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Marvin W. White
Start, La. – Marvin Wayne White passed away Oct. 23, 2001, at his home in Start, La. after a brief illness at the age of 75.
He was born in Denton, Texas, July 16, 1926, to Marvin E. and Dorothy "Rita" Otaree White. He attended Denton schools and was retired from the military.
He was a licensed electrician and owned his own business.
Marvin was active in the community and was Santa Claus for many years to the children and the retirement homes. He also was founder of Recycletrykes For Kids. He took old bike parts and made new ones for children at Christmas.
He was a member of the Moose Lodge, V.F.W. and the American Legion.
He was a veteran of the Korean War.
A memorial service was held at Holly-Brown Funeral Home in Rayville, La., on Friday, Oct. 26, 2001.
He is survived by his wife, Billie of Start, La.; three daughters, Teresa White of Austin, Texas, Lorena Cheek of Rayville, La., and Vickie Counts of Start, La.; one son, John White of Start, La.; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one brother, Carl D. White of Crestview, Fla.; three sisters, Doris Rogers of Little Elm, Texas, Sue Gass of Comanche, Okla., and Bobbie Rita Erwin of Tioga, Texas; a large extended family and many dear friends.
In lieu of flowers, Mr. White requested memorials be made to local churches.
Lillian F. Baty
Lillian F. Baty, 46, of Denton died Friday, Nov. 2, 2001.
She was born Jan. 25, 1955, in Denton.
Ms. Baty was a member of the St. Emmanuel Baptist Church.
The service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, at St. Emmanuel Baptist Church in Denton. The Rev. L.A. Pullam will officiate. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery.
The family will be at Peoples Funeral Home from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, for visitation.
Survivors include her parents, Wilber Clark and Ollie J. Baty, both of Denton; and her grandmother, Zella Wells, also of Denton.
Ethel May Bottoms
Ethel May Bottoms, 91, of Denton died Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, at Denton Community Hospital.
She was born May 12, 1910, in Ada, Okla., to W.C. and Ella May (Watkins) Smith. On Dec. 18, 1930, she married W.H. Bottoms in Altus, Okla.
Ms. Bottoms was a homemaker.
She was a member of the Assembly of God Church.
The service will be at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the chapel of Mulkey-Mason, Jack Schmitz and Son Funeral Home. The reverends Dewayne Dawson and Jack Howard will officiate.
The family will be at the funeral home from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, for visitation.
Survivors include her husband, W. H. Bottoms of Denton; three daughters, Vernell Dunn of Denton and Marie Kruger and Louellen George, both of Sanger; two brother, Junior Smith of Fort Worth and Billy Wayne Smith of Denton; 10 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and 13 great-great-grandchildren. One son, Travis Bottoms died in 1988.
Maurine Darnell
Maurine Darnell, 88, of Denton died Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001, at the Denton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
She was born March 27, 1913, to William and Katie Stiles in the Green Valley Community.
Ms. Darnell was Baptist.
The graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the Belew Cemetery in Aubrey. The Rev. John Hansen will officiate. DeBerry Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.
Survivors include one son, Gerald Lambert of Denton; one stepson, Loyd Darnell of Denton; one stepdaughter, Joyce Fix of Florida; and one sister, Marieta Carr of Oklahoma City, Okla.
Pete A. Foster
Pete A. Foster, 78, of Denton died Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001, at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth.
He was born May 10, 1926, in Fort Worth.
The graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Prairie Mound Cemetery in Justin. The Rev. Buddy Owens will officiate. Schmitz-Floyd-Andersen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Paren Basmadjian
The Colony – Paren Basmadjian, 74, of The Colony, formerly of Lebanon, died Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, at his daughter’s home in The Colony.
He was born May 16, 1927, to Garabed and Khatoun Arakelian Basmadjian. On Jan. 23, 1955, he married Valantine Joulfaian in Beirut.
Mr. Basmadjian owned and operated his own business as a shoemaker in Beirut.
A service will be at 2 p.m. today, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001, at St. Sarkis Armenian Church in Carrollton. Haigazoon Najarian will officiate. Interment will follow in Little Elm Cemetery. Mulkey-Mason Funeral Home in Lewisville is in charge of arrangements.
The family will be at the St. Sarkis Armenian Church following the service for visitation.
Memorials may be made to St. Sarkis Armenian Church, 1805 Ramdon Road, Carrollton, TX 75006.
Survivors include his wife of The Colony; his son, Garabed Basmadjian of Beirut, Lebanon; three daughters, Hilda Jambazian of Canada, Zovik Koulian of The Colony, and Shoghig Boujikian of Beirut, Lebanon; his sister, Sirvart Basmadjian of Beirut, Lebanon; his brother, Hamper Basmadjian of Beirut, Lebanon; and 9 grandchildren.
Pat Pierce
Whitewright – Patricia "Pat" Gwendolen Pierce, 66, of Whitewright, died Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, at Texoma Medical Center in Denison.
She was born April 22, 1935, in Best to Henry and Mayme Lewis. On Sept. 2, 1955, she married Charles R. Pierce in Borger. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from West Texas State University and her Master of Education from East Texas State University.
She taught in Stinnett, Irving and Whitewright. Most of her teaching career was at Whitewright ISD. She also maintained an active leadership role in the music ministry at Bethel Baptist Church, Whitewright.
A service will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7, at Bethel Baptist Church, Whitewright. Carol Norton will officiate. Interment will follow in the Bethel Baptist Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Weldon Bartley, Smokey Cate, Eddie McCartney, James Owens, Larry Schone, and Mack Williams.
Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Earnhart Funeral Home, Whitewright.
Survivors include three sons, Charles "Chuck" Pierce of Sanger, Billy Dan "B.D." Pierce of Denton, and Theodore "Ted" Pierce of McKinney; and four grandchildren.
Alden Wallace
Sanger – Alden Charles Wallace Jr., 85, of Sanger died Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, at Care Inn of Sanger.
He was born April 1, 1916, in Newhall, Calif.
Mr. Wallace was a construction superintendent and a veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his daughter, Rosalita Constable of Richmond, Va.; and two sons, Alden C. Wallace III of Mechanicsville, Va., and Calvin Wallace of Corona, Calif.
Coker Funeral Home in Sanger is in charge of arrangements.
Gordon West
Gilmer – Gordon Emmett West, 77, of Gilmer died Thursday, Nov.1, 2001 in Gilmer.
He was born Feb. 24, 1924, in Cooper to John and Eunice West.
Mr. West was self-employed as a rancher, and was the former owner of Gordo’s Restaurant in Dallas. He was in the U.S. Army at Pearl Harbor and a resident of Gilmer for 29 years.
He was Protestant.
A graveside service was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Lakeview Cemetery, Longview. Bob Lanzby officiated. Interment followed at Lakeview Cemetery, Longview. Corely Funeral Home in Gilmer was in charge of arrangements.
Survivors include his wife, Nell L. West of Gilmer; his son, Shannon West of Gilmer; one brother, Harold West of Cooper; two sisters, Lucille Waters of Dallas, and Errolyn Dunn of Aubrey; and one grandchild.
Ethel Bottoms
Ethel May Bottoms, age 91, of Denton passed away Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, at the Denton Community Hospital. She was born in Ada, Okla. on May 12, 1910, to W.C. and Ella May (Watkins) Smith. She married W.H. Bottoms in Altus, Okla. on Dec. 18, 1930. She was a homemaker and a member of the Assembly of God Church.
She is survived by her husband, Clifford Dunn of Denton; daughters, Vernell and husband Clifford Dunn of Denton, Marie and husband Billy Kruger of Sanger, and Louellen and husband Bill George of Sanger; brothers, Junior Smith of Fort Worth, and Billy Wayne Smith of Denton; 10 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and 13 great-great-grandchildren. Her son, Travis Bottoms, passed away in 1988.
A service will be at 2 p.m. today, Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the Mulkey-Mason chapel. The Rev. Jack Howard will officiate.
Mulkey-Mason Jack Schmitz and Son is in charge of arrangements.
Richard Montgomery
Durant, Okla. – Richard Jackson Montgomery, 85, of Durant, Okla. passed away Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, in Durant, Okla. He was born in Colorado May 18, 1916, and resided in Corinth, Texas since 1946. He was a member of Pearl Street Church of Christ in Denton, Texas and was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Hazel Jo Montgomery, on Dec. 9, 1999.
He is survived by his children, Richard J. Montgomery II of Houston, Texas, R.C. Montgomery of Lewisville, Texas, Leo Paul Montgomery of Desert Hot Springs, Calif., and Laduska Suttles of Durant, Okla.; his grandchildren, Teresa Amburn of Lake Dallas, Texas, Dr. R.C. Montgomery II of Lewisville, Texas, Kenneth C. Montgomery of California, Robert Harrison of Weatherford, Texas, Chancy Montgomery of California, Richelle Andrus of Houston, Texas, Heather and Josha Montgomery of California; eight great-grandchildren, W.C. Martin family of Houston, Texas, Jo Ellen Gilliam of Houston, Texas, Becky D. Echols of Houston, Texas, Marty Martin of Houston, Texas, Walter C. Martin of Houston, Texas, Becky Hogan family, Heather Graham of Denton, Texas, Debbie Croissant of Denton, Texas, Mike Hogan of Celeste, Texas, and Martha Stanly of Garland, Texas.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7, at Dalton & Son Funeral Home. A service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, at Pearl Street Church of Christ in Denton. Burial will follow at Shiloh Cemetery in Corinth.
Harry A. Berkey Jr.
Austin – Harry A. Berkey Jr., 67, died Oct. 30, 2001, at Brackenridge Hospital after a brief illness. He was born Aug. 10, 1934, in Sherman, Texas to Harry A. Berkey Sr. and Opal Maude Berkey. Harry, or H.A., resided in Austin for the past five years with Betty, his wife of 46 years. He loved his God, his family and lived his life to the fullest.
Harry grew up in Miami (pronounced My-am-uh as he would always say), Oklahoma where he graduated from Miami High in 1952. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 1957. Harry spent his entire professional career in the petroleum industry. He held professional engineering licenses in Alaska, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. He worked with Texaco in Oklahoma and California and then worked with Commonwealth Oil Refining Company in Puerto Rico. In 1967 he became a partner at King-Wilkerson, Inc., a consulting firm for the North Sea and Middle Eastern oil fields. He worked in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Saudi Arabia and then opened the Houston office in 1973. Harry joined Conoco in 1978. His work at Conoco frequently took him to Alaska and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He developed an interest in computers in the late 1970s and was an Information Technology pioneer at Conoco’s Houston headquarters. In 1994 he retired from Conoco to do consulting work.
He was a lifelong Christian and always active in the church. His home church in Houston was Fair Haven UMC for over 20 years. He has been a member of First UMC since moving to Austin. He did extensive volunteer work for nonprofit institutions, most recently for the Tejas Storytelling Association. Since 1997, Harry served as Festival Finance chair for Denton’s Texas Storytelling Festival. He was also web master and membership chair for the organization. In 1999 and 2000, Harry and Betty made monthly trips to Denton to serve on the Denton Storytelling Advisory Task Force.
In addition to storytelling, Harry’s passions included genealogy, square dance calling, scuba diving, hang gliding and, of course, computers. He was a licensed pilot. He and Betty traveled extensively, with their most recent trip this summer to China.
He is survived by his wife, Betty Berkey; daughters, Deborah E. Berkey Wilder; and Beverly Grimshaw; sons-in-law, Scott Wilder and Randall Grimshaw; and grandsons, Jacob Wilder, John Grimshaw, and Timothy Grimshaw. A son, William, preceded him in death. Surviving siblings are J.W. Berkey and Monte Berkey. He will be greatly missed.
A Celebration of Life Service was held at Austin First UMC on Nov. 2, 2001. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Harry Berkey Memorial Fund, Tejas Storytelling Association, P.O. Box 2806, Denton, TX 76202.
Bhanu Bontha
Bhanu Kiran Bontha, 23, of Denton died Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001, at Denton Community Hospital.
He was born Aug. 6, 1978 in Viskjapatnam, India to Venkata Suryanarayna and Venkataramana Leelamani Bontha.
Mr. Bontha received his master’s degree in computer science from the University of North Texas.
He will be cremated in Hyderabad, India, Sunday, Nov. 11. Goen-Hudgens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Steven Robbins
Steven Lynn Robbins, 46, of Denton died Monday, Nov. 5, 2001, at Denton Community Hospital.
He was born Feb. 1, 1955, in San Antonio to Eugene Dewey and Doris (Watson) Robbins.
He was a resident of Denton State School.
A service will be at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Ivey Chapel at Denton State School, Denton. The Rev. Dennis Schurter will officiate.
Survivors include his mother Doris Taylor of Round Rock; three brothers, David, Peter, and John Robbins, all of Duncanville; two sisters, Susan Ross of Liberty Hills, and Lillian Robbins of Cameron, and his grandmother, Lillian Watson of Round Rock.
