Marjorie Arthur, 91, who joined FUMC on February 14, 1971, passed away on Friday, January 13, 2012.  Her service will be:

• Sunday, January 15, 2012
• 2:00pm
• In the FUMC Sanctuary
• Rev. John Dillard will officiate
• Owens & Brumley will direct the proceedings

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Please, keep Marjorie’s family in your prayers.

Leave a note below about what Marjorie meant to you.

Bob Ringle, 81, who joined FUMC on March 29, 1981, passed away on Tuesday, December 13, 2011.  His service will be:

• Friday, December 16, 2011
• 11:00am
• Owens & Brumley Chapel
• Rev. John Dillard will officiate.

Bob was born January 26, 1930, in Independence, Kansas. He moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in 1933. He graduated from College High School in 1947 having played baseball for the school team and trombone in the orchestra. He attended Oklahoma A&M University, where he met and fell in love with Mary Patricia Troop. They wed on August 9, 1952. Bob earned a BS in Personnel Management in 1952, and returned to his alma mater to obtain an MBA in 1960.

Upon his graduation in 1952, Bob was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and served in active duty until his retirement in 1973 as a Lt. Colonel. During his years with the U.S.A.F., Bob attended Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, and Academic Instructor Course after which he was retained as an instructor for five years.

Of his civilian jobs, he was most proud of his years as Personnel Director at Midwestern State University. He left MSU and retired for good in 1997. During his many years as a Wichita Falls resident, Bob was an active member of the Wichita Falls North Rotary Club, First United Methodist Church, Win-Some Sunday School Class, and United Way of Greater Wichita Falls.

Bob was a loving and genuinely compassionate man with a rare skill for making homemade peach ice cream. His passion for golf was second only to his love of family, especially his grandchildren. He liked to tell jokes, work in the yard, and watch the Texas Rangers.

Bob is predeceased by his wife, Pat; parents, Otho A. Ringle and Fern Ringle; brothers, Delbert and Dean and sister, Doris. He is survived by his two sons and one daughter, and their families: Rob and Amy Ringle of Frederick, Maryland; Alan and Michele Ringle of Bossier City, Louisiana; and Nancy and Stafford Jones of Cedar Park, Texas. Grandchildren include Rebecca, Erica, Alison, Sara and Andrew.

Bob will be missed by any and all who knew him.

The family expresses sincerest thanks for the loving care provided by Hospice of Wichita Falls and special thanks to the caregivers at The Gables of Rolling Meadows, who were our parents’ “second family.”

Please, keep the Ringle family in your prayers.

Leave a note below about what Bob meant to you!

Gladys Ross Blackburn Boyd, 97, who joined FUMC on August 19, 1945, died Tuesday, December 6, 2011, in Plano, Texas.  Funeral services will be:

• Monday, December 12, 2011
• 10:00am
• At the chapel of Lunn’s Colonial Funeral Home
• With the Rev. John Dillard officiating.
• Burial will be in Crestview Memorial Park under the direction of Lunn’s Colonial Funeral Home.

Mrs. Boyd was a retired accountant and office manager.

Survivors include son, Larry Ray Boyd of McKinney, Texas; two grandsons and four great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to

First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls
909 10th St
Wichita Falls, Texas 76301-3411.

Leave a note below about what Gladys meant to you.

Jean Ellis, 97, who joined FUMC on February 9, 1986, passed away on November 24, 2011 at Presbyterian Manor. Funeral services:

• Monday, November 28, 2011
• 1:00pm
• In the Chapel of Lunn’s Colonial Funeral Home
• Rev. Paul Goodrich and Rev. John Dillard officiating.
• Interment at Restland Cemetery in Olney under the direction of Lunn’s Colonial Funeral Home.

Jean was born on June 1, 1914 to W. C. and Mary Jane (Sanders) Harrell in Newcastle, Tex. She graduated from Olney High School and later attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. On May 14, 1935, she married O.M. (Coe) Ellis in Olney. Jean worked as the bookkeeper for the family business, Coe Ellis Gifts and Appliance in Archer City. After moving to Wichita Falls she worked as a secretary for the Wichita Falls Independent School District. The couple was blessed with two children. Jean had been a member of the First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls since 1972 where she was a member of the Keystone Sunday School Class and a long time member of the Chancel Choir. She directed the choir at the First United Methodist Church in Archer City and later directed the choir at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls. She was a member of the Musicians’ Club in Wichita Falls. Jean was a long time volunteer for the Camp Fire Girls and was awarded Camp Fire Girls’ Guilick Award.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, her husband O.M. (Coe) Ellis and her son Billy H. Ellis. She is survived by her daughter, Helen Lupia and husband Dick of Lubbock; three grandchildren, Bill Lupia of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Greg Lupia and wife Lydia of Austin; Jane Mueller and husband Chris of Austin; and six great-grandchildren: Caroline, Elliot and Ethan Esquivel, Peyton Moreland, Greyson and Jackson Lupia all of Austin.

The family expresses gratitude to the nurses and staff at Presbyterian Manor Health Care and to the nursing staff of Hospice of Wichita Falls for the loving and efficient care provided.

Memorials in honor of Jean Ellis may be made to:

First United Methodist Church Music Ministry
909 10th St
Wichita Falls, TX 76301-3411.

Leave a note below about what Jean meant to you. . .

Lera Joyce Baldridge Riggs Ansley, 88, who joined FUMC on April 6, 1947, died Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011.

Funeral services will be:

• Friday, November 4, 2011
• 2:30pm
• First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls
• Rev. Paul Goodrich will officiate.
• Entombment will be in Crestview Memorial Park Mausoleum.

Mrs. Ansley was co-owner and operator of Ansley Appliance and the Lamplighter.

Survivors include children, Linda DeArmond of Possum Kingdom Lake, Carol Stewart of Arlington, Texas, Shelli Skinner of Comanche, Okla. and Will Ansley of Frisco, Texas; sister, Sue Spradling of Fort Worth; 11 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to

Hospice of Wichita Falls
4909 Johnson Rd
Wichita Falls, TX  76310

First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls
909 10th Street
Wichita Falls, TX  76301

Please keep the family and friends of Joyce in your prayers, and feel free to leave a note below about what Joyce meant to you!

Helen Arnold, 99, who joined FUMC on July 10, 2005 passed away on Friday, October 7, 2011 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Visitation will be:

• Tuesday, October 11, 2011
• 7:00-8:00pm
• Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home

Here are the details on her graveside service:

• Wednesday, October 12, 2011
• 1:00pm
• Crestview Memorial Park Cemetary
• Rev. John Dillard will officiate
• Internment will be under the direction of Hampton Vaughan

Mrs. Arnold was born the oldest of ten children on July 9, 1912, in Falls County, Texas, to the late Jessie James Mercer and Emma Christine Lisette (Wolf) Mercer. She graduated from Ben Hur (Texas) High School in 1931. She was raised and worked on the family farm until the age of 24 when she moved to Roswell, N.M., and continued farm labor until her marriage to Robert C. Arnold on June 14, 1941. In 1954, Robert’s job as a long distance truck driver took them to Hobbs, N.M., and finally, to Albuquerque, N.M., in 1963 where they lived for 40 years. They then moved to Wichita Falls in 2003 and it was here that Robert preceded her in death in 2004.

Mrs. Arnold joined the First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls. She was active as a Girl Scout leader in Roswell from 1949 until 1954; in Hobbs from 1954 to 1956. In 1958 and early 1959, she helped prepare her daughter and 15 other Senior Girl Scouts from Zia Girl Scout Council for the 1959 Girl Scout Roundup held at Colorado Springs, Colo., in July of that year. Helen was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

Survivors include a daughter, Christina Peterson and husband, Harvey of Wichita Falls; siblings, Cleo Mercer, Houston, Texas, Laura Hasbrouck, Alamogordo, N.M., William J. Mercer, Kingsburg, Calif., and Freda Lynch, Pasadena, Texas; grandchildren, Kathy Naidicz, Austin, Texas, Brian Peterson, Wichita Falls, John DiFilippo, Burkburnett, Texas, Michael Peterson, Cudahy, Wis., Angeli Fernandez and Robert DiFilippo, both of Wichita Falls; great-grandchildren, Darvena Day, Shelby DiFilippo, Macie DiFilippo and Madelynn DiFilippo; great-great-grandchildren, Lorenzo de Mario Juarez and Angellina Day; also numerous nieces and nephews and friends.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by siblings, Pauline Mercer, Maureen Arnold, Gladys Alexander, Thomas Mercer and Walter Mercer.

The family suggests memorials to

American Lung Association
8150 Brookriver Dr
Dallas, TX  75247;

or

Wild Bird Rescue
4611 Lake Shore Dr
Wichita Falls, TX  76310.

Please, keep her daughter, Chris Peterson, and the rest of her family in your prayers.

Mary Patricia “Pat” Ringle, 78, who joined FUMC on March 29, 1981, died Tuesday, September 20, 2011.  Currently, her service is set for:

• Friday, September 23, 2011
• 11:00am
• Chapel of Owens & Brumley
• Rev. John Dillard will officiate.

Born January 29, 1933 in Oklahoma City, OK to parents Mr. & Mrs. Vernon R. Troop, Pat attended public schools in Oklahoma City, graduating from Classen High School in 1950. She attended Oklahoma State University for two years
studying home economics. She married Robert D. Ringle on August 9, 1952. She passed away September 20 and is survived by her husband and by two sons and a daughter and their families: Rob and Amy Ringle of Frederick, MD; Alan and
Michele Ringle of Bossier City, LA; and Nancy and Stafford Jones of Cedar Park, TX; and five grandchildren, Rebecca, Erica, Alison, Sara and Andrew. A kind soul, devoted wife and mother, Pat will be missed by those who have loved and known her.

Please, keep her husband Bob and their family in your prayers.

Virginia Bird, 87, who joined FUMC on January 9, 1990, died on Sunday, July 10, 2011, in Wichita Falls.

• Family visitation was 9:00am until service time Wednesday July 13, 2011, at Womack Manard Funeral Home.
• Graveside service was Wednesday, July 13, 2011, at 10:00am in the Crowell Cemetery with the Rev. John Dillard officiating.
• Interment is under the direction of Womack Manard Funeral Home, Crowell.

Virginia was born on May 17, 1924, in DeNoya, Oklahoma, she was the daughter of the late Edward Wehba and the late Abreeza Eid Wehba. She was the wife of the late Mike D. Bird, he preceded her in death on December 16, 1997. She was a longtime resident of Crowell, moving to Wichita Falls in 1986. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls and Crowell. She was devoted to her children, her husband and to being a good homemaker. She worked with her late husband at Bird’s Dry Goods. She was a homemaker.

Surviving are three sons, Dan Mike Bird of Quanah, Texas, Robert Mike Bird of Atlanta, Ga., Terry Mike Bird of The Woodlands, Texas; one daughter, Trudy Beth Wilcox of Wichita Falls, Texas; two sisters, Betty Jean Huston of Wichita Falls, Texas, Kathleen Wehba of Rye, Colo.; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and three brothers, Edward Wehba Jr., Marvin Wehba and Charles Wehba.

Memorials may be made to the charity or organization of donors choice.

Leave a note below about what Virginia meant to you!

Mary Ellen Ikard Gregory, 88, who joined FUMC on November 20, 1983, died Wednesday, May 25, 2011, in Wichita Falls.

Visitation will be:

• Monday, May 30, 2011
• 4:00-6:00pm
• Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home

Memorial services will be:

• Tuesday, May 31, 2011
• 10:00am
• First United Methodist Church
• With Rev. John Dillard officiating.
• Private family interment is scheduled prior to the service under the direction of Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home of Wichita Falls.

Mrs. Gregory was a reading teacher at Kate Burgess Elementary School and the librarian at Kirby Junior High School.

Survivors include four children, Kay Preston, George Ikard, Alan Ikard, and Brian Ikard, all of Wichita Falls; sister, Alice Bruce of Kirkwood, Mo.; and three grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church or the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Please, keep Mary’s family in your prayers.

Leave a note below about what Mary meant to you!

Clint Cozart, 88, who joined FUMC on December 6, 2009, passed away on Tuesday, May 17, 2011.  Services have been scheduled for

• Thursday, May 19, 2011
• 1:00pm
• At Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home Chapel
• Officiated by Reverend Paul Goodrich
• Interment will follow at Crestview Memorial Park.

Clint Cozart was born November 15, 1922 in Buffalo Springs, Texas, the youngest of six children. Clint was “born in a pasture and learned to fiddle behind the barn” at age 12. As a local legend, he carried on the influence of Bob Wills and the Texas Swing Music that he loved. In 2009 he was inducted into the Western Swing Music Hall of Fame and the Cowtown Society of Western Swing.

Mr. Cozart was a member of the very first graduating class of Midway High School. Clint served aboard the USS Belle Grove in the South Pacific during World War II. He fiddled along the west coast after he was discharged from the navy in 1946. He then came home and played all over Texas and Oklahoma. He married Kitty Dillard of Electra, Texas November 25, 1947.
In the 1940′s and 50′s, Cozart’s band backed artists coming through this part of the country from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City. In 1967-68, he owned the Guys and Dolls, a local dance hall that provided a place for the public to enjoy the music that he loved. He also served as president of the Musicians Union from 1951-1960.

Clint passed along his love of Western Swing through three generations of his family. He taught his son-in-law, Frank, to fiddle in 1983, and they played twin fiddles ever since. He also introduced his youngest daughter, Cathi, and three grandchildren to the fiddle, and had already passed his love of Western Swing along to his great-granddaughter, Kate.

Clint retired from Texas Electric in 1976. He spent his retirement carrying on the legacy of the music he loved. He played such places as the MB Corral, the Wichita Pavilion, and many local events. From 1990-1999, he spent his summers as the headlining band at the Fun Valley Resort in South Fork, Colorado. In the winter months, he played all over south Texas. As a Clay County native, he loved to play for the annual Pioneer Reunion. He was the headlining band at the rodeo from 1939-1980. Then, he continued playing on the courthouse lawn after the parade until 2010.

In 1965, Clint started the Maverick Band. He led the band for over 46 years. In April of 1990, Clint and the Mavericks played for the crew members of the USS Lexington to welcome them to port in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Clint won numerous fiddling contests from Texas to Colorado.

Clint was preceded in death by his father, Arlie E. Cozart, his mother, Lula (South) Cozart, his brothers, Charlie, Elton and Taylor Cozart and his two sisters Velma Todd and Jewel Alexander.

He is survived by his wife, Kitty, of 63 years; two daughters and sons-in-law, Christi and Frank Farnsworth, and Cathi and Mark Elgin, all of Wichita Falls, three grandchildren, Lori Farnsworth of Houston, Texas, Cara Farnsworth and Kevin Farnsworth both of Wichita Falls, and one great-granddaughter, Katherine Farnsworth.

The family requests that memorials be made to Hospice of Wichita Falls or the American Cancer Society of Wichita Falls.