Obituaries

Funeral services for Earl L. Parker, age 76, of Wellington, were held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 26, 2004, at the Faith Baptist Church with Rev. Tommy Needham of Amarillo and Rev. Ronnie Lambert of Hedley officiating.  Burial was held at North Fairview Cemetery.

Mr. Parker died Friday, September 24, 2004, in Wellington.  He married Billie Tipton on June 14, 1947, in Clarendon.  She preceded him in death in 1987.  He married Norma Needham on October 11, 1997, in Wellington. He was a member of the Faith Baptist Church, where he served as deacon and was a song leader for many years.  He had farmed and ranched and was the county road administrator for many years.

He was preceded in death by two brothers, Loyd and Mearl, and a sister Vera.

Survivors include his wife, Norma Parker of Wellington; two sons, James Parker of Cache, Oklahoma, and Leon Parker of Wellington; three daughters, Sue Parker, Margie Hughes, and Patricia Melton, all of Wellington; five step-sons, Tommy Needham of Amarillo; Richard Needham of Vinson, Oklahoma; Lonnie Needham, Jr., Johnny Needham, and Ricky Needham, all of Wellington; one brother, Wayne Parker of New Deal; eight grandchildren; 16 step grandchildren; one great grandchild; and numerous step great grandchildren.

Pallbearers were John Nash, Tony Hunter, J.D. Hamby, Marshall Peters, C.H. Jones, and Tommy Baker.

Memorials can be made to the Wellington Cemetery Association or Faith Baptist Church.

Funeral services for Susie Leroy Walls Shields, age 84, were held at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 28, 2004, in the Clarendon Church of Christ with Don Stone of Clarendon, and Justin Lemons, grandson, officiating.  Burial was held in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon under of the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Mrs. Shields died Saturday, September 25, 2004, in Clarendon.  She was born October 22, 1919, in Donley County, near Lelia Lake where she lived most of her life.  She married Henry Hester Shields on January 22, 1936, in Clovis, New Mexico. She received her home economics degree in 1959 and taught in the Clarendon Schools for two years and then in the Hedley Schools for several years before her retirement.  She was a member of the Clarendon Church of Christ.

She was preceded in death by her husband on October 18, 1987; by her parents; and by nine brothers and four sisters.

Survivors include two daughters, Patty Lemons and husband Jerry of Clarendon, and Becky King and husband A.K. of Fritch; one son, Buster Shields and wife Jeri Ann of Lelia Lake; one sister, Elwanda Gardner of Viola, Arkansas; 13 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; and nine great great grandchildren.

Funeral services for Katie Taylor, age 71, were held at 2:00 p.m. on September 28, 2004, in Carmichael-Whatley Colonial Chapel in Pampa with Leonard Holt, minister of Agape Christian Church in Clarendon, officiating.  Burial was held in Fairview Cemetery under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Pampa. A committal service was held on Tuesday, September 28, 2004, at 11:00 a.m.

Mrs. Taylor died Saturday, September 25, 2004, in Amarillo. She was born December 13, 1932, at Enid, Oklahoma and attended Phillips University in Enid.  She had been a resident of Pampa since 1956.  She married Leon Taylor on June 1, 1957, at Clovis, New Mexico.  She was a former member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and the Pampa Optimist Club.  She was a member of the Agape Christian Church in Clarendon.  Mrs. Taylor worked as a legal secretary for Judges Don Cain and Grainger McIlhaney.

She was preceded in death by three sisters.            

Survivors include her husband, Leon Taylor of the home; two sons, Dub Taylor of Boerne and Bobby Taylor of Noblesville, Indiana; two sisters, Dorothy Johnson of Oklahoma City and Lois Ware of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; and five grandchildren.

Memorial can be made to Agape Christian Church in Clarendon.

Funeral services for Katie Mae Moreman, age 96, of Rush Springs, Oklahoma, were held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 27, 2004, at the First United Methodist Church in Rush Springs, Oklahoma, with Rev. Margaret Forthman officiating.  Burial was held in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.

Mrs. Moreman died Saturday, September 25, 2004, in Marlow, Oklahoma. She was born May 10, 1908, in Estelline to Raymond Anderson Ewing and Willie Marie Geddes Ewing.  She married Thomas Ralph Moreman, Jr., on March 3, 1929, in Clarendon.  He preceded her in death in 1951.  She lived in Rush Springs since 1977 and was a former resident of Pasadena, California.  She worked for Bullock’s Department Store for 15 years and for Bank of America.  She was a member of the Eastern Star, past president of the Bon Temps, and a member of the First United Methodist Church in Rush Springs.  She was involved in the UMU in Rush Springs.  She loved painting, gardening, and pets.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, brothers, and sister.

Survivors include nephews, Donald Henderson and wife Sallye of College Station, Dr. Jack Moreman of Clarendon, and Dr. David Moreman of Front Royal, Virginia; nieces, Jan Dorman and husband Bill of Rush Springs, Oklahoma; Earline Yates and husband Richard of Omaha, Texas; and Joan Ray Whitmore of Harrison, Arkansas; a sister-in-law, Cevera Ewing of High Plains, Florida; great niece, Suzanna Kate Cooper and husband Matt of Midland, Texas; and great nephews, Rep. Joe Dorman of Rush Springs, OK; Mike Yates of Dallas; Brad Henderson of Fort Worth; and Tommy Ewing of High Plains, Florida.

Fred Ellis “Trey” Chamberlain III, a lifelong citizen of Clarendon and former business and civic leader, died last Friday, September 17. He was 52.

Funeral services were held Monday in the First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Robin Gantz, Pastor, and Rev. Larry Black of Abilene, officiating.  Burial followed in Citizens Cemetery.

“Trey lived life to the limits and sometimes pushed the limits,” Gantz said at the service. She also recalled him as a man who “was a Presbyterian through and through.”

Chamberlain was born October 17, 1951, in Lubbock.  He married Diane Haggis on April 26, 1975, in Norwood, Ohio.  He attended Clarendon Public Schools and graduated high school from Kemper Military Academy in Booneville, Missouri, in 1970. 

He graduated from General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management and a minor in mechanical engineering. Chamberlain worked for GM and Buick and joined the engineering team for Opal cars. During his time with GM, he was part of the team that put the first electronic fuel injection system on a car made in America.

He returned to Clarendon in 1975 to involve himself in Chamberlain Motor Company, a family owned car dealership established by his father in 1956. He took on the role of general manager because of his father’s poor health. The family later embarked on an enlargement of the business; and, at one point, Chamberlain’s had the largest showroom in Texas.

The dealership carried Cadillac, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, and GMC lines and later added Chevrolet. 

In 1980, Chamberlain became dealer principal of the business upon his father’s death. He sold the family business in 2002 to Mark Suna and reflected on his career in an August 8, 2002, interview with The Clarendon Enterprise.

“I started work hoeing weeds in the fifth grade,” Chamberlain said then. “I got an inside job in the parts department when I got my driver’s license at 14.”

Trey said the early- and mid-1980s were good years for business with a resurgence in the early-1990s. The business and the family suffered a blow in 2001 with the death of Jean Chamberlain, but it was Trey’s coming down with pancreatitis in 1996 that really brought on the need to sell, he said.

“I appreciate all the friends I’ve made and the people I could help,” Chamberlain said in 2001. “Of course, you want to make money; that’s why you’re in business. But it’s when you can help people that makes it really worthwhile. I appreciate all the repeat customers and helping them. I will miss that part of the job.”

During his business career, Chamberlain was a Texas Automobile Dealer Association board member, a Caballero Life Insurance Group member, a National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) member, and treasurer of the Silver Star Oldsmobile Advertising Group from 1982-1998. He twice received the Cadillac Master Dealer Award and got the Best in Class Award from Buick and the Top Customer Satisfaction Award.

He was past president of Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, past president of Clarendon Economic Development Corporation, and a member of the Clarendon Lions Club. He was an elder and a member of the First Presbyterian Church. 

He was preceded in death by his father, Fred E. Chamberlain, Jr., in 1980 and his mother, Jean Colvin Chamberlain, in 2001.

Survivors include his wife, Diane Chamberlain of Clarendon; one daughter, Catherine Chamberlain of Dallas; one son, Chris Chamberlain of Clarendon; one sister, Carol Thompson and husband, Gene, of Pampa.

The family requests that memorials be to the First Presbyterian Church in Clarendon or the Presbyterian Children’s Home in Amarillo.

Emmett Hall, 84, passed away Wednesday, September 8, 2004, in Hurst, Texas.

Emmett was a retired printer from the Amarillo Daily News.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Helen Margaret Sheckells; grandson, Kevin Hall; and a sister, Vivian Cluck.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Margaret Hall; a son and daughter-in-law; Durell and Vicki Hall; a brother Truett Hall: five grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other family members.

Interment was Saturday, September 11, 2004, at Bear Creek Cemetery in Euless, Texas, under the direction of Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst.

Funeral services for Verdie Mary Tipton, age 85, were held at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15, 2004, in Robertson Chapel of Memories with Rev. Jim Aveni, Pastor of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Clarendon, officiating.  Burial was held in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Mrs. Tipton died Monday, September 13, 2004, in Clarendon.  She was born March 15, 1919, in Grandbury, Texas, and had been a Clarendon resident since 1937.  She married Ernest Arron Tipton on August 31, 1935, at Poolville, Texas.  She was an avid quilter for more than 35 years and had worked as a rural route mail carrier for several years.  She was a volunteer at the Donley County Senior Citizens Association and was a member of the local quilting club.  She was a homemaker and a member of the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.

She was preceded in death by her husband on October 14, 1985.

Survivors include one daughter, Stella Ann Boatman of Davis, Oklahoma; one son, Edgar “Eddie” Leroy Tipton of Malakoff, Texas; one sister, Donna Rider of Houston; three brothers, Jess Woodard of Wichita Falls; Herman Woodard of Weatherford, Texas; and Cecil Woodard of Salt Lake City, Utah; five grandchildren, Donnie Schaffer, Tony Schaffer, Jerry Schaffer, Pam Camarillo, and Kellie Boren; 13 great grandchildren; six great great grandchildren; and special friends and neighbors, Ann Bunyan and Pat McCombs.

Casket bearers were Calvin Schaffer, Jerry Schaffer, Tony Schaffer, Donnie Schaffer, Jess Woodard, and Herman Woodard.

The family requests that memorials be to Odyssey Hospice in Amarillo or to Shepards Crook Nursing and Home Health Care in Clarendon.

Joe Bob Fish, age 51, of Alanreed, Texas, died Thursday, September 9, 2004.

Private services will be held by the family at a date and time of their choosing.  Final arrangements are by Bailey-Ware Funeral Home in McLean.

Mr. Fish was born August 20, 1953, in Pampa.  He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1964 and while there earned his Master of Arts degree in history.  He also began a career dedicated to serving others, working for Senator Alan Cranston’s office and ADEPT, an organization dedicated to assisting people with disabilities in finding housing and employment.

Joe returned to the Texas Panhandle in 1964.  He lived and worked in McLean, where he served for three years as Editor of the McLean News.  He then moved to Amarillo, where for several years he served as Executive Director of PACILS (The Panhandle Action Center for Independent Living Skills), another organization dedicated to assisting people with disabilities.

Many residents of Amarillo and the surrounding area still enjoy the benefits of Joe’s lifetime of service, as Joe was responsible for writing grants to secure monies for Amarillo’s Public Transportation System and KFDA’s close-captioning system.

He was preceded in death by his father, Sanford Cletis Fish.

Survivors include his mother, Jeanette Fish of Alanreed; his sister and brother-in-law, Larry and Lynn Swanson of McLean; his brother and sister-in-law, Dan and Sasha Fish of Alanreed; and three nephews and two nieces, Tony and Amy Polito of Clarendon, Ryan Swanson of Amarillo, and Taylor Fish and Parker Fish of Alanreed.  He is also survived by a host of uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.

The family has requested that any memorials be made in Joe’s memory to the Shriner’s Hospital and the Scottish Rites Children’s Memorial Hospital in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Funeral services for Wilma Hunt, age 89, of Silverton were held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 2, 2004, at the First United Methodist Church in Silverton with Rev. Ronald Ledbetter, son-in-law, pastor of Sunset Baptist Church in Ponca City, Oklahoma, officiating and assisted by Pastor Rance Young of Silverton.  Burial was held at the Silverton Cemetery under the direction of Myers-Long Funeral Home.

Mrs. Hunt died Monday, August 30, 2004.  She was born September 8, 1914, at Mertens, Texas.  She married Frank Hunt on July 3, 1934, in Memphis, Texas.  Mrs. Hunt was a homemaker and a member of the First United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband; a grandson, Gary Don Ledbetter; five brothers; and two sisters.

Survivors include one son, Gary and wife Nena of Clarendon; one daughter, Frankie Ledbetter and husband Ronald of Ponca City, Oklahoma; four grandchildren, Clint Hunt of Silverton, Kayla Lindley of Lakeview, Teri Johnson of Hollis, Oklahoma, Chris Ledbetter of Ponca City, Oklahoma; nine great grandchildren: Zane Hunt of Silverton; Kortni, Kamri, and Kelbi Lindley of Lakeview; Shacy Woods of Lawton, Oklahoma; Chisum Johnson of Hollis, Oklahoma; Carie and Michael Ledbetter of Chickasha, Oklahoma; and Sabrina Ledbetter of Moore, Oklahoma; one great great grandchild, Drew Woods of Lawton, Oklahoma; three brothers: C.L. McWilliams of Silverton, and Billy and Bobby McWilliams of Quitaque; one sister, Mary Sue Bingham of Amarillo; and several nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Clarendon Medical Center Nursing Home Administration and Staff and Mary and Johnny Asebedo of Silverton for extending their loving care to our dear Mother.

The family suggests memorials be to the First United Methodist Church in Silverton or the Silverton Cemetery Association.

Ruby Inez Bland passed away peacefully on August 14, 2004 in Casa Grande, Arizona, at the age of 84.

Inez, formerly of Hedley, Texas, was the beloved wife of the late Travis Earl Bland and devoted mother of Shirley Hutcherson, Casa Grande, Arizona; Tommy Bland (Yoi) of California City, California; and Phyllis Black (Ross) of Burke, Virginia.  She was the sister of Hoover Harrison (LaVerne) of Amarillo, Texas; Billie Bob Harrison (Margie) of Fultondale, Alabama; the late Juanita Roach (Edgar); and the late Icie Pierce.  

Inez is also survived by 12 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren, and 9 great-great grandchildren. 

Visitation of the family will be at the First United Methodist Church of Hedley at noon on Saturday, September 18, 2004, to be followed by a memorial service at 2:00 p.m.  Interment was private.

Contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to the Rowe Cemetery Fund, Hedley, Texas.