Obituaries

Funeral services for Joseph Gilchrest, Jr., age 64, of Hedley were held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 6, 2002, at Hughs Memorial Chapel in Memphis with Rev. Herlin Summers officiating.  Burial was held at Fairview Cemetery in Memphis under the direction of Hughs Funeral Home of Memphis.

Mr. Gilchrest died Wednesday, July 3, 2002, in Amarillo.  He was born on November 17, 1937, in Memphis, Texas, to the late Mr. Joseph Gilchrest, Sr., and Velma Barry Gilchrest.  He moved in Hedley in 1990 from Memphis.  He has worked for Donley County for the last four years. He attended school in Memphis.  He was also a Baptist.

He was preceded in death by one brother, Otis Gilchrest, and a sister, Velma Summers.

He is survived by one son, Joey Gilchrest of Memphis; and three grandchildren, Tracey Gilchrest, Janice Gilchrest, and Michael Gilchrest, all of Memphis.

Herman Bryant Barnes, Sr., age 85, died Sunday, June 23, 2002, in Clarendon.  Services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, 2002, at the First Christian Church in Clarendon with Leonard Hold, Pastor, officiating.  Burial will be held in Citizens Cemetery under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Mr. Barnes was born on March 23, 1917, to James Francis Barnes and Lilla Morgan in Ashdown, Arkansas.  He served in the Army Air Force during World War II from 1942 to 1945.  He married Margaret Jo Roberts on September 15, 1951.  She preceded him in death on October 20, 1995.   He was a member of the First Christian Church of Clarendon.

Survivors include one daughter, Janice Karol Stoffle of Amarillo; three sons, Herman Bryant Barnes, Jr., and wife Charlie of Kingsland, Texas; Ron Barns and wife Marie of Amarillo; Bill Barnes and wife Donna of Clarendon; a sister, Lola Mae Newton of Kingman, Arizona; two brothers, Odes Barnes of Dove Canyon, California; and Howard Barnes of Riverbank, California; 13 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; and very dear friends Gordon and Jean Hatcher of Amarillo.

Grace Mae Leathers passed away Friday at the age of 100 following a brief hospitalization in Clarendon, Texas.

She was born on September 6, 1901, in Clarksville, Tennessee to Zachariah  and Mary Batson, and rode to Donley County in a covered wagon as an infant with her family, arriving in mid-1902. She lived within ten miles of where her family settled for the rest of her life.

Grace married DeVerdie Eugene Leathers on August 4, 1918, and established a family farm near Lelia Lake. The couple had two children, Johnny Eugene and Margaret Jean. The family held onto their farm through the “dustbowl” years and the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In 1966, Grace and DeVerdie moved into a new home in Clarendon but continued to operate the farm.

They took their first trip to Colorado in 1919 and continued to tour the western states every year for the next eight decades.

In 1940 Grace and her family were chosen in a nationwide contest conducted by major metropolitan daily newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as the “Typical American Family.”

The Leathers were flown aboard a chartered American Airlines plane to Detroit, Michigan, where Henry Ford gave them a 1940 Super Deluxe sedan and entertained them at his private estate.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt invited them to the White House. Mr. Ford sent them to Washington, D.C., aboard a special train consisting of a locomotive, Mr. Ford’s private car, and a caboose.

U.S. News & World Report featured the Presidential visit, including a photograph of Grace and her family in the Oval Office with the President, who introduced them to reporters as “my family.”

When asked by a reporter many years later about the selection process for the contest, Grace said “I just wrote out a few pages about how we lived. How we raised our own food, slaughtered our own hogs, made our own soap and survived the dirty ‘30s. I suppose they just liked the way we were plain folk.”

Grace was living at home, by herself, until just a few weeks before her passing. She was keenly interested in visits to the farm at least once a week to “check up on things” and was still able to cook her own meals, do her own laundry, and take care of her own housekeeping at the age of 100.

Grace was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Clarendon.

On the occasion of her 100th birthday in 2001, she gave to each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren a leather-bound Biblical reference book with the inscription “May you ‘Seek Ye First’ the Lord and find Him ‘Your Shepherd’ as I have throughout my life.  May God bless you.”

Grace was preceded in death by DeVerdie in 1990 and by grandson Jay Williams in 1977.

She is survived by her son, Johnny Eugene Leathers of Clarendon; her daughter, Margaret Jean Williams of Dolores, Colorado; granddaughter Sharon McAnear of Durango, Colorado; grandsons David Leathers of Amarillo; Richard Leathers of Dodd City, Texas; Jan Williams of Denver, Colorado; and eight great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Monday, June 17, 2002, at 3:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Truman Ledbetter, Pastor, and Rev. Richard Leathers, grandson, officiating. Interment was in Citizens Cemetery with arrangements under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Casket bearers were Daniel Tate, David Leathers, Timothy Leathers, Jan Williams, Wayne Leathers, Clarence Murray, Jr., Ernest W. Barbee, Dave Croslin, Cecil McAfee, and Mac Devin.

Harley Clay Longan died on Tuesday, June 4, 2002, at the age of 83.  Graveside services were held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, June 6, 2002, in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon with Rev. Charlie Floyd, Pastor of Texola Baptist Church in Texola, Oklahoma officiating. 

He was born June 7, 1918, in Clarendon and had been a resident of Donley County since 1946, returning here from Dallas. He married Vera Lorelle “Bobbi” Watt on March 21, 1944, in Donley County.  She preceded him in death on May 21, 1986.  He was a US Navy Veteran of World War II. He had been a rancher most of his life before his retirement.

Survivors include four sons: Ron Longan of Howardwick; Phil Longan of Lubbock; Larry Longan of Morris, Oklahoma; and Jake Longan of Justin, Texas; nine grandchildren: Kyndle Boyd of Throckmorton; Angie Longan of Fort Worth; Robbie Longan and Penney Longan of South Fork, Colorado; Mandy Longan of Lubbock; Skeeter Longan and Matt Longan of Morris, Oklahoma; Chris Longan and Linsey Longan of Justin, Texas; and two great grandchildren, Parker Boyd and Stormy Longan.

Casket bearers were Will Chamberlain, Jay Stone, Joe Robinson, Douglas Shelton, Jiggs Mann, and Ted Shaller.

Funeral services for Clara Mae Carter, age 94, were held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, 2002, in the First Baptist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Truman Ledbetter, Pastor, officiating.  Burial was held in Citizens Cemetery under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., in Clarendon.

Mrs. Carter died Thursday, May 30, 2002, in Pampa.  She was born October 15, 1907, in DeLeon, Texas.  She married Amul Cyrus Carter on July 24, 1927, at Camey, Arkansas.  He preceded her in death on July 17, 1970.  She came from Arkansas to Lelia Lake in 1928 and then moved to Clarendon in 1945.  She had worked at Dixie Café, Jake’s Steak Out, and Mrs. Bromley’s Restaurant in Clarendon, and while at Mrs. Bromley’s, was written up in Texas Monthly magazine as “The Fastest Waitress in the West.”  She later also was the cook for the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.  She joined the First Baptist Church in Lelia Lake in 1932 and later became a member of the First Baptist Church in Clarendon.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Lavern Howard; a brother, Guy Daniell; and a grandson Adam N. Carter on April 29, 2002.

Survivors include three sons, Garth Carter of Clarendon, Jimmy Carter of Amarillo, and Neel Carter of Miami, Texas; two sisters, Mary L. Carter of Sherman and Mavis Loe of Jefferson, Texas; 12 grandchildren; and 13 great grandchildren.

Casket bearers were Ronnie Tyra, Jerry Hicks, Larry Hicks, Johnny Carter, Jay Carter, and Craig Hoyler.

Charles S. (Bill) Williams, 81, died Thursday, May 23, 2002, from congestive heart failure in East Texas Medical Center, Tyler, Texas.   Services were held in the Caudle-Rutledge Funeral Home Chapel on Saturday, May 25 for friends and family followed by graveside services and burial in the Lindale City Cemetery. 

Mr. Williams was born in Ranger, Texas, June 1, 1920 and raised in the Abilene, Texas area.  He married Mahdene “Dee” Williams in 1940.  They lived in San Francisco where Mr. Williams was attached to the Navy on Guam during the war.  They resided briefly in Memphis where Bill worked for West Texas Utilities before moving to Clarendon in 1949.  After a brief partnership with Dick Chunn, Bill took over the business and established Clarendon Electric.  Over the years Bill added licenses in plumbing, heating and air conditioning and was active in several professional organizations. 

During his years in Clarendon, Bill was an active member of the Lions Club.  In 1966 he sold the business and moved to Dimmitt, Texas, where he opened A-1 Mechanical.  Mr. Williams sold A-1 mechanical in 1982 and retired to Hideaway Lakes where he enjoyed golfing, boating and fishing in his later years.  He was a member of Hideaway Lake Community Church and was active in the Kiwanis Club.

Survivors include Betty Williams, his wife of 26 years, of Hideaway Lakes; two daughters, Connie W. Stewart of Galveston, and Cyndy Reynolds of Dimmitt; two grandchildren, Cherie D. Floyd of Clarendon and Christopher Reynolds of Dimmitt; and three great-grandchildren, Crystal, James and Charlie all of Clarendon.

The family suggests memorials be to The American Heart Association.

Memorial services for Patricia Jordan, age 70, of Amarillo, were held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 30, 2002, in the Washington Avenue Christian Church with Tom Posey and Ed Moderick officiating.  Arrangements were under the direction of Griggs and Sons Funeral Directors in Amarillo.

Mrs. Jordan died Thursday, May 23, 2002, in Amarillo.  She was born and raised in Clarendon.  She married Billy Jack Jordan on February 28, 1949, in Clarendon.  They moved to Amarillo in 1950 and then to Belen, New Mexico, in 1977. She retired in Amarillo in 1991.  She was a secretary for many years working for Plastic Fabricators, Pantex, as well as Santa Fe Railroad.  She was voted Amarillo’s Secretary of the Year in 1964.  She was a member of the Washington Avenue Christian Church.

Survivors include her husband; a son, Kim Jordan and wife, Paula, of Canyon; a daughter, Karla McElroy and husband, B. James, of Seattle; her mother, Roberta Pittman of Clarendon; a brother, Billy Carl Pittman of Austin; two sisters, Judy Burlin and Jeanie Johnson, both of Clarendon; and four grandchildren, Jerrica Jordan, Billy Jack Jordan II, Charise McElroy, and Jared McElroy.

The family suggests memorials to Alzheimer’s Association Panhandle Chapter.

Private graveside services and interment for Louis Dale Hollingsworth, age 69, were held at the Claude Cemetery.  Memorial services were held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, 2002, in the First Baptist Church in Panhandle with Bob Thomas of Crown of Texas Hospice, officiating.

Arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Mr. Hollingsworth died Thursday, May 23, 2002, in Claude.  He was born August 12, 1932, in Amarillo and graduated from Claude High School in 1950 and Texas Tech in 1954 and received a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the Air Force.  He served in the Air Force from September 1954 until September 1957 and was released from active duty at James Connally AFT in Waco as a Navigator.  He was released from inactive Reserves as a Captain in 1970.  He was a lifetime resident of Armstrong County.  He married Jean Hudgins on July 19, 1954, at Amarillo.  He had worked for the USDA Soil and Water Conservation Service at Claude from 1961-66; designed and constructed fertilizer applicators at Amarillo Air Force Base from 1966-67; and was an Engineering Technician for USDA South West Great Plains Research Center at Bushland 1967-69.  He received a Master of Science in Agriculture Engineering from Texas Tech University in December 1972 and a Master of Agriculture from WTSU on May 16, 1975.  He worked as an agronomist at Texas Tech Research Farm from 1969-73; taught agriculture at Clarendon College 1973-75; and worked at the Research Center at Halfway, Texas 1975-77 before transferring to Texas A&M Research Center at Bushland as their Agronomist, retiring in 1986 to continue farming in Armstrong County full time.  He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Panhandle and the Texas Retired Teachers Association.  He achieved Champion National Stubble Mulching contest at Wichita Falls in 1962; USDA SCS Certificate of Merit – Panhandle Work Unit in 1965; Outstanding Conservation Farmer, NW Texas – Fort Worth Press in 1967; Form Worth Press Conservationist of the Year – Lions International in 1968; Outstanding Young Farmer, Soil Conservation District – Claude in 1968; and WTSU Agriculture Honorary Society in 1974.

He was preceded in death by his father, W.L. Hollingsworth and an aunt, Grace Wiegman.

Survivors include his mother, Fern of Panhandle; his wife, Jean of the home; daughters Katherine Brown and husband Robert of Weatherford, and Karla Jenkins and husband Jr. R. of Whitman, Nebraska; a son, Robert Dale Hollingsworth of Claude; eight grandchildren, Holli and Kody Brown, Ross and Ransom Hollingsworth, Jeanna, Nathan, Joshua, and Jacob Jenkins.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials be made to Johnstown Rodeo Bible Camp, c/o J.R. Jenkins, 13675 Husker Lane, Whitman, NE 60366; Weatherford Equestrian Drill Team “Riding for the Cure,” c/o Trisha Carter, 1704 Cut Off Road, Weatherford, TX 76086; or a favorite charity.

Funeral services for Orval Leonard “Bud” Myers, age 86, were held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, 2002, in Robertson Chapel of Memories in Clarendon with Rev. Darrell Burton, Pastor of Martin Baptist Church, officiating.  Graveside services and interments were held at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday in Truscott Cemetery under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Mr. Myers died Friday, May 24, 2002, in Amarillo.  He was born July 31, 1915, in Truscott, Knox County, Texas, and lived in Lelia Lake from 1982 until 2001, when he moved to Clarendon.  He married Helen Aline Morrow on May 21, 1946, at Truscott.  He was employed by Exxon Corporation for 35 years before he retired and had farmed and ranched most of his life.  He was a US Marine Corps veteran of World War II and a member of the First Baptist Church in Clarendon.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Myers of Clarendon; two daughters, Peggy Joyce Spencer of Portland, Oregon, Patricia Diane Williamson of Dumas; three sons, Tommy Lynn Myers of Amarillo, Buddy Lee Myers of Fort Worth, Larry Don Myers of Pampa; one brother, Wilson Myers of Crowell; seven grandchildren; and five great grandchildren.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be to Crown of Texas Hospice, 1000 South Jefferson, Amarillo, TX 79101.

Graveside services for Rose T. Hall, age 97, were held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, 2002, in the Alanreed Cemetery with George Watson, Church of Christ minister from McLean, and Kent Watson, Church of Christ minister from Claude, officiating.  Burial was held at Alanreed Cemetery under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Mrs. Hall died Wednesday, May 15, 2002, in Clarendon.  She was born October 16, 1904, in the Looney-Eldorado area in Oklahoma.  Her family moved to the Laketon community near Miami in 1908.  She had also lived in Pampa and Lefors. She graduated from West Texas Normal Institute in 1923 and taught school in Whitefish, Glenwood, and Alanreed schools prior to her retirement.  She married George Marvin Hall on August 30, 1923, at Clarendon.  She was a member of the Church of Christ.

She was preceded in death by her husband on April 26, 1979, and by two sisters.

Survivors include three daughters, Beth Sharp of Clarendon, Jeannie Adams of Alanreed, and Kay Hallum of Brownwood; one son, Jack Hall of Clarendon; eleven grandchildren; and fourteen great grandchildren.

The family requests the memorials be to the Rose T. Hall Math Education Scholarship, WTAMU Foundation, Box 60776, Canyon, Texas 79016-0001; or to the Alanreed Cemetery Fund, Alanreed, Texas 79002.