Wet welcome
Katherine Sue (Sanders) Ariola
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.
COVID funds drive county budget higher
Donley County Commissioners are proposing a $4.37 million budget for fiscal year 2023, an increase of about $880,441 compared to the current budget, but a large portion of that increase will not come from local tax dollars.
A public hearing on the budget and on the tax rate to support that budget will be August 29 at 1:00 p.m.
The proposed budget includes more than $636,000 in ARPA (federal COVID relief) funds with most of that money being directed toward courthouse repairs and other government services. Donley County Judge John Howard said the county is budgeting with the possibility of receiving a large preservation grant from the state. The county officials were notified recently that their application for additional courthouse restoration funds from the state had been turned down, but Howard there may still be a chance of getting some partial funding.
Regardless of whether the county receives a grant, the judge says officials will proceed with soliciting bids to repair windows in the 1890 courthouse at an expected cost of more than $100,000.
New this coming fiscal year, Howard says county employees will be required to cover 20 percent of their health insurance premiums. To ease the transition to that, most county employees will see their salaries increase by $2,400 in the new budget.
The 2023 budget is supported by a proposed total tax rate of $0.595644 per $100 valuation, which is almost two cents lower than the current tax rate. The proposed tax rate brings in about $32,334 more in property taxes than last year.
Two new items in the budget are $500 to support Snack Pak 4 Kids and $1,000 to support the Tralee Crisis Center.
The budget also includes $85,000 to match grant funds that would purchase and install emergency generators at the Donley County Senior Citizens Center, the Donley County Activity Center, and the Red Cross emergency shelter at the First United Methodist Church. Funds are also available to make improvements to the former tax appraisal building for the sheriff’s office to use as a training location and to improve the Precinct 3 barn in Hedley.
The county will receive its sixth of ten annual payments from the wind farm in the next fiscal year, an amount of $200,000.
A copy of the proposed budget will be on file at the county clerk’s office August 15 and be vailable on the county website.
Commissioners formally proposed the budget and the tax rate during their regular meeting Monday, August 8.
2022 Senior Thang to be held August 20
The Donley County Senior Citizens will hold its second “That Senior Thang” on Saturday, August 20, at the corner of Gorst and Fourth from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
There will be a full concessions and a County Store full of home baked goodies. The free street games will range from pull-the-rubber-duck and sidewalk chalk art to football toss, cornhole, and horseshoes.
For the more adventurous player, there will be Cup Stacking, Jalapeno Eating, Watermelon Seed Spitting and Wheelchair Races. Put your team of four together and compete at Water Balloon Volleyball, Texas Skis or the new Balloon Blast.
Mulkey to host Shindig on Sept. 4
The Mulkey Theatre will present “The Shindig,” an evening of dinner, music, and dancing on Saturday evening, September 4, at 6 p.m.
Live music will be provided by the Caliche Dust Band, and dinner will be included in the price of admission.
Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and are available at MulkeyTheatre.com or at the Clarendon Visitor Center.
Enterprise earns top state award
The Texas Press Association recognized The Clarendon Enterprise as the best small paper in the state Saturday, July 30, during the TPA Summer Convention in San Marcos.
The Enterprise earned the Sweepstakes Award in Division 9 of the 2020-21 Better Newspaper Contest, winning two first place plaques and placing in seven other categories to gather enough points to win the overall division.
“We are extremely pleased to have our work recognized by our peers and are proud to bring this recognition to our community,” publisher Roger Estlack said. “We are very blessed to have a super talented team and equally fortunate to have great support from our readers and advertisers.”
Photos by Kari Lindsey earned first place in Feature Photography with judges noting that Lindsey’s pictures “draw in the reader to find out more.”
The Enterprise also picked up first place in Page Design.
The Clarendon Welcome Guide was recognized with second place, and Roger Estlack received second place for Feature Writing with judges calling his work “consistently well done.”
Benjamin Estlack’s “Cub Reporter” won third place in the state Column Writing contest with judges remarking, “This youngster has a promising writing career ahead of him.”
Elaina Estlack was also third place with her Sports Photos from the 2021 playoff basketball games.
The paper was awarded third place for General Excellence, with judges preferring the Enterprise for “great writing and layout.”
Fourth place awards also went to Advertising designed by Tara Allred and Ashlee Estlack and Sports Coverage by Sandy Anderberg.
The Enterprise was first in the Sweepstakes count among weekly newspapers of similar circulation followed by the Springtown Epigraph, second; the Gladewater Mirror, third; and the Flatonia Argus, fourth.
Eighty newspapers submitted 850 entries in the statewide contest. Entries were judged by the West Virginia Press Association
Back to work
DPS trains at CCISD for active shooter
It was an unsettling scene at Clarendon CISD. Outside were about a dozen vehicles from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Inside were a dozen or more armed people with live rounds being fired.
Fortunately, this was just a training exercise the week of July 18. Everyone present was either a law enforcement officer or an official observer, and the live rounds were soap bullets – non-lethal but still attention-getting if they strike someone.
The Solo Officer Response Deployment (SORD) training course taught by the DPS is designed to equip a single off-duty officer in plain clothes with the skills and mindset on how to neutralize an active shooter in a variety of settings, including a school, according to DPS spokesperson Sgt. Cindy Barkley.
Officers were trained in both classroom work and active scenarios, including live-fire range scenarios. Observers included District Judge Stuart Messer, Justices of the Peace Pat White and Sarah Hatley, and Enterprise publisher Roger Estlack.
Everyone present during the training donned protective gear and were able to experience some simulation of the stress associated with an active shooter situation.
Upon completion of the SORD training, law enforcement officers receive 16 hours of Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) credit as well as a certificate.
To date, the DPS has completed three courses at Clarendon ISD which included officers from DPS and the Armstrong County Sheriff’s Office, Barkley reported.
The courses were taught by DPS officers who have been certified to teach Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) through Texas State University.
Lions in service
Owls on the run
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