turned to the ’69 Ford that my brother and I both learned to drive in. It’s sat idle for about 30 years, but he thinks it’s a good project for us as well as for him and his cousin and a buddy and for my brother and me. None of us know much about engines, but it’s an adventure together.
The calendar is turning more quickly now. This week Ben turns 17, and we know our time with him in our everyday lives is growing shorter by the minute. He ordered his senior ring just recently. In a blink, he’ll be 18. He’ll help pick the next American president. (I wish he had better choices for that.) And then, it’s off to college.
“When you comin’ home, son?” “I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then, Dad. We’re gonna have a good time then.”
He makes me proud, my son. I can’t wait to see where life takes him, but I think he knows we’ll always be glad to see him back home. I fear that the next 19 months will be over before we know it, but I intend to squeeze every moment together I can with him… without cramping his style or social life too much. After all, he’s one of my favorite people.
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