Florita Branigan, 84, of Memphis died Friday, February 12, 2010.
Graveside services were at 10 a.m. Tuesday, February 16, in Fairview Cemetery by Cox-LaGrone Funeral Home, 4180 Canyon Drive. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. in First United Methodist Church of Memphis with Rob Blum and Neely Landrum officiating.
Mrs. Branigan was born August 7, 1925, in Oklahoma City. She attended high school in Hitchcock, Okla. She married Elmont Branigan in Clinton, Okla., on March 20, 1945. Mrs. Branigan received a teaching certificate from Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Branigans moved to Memphis and purchased the business from Dr. Charles Oren, and it became Branigan Jewelry on February 1, 1947. The store moved to its present location on November 1, 1960. Mrs. Branigan worked with the youth of Hall County with service to Boy and Girl Scouting, for more than 25 years, working as a staff member at the last Girl Scout Roundup, as well as 4-H, Memphis Band Booster and Methodist youth groups. Mrs. Branigan had an art of engraving and much of her handiwork was donated in support of the youth of Memphis and the surrounding communities.
After the death of Elmont, she continued supporting businesses in Memphis, as she served as the Women’s Council President of Memphis Chamber of Commerce, and was honored by being elected the “First Lady President” of the regular Chamber of Commerce, receiving the “Work Horse of the Year” award. In 1981, she was selected Beta Sigma Phi Women of the Year, and then again in 1986-87. The Branigan family was also chosen as “Family of the Year” by the Memphis Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Branigan received several awards in the past few years of her life, receiving the highest award from Girl Scouting with the “I Can” award, along with being honored with the 2009 Women of Distinction. One of Mrs. Branigan’s passions was her church family, as she was a member of the First United Methodist Church, serving as secretary to the Administrative Council almost 40 years and had the privilege of teaching the Victory Sunday School class for over 30 years. She was also a charter member of the Club 51.
During the last several years, Florita began chronicling her life in Memphis and several of her quotes follow: “Memphis has been very generous to my family and me. I can think of no better community in which to live. It is like having one big family, everyone helping the other, and there is much love in Memphis, Texas. Only through the help and encouragement I have received could any of these many things been accomplished.” “Through our doors walk the most wonderful people in the world, Our Friends, Our Customers, for this I say “Thank You.”
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Elmont Branigan, in 1982; and her sister, Olive Simmons in 1991.
Survivors include one son, Mike Branigan and wife Linda of Memphis; a daughter, Elmonette Bivens and husband Paul of Clarendon; grandchildren, Michelle Bryant and husband Matt of Memphis, Shayne Branigan and wife Angie of Memphis, Stephen Bivens and wife Katrina of Amarillo and Scott Bivens and wife Alyssa of Lubbock; 12 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews, MaryLou Lozier and husband Tad of Fritch, Mark Simmons and wife Betty of Calhan, Colo., Dwight Branigan and wife Pat of Euless, Galen Branigan and wife Kay of Amarillo, Gary Branigan and wife Dianna of Arlington, Norman Freeman and wife Patsy of Martin, Tenn., and Linville Freeman and wife Martha of Martin, Tenn. She is also survived by 19 great-nieces and great-nephews.
The family requests memorials be made to the McLean Dance Club, Box 177, Wheeler, TX 79096; the Donley County Senior Citizens, PO Drawer B, Clarendon, TX 79226; the United Methodist Church in Clarendon or Memphis; or your favorite charity.
This Week
City, college develop contested races
Competitive races have developed at two of the seven local boards holding elections this spring as filing continues through next Monday.
The City of Clarendon will hold an election to choose the three aldermen for two-year terms. Those positions are currently held by Aldermen Tommy Hill, Kyle Davis, and Will Thompson. At press time on Tuesday, only Alderman Thompson had filed for re-election, and new candidates so far are Jeff King, Jeremy Powell, and former alderman Terry Noble.
The Clarendon College District has drawn four candidates for the three open positions on the Board of Regents. Incumbents Susie Shields, Charles Deyhle, and Ruth Robinson are joined by challenger Jerry Gage.
Howardwick City Hall was closed for business Tuesday morning as a primary polling location, so information about who has or has not signed up to run for offices there was not available. Howardwick has three positions up on its Board of Aldermen. The positions are currently held by Rod Donaldson and Tanis McMorries, and one is vacant following the recent resignation of LeeAnn Cook.
Hedley ISD has had only one candidate sign up for the three positions available on its Board of Trustees. Incumbent Karen Watt is running to serve the remainder of the unexpired term she was appointed to. Two full terms up for election this year are currently held by James Edward Potts and Troy Monroe.
All the incumbents at the City of Hedley have filed for re-election and have not yet drawn any opposition. Those seats are now held by Mayor Bruce Howard, Leon Ward, Tonya Metcalf, Travis Thomas, and Lonnie Roby.
Likewise at Clarendon ISD, the three incumbents – Robin Ellis, Jim Shelton, and Marvin Thompson – are seeking re-election and are unopposed so far.
The Donley County Hospital District has three candidates for four positions so far. Incumbent Jeannie Owens has filed to run for her Place 5 hospital board seat, and Mark C. White is seeking re-election to Place 6. Jan Farris has filed to run for Place 4, which is currently held by Greg Collins, who is reportedly not seeking re-election. The other open seat this year is held by Lori Howard at Place 7.
All local offices are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must sign up for a specific place.
Sign up continues through March 8, 2010; and the elections will be held Saturday, May 8.
Jane Whicker Gilkey
Jane Whicker Gilkey, 82, died Saturday, February 27, 2010, in Amarillo.
Services were held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 28, 2010, in the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Terry Lowe, Pastor, officiating. Interment followed at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon. Services were under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Jane was born on May 19, 1927, to J.E. and Catherine Smith Whicker in Lubbock. She had moved to Amarillo when she was 11 years old and later graduated from Amarillo High School in 1945. She attended Amarillo College and then West Texas State University where she met and later married James Ray Moore on February 9, 1947. James and Jane moved to Clarendon in 1948. He preceded her in death on October 31, 1961. She then married Dr. Richard Lee “Rip” Gilkey on March 21, 1963. After 39 years of marriage, he preceded her in death on August 14, 2002. She had moved back to Amarillo on October 2001 at Park Place Towers where she was a resident until her death. She was very active member of the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon where she sang in the choir and served on virtually every committee.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, James Ray Moore on October 31, 1961; her second husband, Dr. Richard Gilkey on August 14, 2002.
Survivors include two sons, Jim Moore and wife Karen of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and John Moore and wife Cathy of Waxahachie; two daughters, Melinda McAnear and husband Ronnie of Clarendon and Tina Putnam and husband David of Austin; nine grandchildren; and five great grandchildren.
The family requests that memorials be to Hospice Care of Southwest, 1301 South Coulter Suite 404, Amarillo, TX 79106 or the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.
US Census launching rural count
Hand Delivery of Census Questionnaire launches in rural Texas
Many rural Texans will begin receiving their 2010 Census forms this week as trained Census workers begin the hand-delivery of a million questionnaires to households without numbered street addresses and to those in other areas, such as the coastal areas ravaged by hurricanes and the colonias along the Texas-Mexico border.
Census workers hit the country roads starting March 1 to begin the first major operation of the 2010 Census: the enumeration of an estimated 25 million rural residents across the country and almost 4 million in Texas. The operation runs through the month of March and marks the beginning of the 2010 Census questionnaire delivery. Although it will cover almost two-thirds of the geography of Texas, almost 90 percent of Texas’ 8.2 million households will likely receive the Census questionnaire by mail, the least expensive mode of delivery, around the third week in March.
“We’re going to bring it right to your door,” said Gabriel Sanchez, Dallas Regional Census Director. “It will either come in the mail or we are going to take the extra step of delivering it in person.”
In Texas, the so-called update enumeration will involve mobilizing perhaps 6,000 enumerators and support staff to cover the four-week operation. They will deliver questionnaires to more than 1 million Texas households.
Census Day is April 1, the day that the law requires you to be counted at the address where to live and sleep most of the time. The Census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
Pampa man rolls concrete truck
A Pampa man escaped life-threatening injuries just after noon last Wednesday when the concrete truck he was driving overturned.
Department of Public Safety Trooper Chad Simpson said Benito Chavez, age 50, was traveling at an unsafe speed for the curve he was entering while southeast bound on FM 2162, also known as the JA Ranch Road. Simpson said the man then overcorrected while steering and the loaded Pampa Concrete truck rolled over onto its left side and top and slid into the south ditch.
During the accident the mixer drum severely damaged highway surface, creating a crater several inches deep, and came loose from the truck itself.
Simpson said the damage required the immediate attention of the Texas Department of Transportation to fix the roadway.
The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department extracted Benito, and he was transported by the Associated Ambulance Authority and airlifted by LifeStar for treatment in Amarillo. His condition at press time was not known, but Simpson said Benito did not have life-threatening injuries. He was wearing his seatbelt.
In addition to the fire department, ambulance service and DPS, those responding to this accident were the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, TxDOT, and several Good Samaritans.
EMS service getting two new ambulances
Two new Crestline Commander ambulances are expected to arrive at the Associated Ambulance Authority on March 18.
The ambulances cost a total of $252,000, which will be partially paid for with the help of a $35,000 grant from the Texas Department of State Health and $24,000 that the ambulance service has saved for the purchases. The sale and trade-in of two older ambulances will provide about $10,000, and the balance will be covered by a five-year note.
“Everyone on the hospital board is thrilled about the new ambulances,” Donley County Hospital District Administrator Anna Howard said. “We’re ready for them to get here.”
The need for the new ambulances is due to two of the present units’ mechanical problems and constant malfunctioning. All three ambulances are out of warranty, so repairs to them require out of pocket fees.
“The board figured it would be cheaper to go ahead and get the new ambulances,” Howard said. “The 2004 ambulance that will be traded in has been malfunctioning since 2005, and it actually has been a part of a litigation process because of continuous malfunction.”
Another reason the hospital board decided to purchase the ambulances now is because new emission laws and requirements going into effect starting in 2011 are going to cause ambulances to go up in price by $5,000-8,000 per unit.
“We decided it would be more economical to go ahead and get the ambulances now because of the increased cost of ambulances in the future,” Howard said.
Over the past seven years, the number of calls to the ambulance station have gradually increased from 553 total calls in 2003 to 749 in 2009. From the beginning of this year, there have already been 104 ambulance calls.
“Usually January and February are our slow months,” Howard said. “If it keeps it up, then we could very well get into the 900s, which is a large amount for a small rural ambulance department.”
Howard said the increase in calls is possibly due to the economy.
“People can’t afford to go to the regular doctor to take care of routine illnesses, so they wait until it gets really bad, and then call emergency vehicles to treat their sickness,” Howard said.
The rise in calls has caused two, even three ambulances to be out running at the same time.
“The two new units are a necessity,” Howard said. “It has become a regular thing that both ambulances are running together. We need two ambulances that don’t malfunction due to this increase in yearly calls.”
The Ambulance Authority is looking forward to the new ambulances arrival.
“We’re just waiting patiently waiting now, hoping the units don’t break down before the new ones get here,” Howard said.
Primary elections to be held Tuesday
Voters will celebrate Texas Independence Day next Tuesday by heading to the polls and casting ballots in party primaries.
Polling places for the Democratic Primary are as follows: Precinct 101 – Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center, Precinct 102 – Howardwick City Hall, Precinct 201 – Donley County Courthouse Judge’s Office, Precinct 301 & 302 – Hedley Lions Club, and Precinct 401 – Burton Memorial Library.
Republican polling places are: Precinct 101 – Clarendon College Bairfield Activity, Precinct 102 – Howardwick City Hall, Precinct 201 Donley County Courthouse Commissioners Courtroom, Precinct 301 – Assembly of God Fellowship Hall, Precinct 303 – Hedley Senior Citizens Center, and Precinct 401 – Church of Christ Family Life Center.
Early voting for both parties continues at the County Clerk’s office in the Courthouse Annex through this Friday. As of Tuesday morning, 96 Republicans had cast early ballots, and 23 Democrats had voted.
Local Democrats have one contested race on their ballot. Colleen Owens and Doug Wright are vying for the party’s nomination for Pct. 3&4 Justice of the Peace.
Donley County Republicans have two contested races on their ballot this year. Incumbent Donnie Hall is being challenged by Mitchell Martin for the nomination to run for County Commissioner of Precinct 2.
Three men – Joe Hall, Dan Sawyer, and Bill Spier – are seeking the Republican nomination to run for County Commissioner of Precinct 4.
Other candidates on the Republican ballot include Denise Bertrand for Pct. 3&4 Justice of the Peace, Janette Gail Wagner Cox for County/District Clerk, and incumbent Wanda Smith for County Treasurer. Tom Stauder also appears on the Republican ballot to continue as party chairman.
Balloting next Tuesday will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check your voter’s registration card to see what precinct you should vote in.
Sign-up period still underway
The sign-up period continues for citizens who might wish to serve as candidates for any of seven local boards holding elections this May.
The filing deadline for these offices is March 8, 2010; and the elections will be held May 8.
The City of Clarendon will hold an election to choose the three aldermen for two-year terms, and the City of Howardwick will also elect three aldermen for two-year terms.
The City of Hedley will choose a mayor and four aldermen. The mayor and two aldermen positions are full two-year terms. Two other positions are unexpired terms.
Three positions on the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees are up this year. Those seats are three-year terms.
Two full terms and one unexpired term are up on the Hedley ISD Board of Trustees. The full terms are for three years, and the unexpired term has one year remaining.
The Clarendon College Board of Regents has three seats up for election this year. Those positions are six-year terms.
The Donley County Hospital District will select four two-year positions on its board, Places 4, 5, 6, and 7. All local offices are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must sign up for a specific place.
Elena Ann Donald
Elena Ann Donald, 75, died Monday, February 15, 2010, in Amarillo.
Graveside services were held at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 17, 2010, in the Goodnight Cemetery with Barry Owens, Minister of Music at First Baptist Church of Pampa, officiating. Interment was held at Goodnight Cemetery. Services were under the direction Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Miss Donald was born July 31, 1934, in Pampa, to Steve and Zola Blankenship Donald and spent most of her early life there. She had lived in Pampa for approximately the past 30 years. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in music from Hardin-Simmons University, and her Master’s Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She was a music and choir teacher in the Houston area and then in the Pampa schools for many years prior to her retirement.
She will be remembered as a loving, caring and generous person who loved to travel, who loved her ranch in Goodnight, and was an avid sports fan, especially of her beloved Houston Astros. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Pampa.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her grandparents, George and Lena Blankenship and Walter and Maude Donald; and an aunt, Inez Blankenship.
Survivors include an aunt, Isla Hooker of Garland; and numerous cousins and their families as well as many friends and former students, all of whom she considered her extended family.
The family suggests that memorial donations be to the First Baptist Church in Pampa; the Pampa Chapter of the Salvation Army; or to the Goodnight Cemetery Association.
Sign our online guestbook at www.RobertsonFuneral.com.
Dorris Jo Denney
Dorris Jo Denney, 81, died Monday, February 15, 2010, in Houston. Services were held at 1 p.m. on Friday, February 19, 2010, in the Clarendon Church of Christ with Eddie Hankins, officiating. Burial followed at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon. Services were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon. Dorris was born August 21, 1928, to William Edgar and Jocie Lea Worley Bolton in, Blum, Hill County, Texas. She married Marshall Denney on October 2, 1943 in Hagerman, New Mexico. She had been a resident of Lubbock before moving to Clarendon 35 years ago. She loved to crochet, quilt, and was a great homemaker. She was faithful member of the Clarendon Church of Christ. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, James and Wayne Bolton; and a sister, Joyce Brown. Survivors include her husband, Marshall Denney of Clarendon; three sons, Tyra Joe Denney of Lindsay, Calif., Carl Gene Denney of Clarendon, and Larry Earnest Denney of Grand Junction, Co.; two daughters, Marsha Lea Albert of Dalhart and Debborah Kay Spohn of Bakersfield, Calif.; three brothers, Rusty Bolton of Visali, Calif., Herbert Lee Bolton of Santa Maria, Calif., and Royce Bolton of Waco; 16 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter. The family requests that memorials be to the Clarendon Church of Christ Mission Fund, P.O. Box 861, Clarendon, TX 79226. Sign our online guestbook at www.RobertsonFuneral.com.
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