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Pitsy Raley
Midland - Pitsy Walker Raley, beloved mother and grandmother, was called home to be with the Lord on Monday, July 4, 2005.
A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at the First Presbyterian Church of Midland. Arrangements are under the direction of Ellis Funeral Home, 801 Andrews Highway, Midland, (432) 683-5555.
Mary Pitsy Walker was born on Oct. 7, 1926, in Oklahoma City, Okla., the only child of Jack W. Walker and Jessie Louise Rowland Walker. She grew up primarily in Hobart, Okla., and Odessa, Texas, where she graduated from Odessa High School. She then attended Texas Tech University as an honor student.
She married
W.H. “Bill” Hightower on Oct. 22, 1946, in Odessa, Texas. He was the assistant golf professional at Odessa Country Club at that time. They had two children: Jack D. Hightower and William H. Hightower Jr., both of Midland.
During her lifetime, Pitsy had many varied interests. She was an avid golfer, bridge player and loved politics. She was an alternate to the 1960 Republican National Convention and served on George H.W. Bush’s congressional campaign. She was active in the Junior League of Midland and many other civic and charitable organizations while living in Midland.
She married
Bedford M. Raley of Lubbock, Texas, on March 15, 1968. They both were very active in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), where they formed many lasting friendships. Pitsy was involved in the program for over 39 years and was instrumental in sponsoring and providing counseling to many. She was the first unlicensed counselor, sanctioned by the State of Texas, allowed to teach medical doctors about chemical dependency. Pitsy was preceded in death by Bedford in 1989 and moved back to Midland to be closer to her sons and their families.
Survivors include her two sons, Jack D. Hightower and William H. Hightower Jr. and wife, Marilyn; grandchildren; Amber Hightower Robertson and husband, Troy, and Haley Hightower Manulik and husband, Mason, both of Houston, William Ryan Hightower and Ashley Melissa Hightower, both of Midland; stepdaughter, Susan Raley Rives and husband, Jimmy, of Arlington, Texas; and their children, Todd Rives and wife, Tanya, of Duncanville, Texas, and Laura Rives Coons and husband, Craig, of Arlington, Texas; Jeff Raley, and wife, Dodie, of Aurora, Colo., and Brian Raley of Highlands Ranch, Colo.; and her former daughter-in-law, Robin Thomas. Her cousins include: Jack E. Blake of Midland, Sam Blake and Bob Blake both of Lubbock, John Blake of San Angelo, George Blake of Waco, and Janice Blake Anderson of Stockton, Calif.
Honorary pallbearers include her grandsons: Ryan Hightower, Todd Rives, Jeff and Brian Raley, Mike Benton, Michelle Brewer, Jerry Brown, Dee Rose, Jaime Sepulveda and J. B. Welborn.
The family would like to thank Pitsy’s longtime friends and caregivers: Irma Sepulveda, Angelina Navarro and Hope Soto.
In addition, the family would wish that their mother be remembered as a woman who walked closely with God. With that and hard work, she supported her family with love. In her memory, the family leaves this message for their mother and grandmother: “Mother, you are deeply loved by your children and grandchildren and you will be cherished in our hearts forever.” God bless us all, until we meet again.
Memorials may be directed to the American Red Cross.
Elisa Paz ‘Lisa Marie’ Ybarra
Odessa - Lisa Marie Ybarra, 61, passed away on Saturday, July 2, 2005, at Medical Center Hospital.
She was born in Ojinaga, Mexico, on May 23, 1944, to Nicholas and Maria Paz. She was a devoted and loving mother. She was a caring wife, and a well-known hairdresser. She was employed at Hair Odyssey. Lisa Marie was married
to Tiburcio Ybarra Sr. for 41 years. He is a loving and caring husband and they were best friends and they loved to play Bingo together.
She is survived by her husband, Tiburcio Ybarra Jr. of Odessa; daughter, Monika Ybarra of Odessa; sons, Michael Ybarra of Midland, and Nicholas Ybarra of Odessa; also brothers and sisters, Manuela Gonzales of Carlsbad, N.M., Basilica Hermosillio and Ernestina Morales, both of Odessa, Luis Paz of Odessa, Mary Helen Castillo of Fort Worth, and Jesse Paz, Hortensia Vasquez, Virginia Tarango and Linda Olivas, all of Odessa; 30 nieces; 28 nephews; 118 grandnieces and nephews; five grandchildren, Nicholas Ybarra Jr., Noel Ybarra, Talia Ybarra, Gabryel Ybarra and Lauren Esquivel.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 7, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with the Father Francis Njoku officiating. Interment will be at RoseHill County cemetery.
Arrangements are by Frank W. Wilson Funeral Directors.
Twilla G. Dorough
Odessa - Twilla G. Dorough, 82, of Odessa, died Monday, July 11, 2005, at Medical Center Hospital.
She was born November 18, 1922, in Terry County, Texas, to E.A. and Allie Graham. She married
Tom T. Dorough on May 2, 1949, in Brownfield, Texas.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at St. Andrew’s Cumberland Presbyterian Church with Dr. Jimmy Braswell officiating. Internment will be at Resthaven Mausoleum in Lubbock, Texas.
Twilla moved to Odessa in 1973 from Cario, Egypt. She was a homemaker and was an active member of St. Andrew’s Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Tom T. Dorough; and a son, Philip Hobert Dorough.
She is survived by her son, Tom S. Dorough of Odessa; daughter, Diedre Dorough of Leander, Texas; sister, Wanda Amo of Ohio; grandson, Tommy Buck Dempsey and wife, Mandy, of Midland; and their sons, Hunter and Brayden Dempsey, both of Midland. She was loved by so many.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mission Fund at St. Andrew’s Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1514 N. Grandview, Odessa, TX 79761.
Services are entrusted to Frank W. Wilson Funeral Directors.
Vincent Alan Sherrod
Odessa - Vincent Alan Sherrod died July 12, 2005, at Baylor All Saints Hospital in Fort Worth. He was 89 years old.
A Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. today, July 14, 2005, in the Chapel at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, July 15, 2005, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 612 E. 18th St., in Odessa, Texas. Military honors with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 4372 will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens; afterward, a reception will be held at St Mary’s Parish Hall.
Dr. Sherrod practiced medicine in Odessa from 1960, until he retired in 1982. He and his wife, Julia Sayer Sherrod, moved to Fort Worth to be with their children and grandchildren in 2004.
Dr. Sherrod was born just outside Robinson, Ill., in 1916. When he was 16-years-old, he won the national high school saxophone contest and a four-year scholarship to The Juilliard School. He chose medicine over music, however, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1938. He attended St. Louis University Medical School, where he interned at City Hospital and completed a three-year residency at Missouri Pacific Hospital.
He joined the U.S. Army and received an honorable discharge when he became ill with tuberculosis. In those days, TB usually was a death sentence. The Army sent him home to die but his determined young wife nursed him back to health. Defying the odds was Dr. Sherrod’s mantra for the rest of his life as he outlived numerous predictions of his imminent demise.
In 1949, the Sherrod family moved to Iraan, Texas, after being contacted by Dr. Sherrod’s uncle, Frank Bascom, who worked for the Ohio Oil Co., later the Marathon Oil Co. Physicians were desperately needed in West Texas and the oil company offered to pay for his move and set him up in practice, if he would move his young family west.
West Texas was in the midst of a several year drought when the Sherrods arrived and they lived through epic dust storms that took the paint off the side of cars and buildings. At the time, there were no physicians at all for three huge West Texas counties around Iraan. Dr. and Mrs. Sherrod were a great team. She was a registered nurse and they were the health care system for thousands of people in an isolated part of Texas. Among other services, they performed was establishing a Well-Baby Clinic in Sheffield, Texas, where they immunized infants and children and taught young mothers best practices in caring for their children. They also were instrumental in building the Iraan Public Library and the Iraan Hospital.
Before building a hospital in Iraan, Dr. Sherrod drove a 120 mile round-trip twice a day to the nearest hospital in Fort Stockton, Texas. He often made house calls to ranches 60 miles outside town, where he not only treated all the human beings but also treated the livestock –there being no vet available– as well as a pet deer.
He raced a Jaguar and an Aston Martin in road races organized by the Sports Car Club of America. He and his wife, Judy, organized the Iraan Hill Climb for several years, sending exotic sports cars racing up the steep “Safety First Hill, ” outside Iraan. In the 1980s, he was the National Director of Medical Safety for the Sports Car Club of America and was responsible for many enhancements in the SCCA’s safety program. He was given a lifetime membership to the SCCA as a reward for his efforts.
While Dr. and Mrs. Sherrod lived in Iraan, they drove 60 miles round trip every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation to either McCamey or Rankin to attend Catholic Mass because there was no Catholic Church in Iraan. When they moved from Iraan to Odessa, they donated their clinic building to the Catholic Church, who turned it into St. Francis Catholic Church.
Fast cars and Jazz were lifetime loves. Dr. Sherrod played saxophone with the “Modernaires, ” when he was in Notre Dame, and when he retired, he joined the Odessa College Jazz Band. He also played with the Jazz Band at the Odessa Senior Center.
He was a car enthusiast and owned Ferraris, a Pantera and other exotic automobiles.
He performed in many plays with the Permian Basin Playhouse and was a long-time sponsor of the Odessa Jazz Festival.
He and his wife were members of the Odessa Country Club and their sons, Daniel and Michael Sherrod, were Crystal Ball escorts.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Julia Sherrod; his children, Dan Sherrod of Richardson and his wife, Patricia, Dr. Peter Sherrod of Plano, Katie Sherrod of Fort Worth and her husband, the Rev. Gayland Pool, and Michael Sherrod of Fort Worth and his wife, Melissa; as well as nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Catholic Charities, 606 W. 10th St., Odessa, TX 79761; and to St. Mary’s School, 1703 Adams Ave., Odessa, TX 79761-1214.
Services are entrusted to Sunset Funeral Home in Odessa, Texas.
Michael E. Hartman
Odessa - Michael E. Hartman, 54, of Odessa, passed away Sunday, July 10, 2005, at his residence.
He was born Aug. 8, 1950, in Pecos, Texas. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force. He retired from the City of Odessa after 20 years of service.
He is survived by his wife, Jo Ann; his two cherished daughters, Amber Hartman of Odessa, and Heather Speer of Virginia; his beloved granddaughter, Gina Nakole Speer; his father and stepmother, Larnce and Helen Hartman of Dalhart, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Gary; and mother, Gerel Hartman.
A devoted husband and father, Michael Hartman was a kind and honorable man. He will be remembered by all that knew him and missed terribly by those whose lives he touched.
Goodbye dad, we all love you.
Arrangements are entrusted to Martinez Funeral Home.
L B ‘Toodle’ Henderson
McCAMEY - L B “Toodle” Henderson, 78, of Odessa and formerly of McCamey, died on Tuesday, July 12, 2005, at his residence in Odessa.
Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 15, 2005, in the Resthaven cemetery with Coleman Smith and the Rev. Josh McClary officiating. Arrangements are under the care of Shaffer-Nichols Funeral Home.
L B was born on June 21, 1927, in Lampasas, Texas. He was a retired Machinist and a member of the First Baptist Church in McCamey. He had been a resident of Odessa, since 1987, having lived in McCamey for 43 years before moving to Odessa.
Survivors include his brothers, Rex Henderson of Houston, Lex Henderson and his wife, Marilyn, of Austin, and Joe Henderson and his wife, Robbie, of Odessa; his sister, Brylene Smith and her husband, Bob, of Odessa; his aunt and uncle, Arlon and Sybil Carroll of Crane; numerous nieces and nephews; and great-nieces and great-nephews; and his two best friends, Tip and Max.
Wayne J. Stark
Early - Memorial services for Wayne J. Stark, 68, of Lake Brownwood, will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 10, 2005, at Heartland Funeral Home Chapel in Early with the Chaplain Dick Williams, of Girling Hospice, officiating.
Wayne passed away Thursday, August 4th. He was born to Aaron and Vera Boyd Stark May 3, 1937, in Griffithville, Arkansas. He married
Judy Yeats on December 21, 1988, in Gardendale, Texas.
Wayne was a resident of Lake Brownwood, formerly of Tyler, Texas. He worked for Philips Petroleum for forty years in West Texas, Oklahoma and in the North Sea. He enjoyed the simple life and loved sports, being an avid golfer, fisherman and bowler. He was a husband, father, brother and a good friend to many. He always had a ready smile and a helping hand. He was loved and will be greatly missed in this life. We will see him on the other side.
Left behind to cherish his memory is his wife, Judy Stark of Lake Brownwood; son, Gary Wayne Stark and his wife, Melissa, of Big Lake; daughters, Kerri Kay Lee of Greenwood, and Myrna Sharisse Broussard and husband, Anthony, of Temple; stepson, Nathan Yeats and his wife, Joy, of Cortez, Colo.; mother, Vera Belle Stark of Bedford; brother, Robert Lee Stark of Chandler; sisters, Freda Redd of Odessa, and Treva Jackson of Watauga; and six grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his father, Aaron Stark; and his sister, Mary Booth.
Heartland Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Mandy Hoover Pearce
Fort Stockton - Mandy Hoover Pearce was born March 27, 1933, in Vernon. As a young girl, she loved to ride horses, to hunt with her father, “Doc” Hoover, and to cook with her mother, Daisy. She attended college at the University of Texas at Austin and always remained a proud Longhorn. She dedicated the majority of her life to the field of education. Mandy touched the lives of so many during her 32 years as a schoolteacher. Upon retirement, she further served her community by working as the educational outreach coordinator for Historic Fort Stockton. Mandy enjoyed playing bridge, and she had a great appreciation for the grandeur of the West Texas area, in which she lived. She was a member of both the Texas and the Iraan Archeology Societies, the Pecos County Historical Commission and the Center for Big Bend Studies. She was a faithful member of the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Stockton.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Surviving her are sons, Paul Davis and wife, Jane, of Friendswood, and Pat and wife, Keli, of Bakersfield; daughter, Pamela and husband, Bill, of Fort Worth; and five grandchildren, Paige and Nelda Corbell, Kelsey and Zachary Kerr and Jillian Pearce.
The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Stockton with the Dr. James R. Miles officiating.
In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Stockton.
Robert Lee Webb
Woodson - Robert Lee Webb, 69, of Woodson, Texas, passed away at an Abilene medical center on Friday, July 29, 2005.
Mr. Webb was born on July 26, 1936, in Graham, Texas, to the late Fred Holt and Ruby (Griffith) Webb. He was known to most as “Bobby” and resided in Woodson for the past twelve years, where he leaves many friends in the community.
Bobby was a thirteen-year veteran of the Army. Four of those years were in Vietnam, where he received numerous commendations.
Survivors include two sons, Robert H. Webb of Austin, and Donald Jon Webb of Woodson; one brother, Lynn Webb of Colorado; two grandchildren, Jessie and Kiley of Austin.
Bobby was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Frederick Dale.
A memorial service will be held at today, August 13, 2005, at the Woodson Community Center in Woodson, Texas.
Angelita Armesto Jaquez
El Paso - Angelita Armesto Jaquez, 56, daughter of the late Esteban and Julia Armesto and the fourth of five children, was born on June 5, 1949, in Odessa. A child of God, who faded too soon, departed this life on Friday, Aug. 05, 2005.
Angelita known as, “Hela or Angie” to her friends and loved ones, was a proud product of Ector High School in Odessa. She had the same intense fighting, strong-willed spirit demonstrated by the former Ector Eagles in their endeavors. She had a great sense of humor, a ready smile and truly loved being with her family, especially her grandchildren, Melissa, 16, Edward, 14, Lauren, 7, and Matthew, 2. To the end, she was very involved in the well-being of the two grandchildren that lived with her. She followed intensely and with great pride their academic progress. Encouraging them to strive for higher performance and think about college. She inspired them onward to be the best that they can be in manners and deeds. She loved her beautiful grandchildren tremendously so; for they brought her much love and joy. She was a devout wife, mother, grandmother and friend. We will remember fondly the endless memories she leaves us, the good times, the many times she made us laugh and the hard times. She was great to be with, warm, outgoing and personable. She will be profoundly missed by all who came love her or know her.
We extend our sincerest thanks for the many of you who came to her aid in her time of need, who visited her in ICU. Bless you, who cheered her up when she was down and the many of you who prayed for her. Mil gracias to the many of you who visited her at home. She would have been very touched and humbled by your kind thoughts, well wishes and prayers. To all she would want you to remember the verse Palm 23:4 “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You (Lord) are with me.”
Mourning her are husband, Mingo; three beloved sons, Ed of El Paso, Chris of Mansfield, and Ben of El Paso; two brothers, Stephen Armesto of Dallas, and Joe Armesto of Houston; and one sister, Josie Martinez of Odessa; and the many others who knew her.
Adios…….Some day we’ll be together.
A Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Carmel Funeral Home Chapel in El Paso. Mass will be celebrated Wednesday morning at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church.
Funeral Services are by Mount Carmel Funeral Home, 1755 N. Zaragosa, El Paso, TX 79936, (915) 857-3535; please, feel free to contact them.
