Giving thanks
Jim Philley
James Ray “Jim” Philley, 78, of Clarendon died Saturday, November 25, 2017, in Amarillo.
Memorial services were held Wednesday, November 29, 2017, in the First Baptist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Lance Wood, officiating.
Cremation and Arrangements are under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Jim was born July 15, 1939, in Phoenix, Arizona to Stephen Oran and Madelion Davis Philley. He married Joyce Marie Hall on December 30, 1986, in San Jon, New Mexico. Jim grew up at Clarendon and was a longtime resident. He was a truck driver prior to his retirement. He volunteered at Donley County Senior Citizens and the Bread of Life ministry. He helped anyone in need. He was a man after God’s own heart and was a member of the First Baptist Church in Clarendon where he taught Sunday School.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, John Philley; and a sister in law, Dee Philley.
Survivors include his wife Joyce Philley of Clarendon; 4 sons, Lane Philley and wife Sandra of Canyon, Kent Philley and wife Janie of Amarillo, Slade Philley and wife Dayna of San Jon, New Mexico and, Ricky Mills and wife Paula of Allen; 2 daughters, Janis Walker and Karen Maddox and husband Herman all of Vernon; a brother, Bob Philley of Amarillo; 2 sisters, Glenda Castillo of Birmingham, Alabama and Kay Dye of Howardwick; his aunt, Ethel Luker of Amarillo; and 23 grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The family request memorials be sent to the Donley County Senior Citizens, PO Drawer B, Clarendon, TX 79226.
Sign our online guest book at www.RobertsonFuneral.com
Kearney signal work to begin next week
Replacing traffic signals on US 287 at Kearney Street will get underway next week now that workers have moved curbs out at each corner to accommodate the structures.
The Texas Department of Transportation says during this phase of the project the old traffic signals will be taken down, and the intersection will not be stop-controlled on US 287. In other words, highway traffic will not stop at the intersection. Temporary stop signs will be installed on the north and south sides of Kearney Street.
“While the new signal structures are being installed, the intersection of US 287 and Kearney Street will function similarly to other non-signalized intersections throughout Clarendon,” said Matt Herbstritt, TxDOT Childress Area Engineer. “Through-traffic on Kearney Street should take extra care to make sure the intersection is clear and safe to proceed before crossing US 287. Motorists can expect the new traffic signals to be installed and fully functional within a few weeks.”
Curbs have been moved out into Kearney Street at the intersection as part of this job, which has caused a lot of conversation around town and raised concerns about traffic safety and the ability of vehicles to negotiate turns going downtown.
Herbstritt says the changes were due to space requirements for the new signal structures and required ADA ramps.
“We ran into a limited amount of space for traffic structures and ADA ramps,” Herbstritt said. “In order to make things fit, we moved the structures out.”
The initial curb installation left a 90-degree curb jutting out between two ramp openings, but Herbstritt said that is going to be changed.
“We’re to take down that corner and give it slight radius and flatten those points,” he said.
In addition, the TxDOT project will improve access to sidewalks at the Donley County State Bank entrance and at the former Bivens Pharmacy building.
The project will also include the installation of pedestrian crosswalk lights, push buttons, and audible messages to make the intersection safer and fully ADA compliant. LED safety street lights will be installed, and the new signal poles will feature lighted street signs as well.
The new signal system itself will have a flashing yellow arrow for left turns off US 287. This new type of turn signal is intended to create a safer, more efficient left turn movement. When illuminated, the flashing yellow arrow means that a vehicle is allowed to cautiously enter an intersection to make the left turn indicated by the arrow, but the driver must first yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians before proceeding with caution.
Herbstritt said a solid green left arrow can only be installed when traffic studies warrant one. Traffic turning onto Kearney is not currently heavy enough for that, but he said the system would allow for that in the future if conditions change.
Merchant sales, courthouse lighting this Saturday
Clarendon will be full of the Christmas spirit this weekend with local merchant sales, $250 up for grabs, and the fourth annual lighting of the Courthouse.
Local merchants are ready to help you find something for everyone on your Christmas list with their Black Friday and Small Business Saturday specials on November 24 and 25. Details on local sales are in the Holiday Gift Guide.
To support Small Business Saturday, the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce is giving away at total of $250 in Clarendon Cash to four lucky shoppers – three $50 winners and one $100 winner – for shopping at home November 25.
Just bring a receipt from a participating Chamber member dated either November 25 for $25 or more to the Clarendon Visitor Center before noon on Wednesday, November 29, to be eligible to win. Each $25 spent counts as a separate entry into the drawing. Merchants participating in the promotion include Cornell’s Country Store, Clarendon Outpost, Henson’s, Every Nook & Cranny, Lowe’s Family Center, Saye’s, Broken Road Liquor Store, and Floyd’s Automotive Supply.
The Chamber already awarded $250 in Clarendon Cash following the merchant open houses November 11. Those winners were Jimmy Braddock, $100; and Tiffany Shadle, Ashlee Estlack, and Bonnie Campbell, $50 each.
In addition to the Clarendon Cash drawing, the participating merchants will participate in a Chamber Gift Basket give-away Saturday. Pick up a card and have it validated at all eight merchants Saturday with no purchase necessary. Bring the card to the Courthouse Lighting for the drawing, and you must be present to win.
Small Business Saturday began in 2010 when it was founded by American Express to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.
According to small business advocates, every $100 spent in locally-owned stores returns $68 to the local community through taxes, payrolls, and other expenditures. That same money spent in another town or online returns nothing to your city.
Saturday’s highlight will be the fourth annual Courthouse Lighting Celebration, beginning at 5 p.m. with an appearance by Santa Claus and caroling featuring local children’s groups. The formal lighting will be at 6 p.m.
Also on Saturday night, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will hold a soup dinner at the Clarendon Lions Hall. The dinner begins after the Courthouse Lighting.
Shop at home this season and remember the role of loca
l merchants in keeping your community strong.
Broncos win bi-district title
The Broncos shook off the loss to Wellington in their last regular game of the season to defeat Vega in Hereford, 36-14, last Friday night.
The win puts them at 10-1 for the year and gave them the Class 2A Division II Bi-District Title. Clarendon will play for the Area Championship on Friday, November 24, against Bovina at Kimbrough Stadium in Canyon at 2:00 p.m.
“I thought our guys played very good after the first six minutes of the game,” first year head coach Clint Conkin said. “We started off slow but finished with a win.”
The Broncos put up good stats in the game as they had 364 total yards of offense. Three hundred eight of those yards were rushing yards. Daquawne Oliver had 23 carries on the night for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Oliver scampered 45 yards in the first quarter to put the Broncos on the board and go up by a point after the bonus. Oliver had a run of two yards in the second and the final TD from five yards out.
Ryan McCleskey had a big night running the ball going 105 yards on seven carries, which included on 71-yard run for a touchdown. Preston Elam caught a 19-yard pass from brother Noab for the other Bronco score.
Damarjae Cortez carried eight times for 25 yards and had two catches for six yards with two conversions, and P. Elam had three carries for 30 yards and caught a pass for 20 yards. N. Elam was five for 10 passing for 36 yards for one TD and two conversions.
Colt Wood had one catch for 20 yards, and Andy Davis snatched a pass for nine yards.
The Bronco defense was strong all night according to Conkin.
“Our defense played great once again,” he said. “We held Vega to 154 yards rushing and 41 passing. We had several guys flying around making tackles. Andy Davis and Damarjae Cortez both had an interception on defense, and Justin Christopher also recovered a fumble.
“I am very proud of the way our guys fought to win the Bi-District Championship,” Conkin said.
Hear them roar
Santa’s helpers
Eunice Carolyn Johnson Halbert
Eunice Carolyn Johnson Halbert was called home to be with Jesus in heaven on November 17, 2017, in Wichita Falls. Celebration services were held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 22, 2017, at the Crowell United Methodist Church with Rev. Pat Rodriguez, Pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Crowell Eunice officiating. Burial will follow at the Crowell Cemetery.
Carolyn Halbert was born on January 31, 1913, in Clarendon to Carrie and David Johnson. She attended public schools there and attended Clarendon Junior College. She graduated valedictorian from Clarendon Grade School, Clarendon High School and Clarendon Junior College. Then she spent two summers at Simmons University and one full year at the University of Texas in Austin where she graduated with honors in 1936.
At age 19 she joined forces with Bob Dillard, principal, and Agatha Taylor, teaching two years at the intermediate grades, at Windy Valley, some four miles south of Lelia Lake. Then, for one year, she taught at Chamberlain School, which was a three-teacher school but by attending college in the summers she emerged from UT with three years of college and three years of teaching. Following her final college year, she accepted the position of English teacher at Ozona.
On February 20, 1937, she married Grady Halbert of Foard County, Texas. When his father, EV Halbert, died in 1939, the couple moved to Foard City where Grady became manager of his mother’s farms. They lived there and later a Crowell until 2000 when they moved to Wichita Falls, living at rolling meadows, a retirement center. Eunice was preceded in death by her parents, one sister, Sybil and two brothers, Hooker who died at nine months and Gilbert who died as a teenager and finally her husband William Grady Halbert who died in 2004.
Eunice excelled in her grades, enjoyed high school and college plays, studied expression from the fourth grade until her Senior speech recital in 1932. She was a member of the Little Theater of Clarendon. She then shared her talent by giving private lessons for nine years in speaking and book reviews. She became an award winning speaker. She was an active member in the Columbian study club from 1938 and various civic clubs until moving to Wichita Falls. She taught Sunday School at the Crowell United Methodist Church.
She and Grady spent many happy summers on and in the mountains around South Fork County making lifelong friends and memories. They also traveled the world with health and vigor.
She authored three novellas, two concerning Cynthia Ann Parker, wife of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker: Two Feathers and Comanche Love and, finally, the third, her biography, The Tin Cup relating to her remarkable memories from the age of three until she left the nest to teach in Ozona.
She is survived by son Bill Halbert from Denver, Coloradp and daughter Hollis Harper from Granbury, Texas and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Crowell, Friends of the Library in Crowell or a charity of your choice.
Cloe Ann Noles Newhouse
Cloe Ann Noles Newhouse, 80 died Thursday, November 16, 2017, in Murphy, Texas.
Services were held on Monday, November 20, 2017, in the Clarendon Church of Christ with Don Stone, officiating and Bright Newhouse, III, assisting.
Cremation & arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Cloe Ann was born February 26, 1937, in Fisher County to Cleo Austin Noles and Bessie Louise Noles. She married Bright Newhouse, Jr. on October 1, 1955, in Fisher County, Texas. Cloe Ann has been a resident of Clarendon since 1962. For over ten years, she taught Special Needs Children through the Clarendon School District. For the next 30 years, she worked at the same location under the bank names of: Farmers State Bank, First Bank and Trust, Herring National Bank and retired as one of the Vice Presidents of the Herring Bank.
Following retirement, Cloe Ann assisted for years at the Donley County Senior Citizens Center by volunteering her time with the Meals on Wheels program or where ever she was needed. Cloe Ann was a member and served alongside her husband Bright, as he was the minister of the Hedley Church of Christ where he preached for over 50 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Bright Newhouse, Jr; her parents, Cleo and Bessie Louise Noles; a brother, Ralph Noles; a granddaughter, Amy Newhouse; and a grandson in law, Dustin Monroe.
She is survived by 2 sons, Mike Newhouse and wife Rhonda and Bright “Bubba” Newhouse, III and wife Theresa all of Clarendon; a daughter, Kim Maxfield and husband Ken of Murphy; 10 grandchildren; and 26 great grandchildren.
The family request memorials be sent to either the Donley County Senior Citizens, PO Drawer B, Clarendon, TX 79226 or the Christian Relief Fund, PO Box 19670, Amarillo, TX 79114-1670.
Sign our online guest book at www.RobertsonFuneral.com
Earline Stavenhagen Strand
Earline Stavenhagen Strand, 81, passed away November 12, 2017.
Services were held on Saturday, November 18, at Calvary Church of Weatherford, Texas.
Interment followed in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon following a memorial service on Sunday, November 19.
Earline was born on July 25, 1936, in Cotton Center. She attended school in Lelia Lake, where she graduated in 1955. She was active in sports and was on the girls’ basketball team.
Earline married Billy Gene Strand and they moved to Clovis, New Mexico. They had three children together and raised their family there. Earline and her identical twin Pearline had the same profession in cosmetology. She had her own beauty shop for a while in Clovis. Earline moved to Texas and resided there until her death.
Earline was preceded in death by her parents, John and Ira Elizabeth Stavenhagen; two brothers, Ed Stavenhagen and James Stavenhagen; twin-sister, Pearline Jobe McCuiston; and two grandsons, Nicholas “Nick” Miner and Christopher Rogers.
She is survived by one daughter, Kathy Perry; two sons, Billy Dwayne Strand and Bryan Derek Strand; three grandchildren, Kirstyn, Brandon and Braydon Strand; one great-grandson, Aaron Rogers; and three brothers, Mac Stavenhagen and wife Jean, Billy Wayne Stavenhagen and wife, Annis; and W.G. “Wimp” Stavenhagen and wife Liz and sister-in-law Virginia Stavenhagen.
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