Obituaries

Richard Chester “Dick” Roehr, 72, died Thursday, January 10, 2008 in Lockney.

Services were held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 14, 2008, in the First Baptist Church in Silverton, with Rev. Les Reed, Pastor, officiating. Burial was held at Silverton Cemetery in Silverton. Services were under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Dick was born on January 9, 1936, in Claude to Chester Arthur and Annie Erin Burnett Roehr in the home of Mrs. Lena Tucker. He and his mother returned to Pleasant Camp on the JA Ranch. His first six years of schooling was on the JA. He attended Texas Tech and Clarendon College before getting his BS in Sociology from Wayland Baptist University. In 1970 he enrolled in the Mexican Baptist Bible Institute in San Antonio. He went to TCLOSE Academy in 1986 and received his Master’s peace officer in 1990. He was an EMT and was a volunteer fireman for 21 years and 11 months at Briscoe County. He was licensed to preach in 1960 and ordained in 1965 at Bethel Baptist Church at Plainview. He pastored in Yampa, Colo.; Samnorwood; Mexican Baptist Mission; Silverton; and Dickens Baptist Church in Dickens. He was a cowboy on the JA Ranch from 13 years of age until he was 20 years old. He worked on several small outfits then, went to work for Red Lake Land and Cattle Company, the lower 6666 Ranch, and the Mashed O’s in Springlake-Earth. He was city marshal for Silverton from 1978-79, and sheriff of Briscoe County from 1980-1996. He accepted Christ as his personal Savior as a young man. He married Joan Lane on August 17, 1956, in the Goodnight Baptist Church in Goodnight. He was a great husband, father, and grandfather.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a grandson, Rusty Lynn Roehr.

Survivors include his wife, Joan Roehr of Silverton; a daughter, Debra Guinn of Memphis; three sons, Merle Lee Roehr of Gallup, New Mexico, Mitchell Lane Roehr of Dayton, and Monty Lynn Roehr of Iowa Park; 21 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

The family requests memorials be to a favorite charity.

Billy Burl Duckworth, 82, died Sunday, January 13, 2008, in Amarillo.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 16, 2008, at Rector Funeral Home Osage Chapel.  Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. at Rowe Cemetery in Hedley.  Arrangements were under Rector Funeral Home Osage Chapel 2800 S. Osage St. Amarillo.

Mr. Duckworth was born and raised in Hedley.  He served in the U.S. Army Infantry during WWII.  He then moved to Amarillo.  He was a truck driver for many years.  He was a member of the Teamsters Union.

He married Imogene Hill in 1948 at Memphis, Texas.  She preceded him in death in 1977.

Survivors include: his daughter, Euvonna Duckworth of the home; one son, James Duckworth of Dallas; two sisters, Euva Blanks of Happy, and Doris Williams of Amarillo; three granddaughters, Melanie Duckworth of Dallas, Billie Jean Duckworth, and Josephine Hawley both of Amarillo; one grandson, Billy James Duckworth of Dallas; one great-granddaughter, Natalie Stephens of Amarillo.

The family requests memorial donations be to Olivia’s Angels c/o BSA Hospice, 721 N. Taylor Amarillo, Texas 79109.

Edith Bailey Huff died on Saturday, December 22, 2007.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 26, 2007, at the Sullivan Funeral Chapel in Vernon, with interment in the Wilbarger Memorial Park next to her husband, Lloyd Huff.

Edith formerly resided in Clarendon for twenty years where she and her husband owned and operated the Coronado Motel. She moved to Vernon in 1971 and then to Fort Worth in 1997.

Survivors include her daughters, Nancy Barnhill of Lubbock, and Suzan Shearer and husband, Larry, of Hurst; grandchildren, Julie Nohejl and husband, Mike, of Stuart, Fl., Chantil Guinn and husband Gary, Angi Hays and husband, Mikel, of Keller, Bobby Wiggins and wife, Cheryl, of Saginaw, Kelli Agan and husband, Trent, of North Richland Hills, Gant Barnhill and wife, Julie, of Lubbock, and Stacey Reed, of Lubbock; and 15 great grandchildren.

Dixie Marie Irby Howard, 90, died Thursday, January 3, 2008, in Clarendon.

Graveside Services were held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 5, 2008, in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon, with Bright Newhouse, Minister of the Hedley Church of Christ, officiating. Burial was held at Citizens Cemetery. Services were under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Dixie was born on March 3, 1917, in Brownfield to William David and Claudia Townsend Irby. She married George Howard on June 10, 1940, in Oklahoma City, Okla. She had been a resident of Clarendon since 1964. She had been a college professor at Clarendon College from 1965-1987. She was a Baptist.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, George Townsend Irby and David Dale Irby.

Survivors include her husband, George Howard of Clarendon; a daughter, Karen Gaye Howard Schultz of Amarillo; two sons, William Mark Howard of Tampa, Florida, and Jeffery Miles Howard of Clarendon; a sister, Virginia Kay Helton of Amarillo; four grandchildren, Stonie Howard, Lisa Abdulla, Jeremy Howard, and Kaitlyn Howard; three great-grandchildren, Savannah Howard, Kadeja Abdulla, and Khalil Abdulla.

The family requests memorials be to the American Cancer Society.

W.K. Hardin, 100, died Monday, December 31, 2007, in Clarendon.

Services were held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 4, 2008, in St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Clarendon with Rev. Jim Aveni, Vicar, officiating. Burial was held at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon. Services were under the arrangement Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Mr. Hardin was born September 17, 1907, in Savannah, Tenn. to Watt and Lola Sims Hardin. He married Maxine Elizabeth Ellis on June 10, 1947, in Clarendon. He was a US Army World War II veteran where he attained the rank of Corporal. He had been a resident of Clarendon for over 85 years and farmed for 53 years before retiring. He tended to his garden beside his house until he was 98. He was a member of the St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church.

Mr. Hardin was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Hall Hardin; two sisters, Ruth Cearley and Ann Marie Estes.

Survivors include his wife, Maxine; three daughters, Cheryl Hardin of San Antonio, Shauna Kidd of Austin, and Kelli Mooring of Canyon; two sons, David Hardin of Clarendon and Brent Hardin of El Paso; a brother, Homer Hardin of Clarendon; a sister, Mary Kay Todd of Clovis, NM; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.

The family requests memorials be to St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church or Odyssey Hospice.

Walter Fancher, 83, died Monday, December 31, 2007.

Services were held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 4, 2008, at Bolton Street Baptist Church with Rev. Robert Field and Derwin Comer officiating.  Graveside services were held at 2:00 p.m. in Citizen’s Cemetery in Clarendon by Cox-LaGrone Funeral Home.

Mr. Fancher was born March 14, 1924, in Silverton and was raised in Hall County.  He was a graduate of Lakeview High School.  He served in the United States Marines in WWII in Iwo Jima where he was a Military Policeman.  He married Juanita Hill in 1944 in Oceanside, California.  She died in 1999.  He moved to Amarillo in 1952 where he worked as a clerk for the Santa Fe Railroad for over forty years before retiring.  Mr. Fancher loved his Lord and his church.  He was a charter member of Bolton Street Baptist Church and was instrumental in building and starting Highland Baptist Church where he served as a deacon for many years.  He loved to fish, cook, and watch football.

Survivors include one son, Ted Fancher of Amarillo; one daughter, Linda Comer and her husband Derwin of Wellington; five grandchildren, Andrea Kinzy, Cory Fancher, Rheanita Virden, Ryan Comer, and Rustin Comer; and eight grandchildren.

The family requests memorials be to Meals On Wheels.

Sally Cole Bolin, 72, died January 5, 2008, in Pampa.

Services were held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 9, 2008, at Memory Gardens Mausoleum, with Minister Robert Locher of the Philadelphia Church of God in Edmond, Okla., officiating.  Arrangements were under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors.

Mrs. Bolin was born August 13, 1935, in Saltillo.  She graduated from Saltillo High School, where she played basketball on the varsity team. She attended nursing school in Plainview.  She later moved to Hedley and worked as a nurse at Hall County Hospital in Memphis for several years.  After moving to Amarillo, she started her own housekeeping business that she owned for 35 years, retiring in 2006. Sally was a member of the Philadelphia Church of God in Edmond, Okla.  She loved spending time with her family, sewing, working cross word puzzles, baking for her great-grandchildren, and listening to Irish music.  She will be remembered most as a wonderful loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend. She was a faithful servant to God.

Survivirs include three sons, David Bolin and wife Lanita of McLean, Daniel Bolin of Hedley, and Ricky Bolin and wife Lisa of Independence, Missouri; two daughters: Nicki Fulfer of Lewisburg, Missouri, and Kim Voss and husband Mike of Pampa; 13 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren; one nephew, two nieces and a host of great-nephews and great-nieces. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jerome and Ivey Cole; and one brother, Jerome “Jerry” Cole.

The family requests memorials be made to Philadelphia Church of God, P.O. Box 3700, Edmond, Oklahoma  73083.

Murdice Lorene Tipton Hill, 81, died Monday, December 17, 2007, Amarillo.

Services were held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 20, 2007, in the First Baptist Church of Hedley, with Rev. Bruce Howard, Pastor, officiating. Burial was held at Rowe Cemetery in Hedley. Services were under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Murdice was born on April 28, 1926, in Altus, Okla., to William Dewey and Nanetta Bollier Tipton. She married Homer Wright Hill on January 3, 1947 in Hollis, Okla. She had been a resident of Hedley most of her life. She had been an operator for GTE for many years prior to her retirement. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Hedley.

Murdice was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, on March 16, 1990; a son, Chuck Hill on June 3, 1993; one brother and seven sisters.

Survivors include four sons, Bryan Hill and wife Debbie, Ronnie Hill and wife Janie, all of Hedley, Bill Hill and wife Becky of Amarillo, and Tommy Hill and wife Terry of El Paso; a sister, Winnie Jo Henry of Chattanooga, Tenn.; eight grandchildren; seven great grandchildren.

The family request memorials be to the Chuck Hill Scholarship Fund at Hedley Schools, c/o Pat White, PO Box 69, Hedley, Texas 79237.

Sign our online guestbook at www.RobertsonFuneral.com.

Beatrice Jones Smith, 89, died Sunday, December 16, 2007, in Clarendon.

Services were held at 2:00 p.m. in Saturday, December 22, 2007, in the First Baptist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Melvin Brooks, officiating. Burial followed at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.

Services were under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Mrs. Smith was born July 2, 1918, in Gilmer to Felix and Mary Jones, and attended Gilmer schools. She came to Clarendon at an early age, and had been a Clarendon resident most of her adult life. She married Bowden W. Smith on March 7, 1934, at Gilmer. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Stephens Baptist Church in Clarendon.

Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her husband on September 6, 2003; an infant daughter, Patricia; a grandson; two sisters; three brothers; and six great great grandchildren.

Survivors include three daughters, Jean McCampbell, Doris Gardner, and Joann Brown all of Clarendon; five sons, Bobby Smith and wife Cora Bell of Amarillo, Billy Smith and wife Mae of Memphis, Curtis Smith and wife Annie of Forney, B.W. Smith Jr. of Amarillo, Archie Smith and wife Vanessa of Mesquite; 27 grandchildren; 82 great grandchildren; 33 great great grandchildren; and two great great great grandchildren.

Sign our online guestbook at www.RobertsonFuneral.com.

Maurice E. Ray, Sr., died December 1, 2007, at the age of 85.

Services were at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 5, 2007, at Southwest Church of Christ with Mr. Brent Adams and Mr. Chris Moore officiating with arrangements by Schooler Funeral Home. Interment was in Llano Cemetery.

Mr. Ray was born October 2, 1922, in Burkburnett to Oscar and Edna Ray. He married Margie Green on August 2, 1945. They were married 58 years prior to her death on October 11, 2003. Mr. Ray was his wife’s caregiver for many years before her passing. He was a Christian man whose love and devotion to his family throughout his lifetime was his most rewarding accomplishment.

He married Odessa Bagwell on September 28, 2004, in Clarendon. They have lived in Howardwick for three years.

Mr. Ray was a loan officer in the banking industry for many years.  He enjoyed fishing, RV travel, gardening, and woodworking. He had been an active member of the Clarendon Church of Christ for the past three years, where he was proudly involved in volunteer work. He was a past member of Southwest Church Of Christ for many years.

He is survived by his wife; two step-daughters, Linda Pankey and husband Jerry of Lorena, and Ellen Rowell and husband George of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and two sons, Moe Ray and wife Nancy of Amarillo, and Bob Ray and wife Carol of Gun Barrel; one step-son, Henry Bagwell and wife Amy of Leonardtown, Maryland; one brother, James Ray of Pampa; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren

The family suggests memorials be to High Plains Children’s Home, PO Box 7448, Amarillo, TX 79114.