L. C. Shipp
Ozona Optimist
Thursday, Oct 5, 1911
  L. C. SHIPP, of Austin, died at the home of his sister, Mrs. M. E. SMITH, in this city last Sunday night. He had Been suffering from a complication of troubles for several months and had come here in hopes that the change would restore his health. The funeral was conducted by Rev. R. S. ADAIR Monday afternoon, and interment occurred at the Ozona Cemetery.
  Deceased was born in Marion county, Tennessee, in 1851 and moved to Texas with his parents and settled in Llano county in 1853, where he resided for many years. He is survived by his aged mother, one sister, Mrs. M. E. SMITH, of Ozona, and one brother CAL SHIPP, who resides in New Mexico.
  The Optimist extends sympathy to the bereaved relatives.
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 9, 2003

Dan Monteith
Funeral Card
In Loving Remembrance of
  Dan Monteith Died April 17, 1916 Aged 70 Years Gone But Not Forgotten Poem
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 10, 2003

Henry Monteith
Ozona Stockman Nov 1?, 1922
An Old Settler Dies
  After a brief illness, of heart disease, HENRY MONTEITH died last Sunday, November 12, 1922, at his home in Ozona. He was buried Monday afternoon at four o'clock. Elder BLACK, of the Church of Christ, officiating at the funeral services.
  Henry Monteith was generally known as "Ned". He was born in Angelina county, Texas, August 14, 1860, and came to Crockett county, twenty-six years ago. He was married to Miss LOU SMITH, daughter of of Mrs. M. E. SMITH, of Ozona, and to this union there was born one boy and three girls, the eldest of who, Mary is now MRS. W. P. HOLT, of San Angelo. The wife and three girls survive. He leaves one brother, JACK MONTEITH, of Ozona, and two sisters, Mrs. JANIE PETERS, of Winters, Texas, and Mrs SALLIE FANCHER, of Chadbourn, Texas. Mrs Fancher and Mrs holt were here for the funeral.
  "In the midst of life we are in death", and this death came as another shock to the people of Ozona and Crockett County, among whom the deceased has been long and familiarly known.
Card Of Thanks
  We desire in this public manner to express our profound gratitude to the many friends who gave us their kindly assistance and sympathy in the great and sudden bereavement that has come upon us. Their good offices have made it easier to bear our burden of grief in the loss of husband, father, brother, friend.
The Family
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 9, 2003

James Smith
Funeral Card
Funeral Notice
DIED
At residence of Tom CASBEER in Ozona, Texas, at the hour of 9 p. m., Thursday, Jan 17, 1924
JAMES SMITH
at the age of 77 years, 8 months and 12 days. Funeral services will be held at 3 o'clock this afternoon, Thursday, January 18, 1924. Burial at the Ozona Cemetery.
Friends and acquaintances are respectfully invited to attend.
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 11, 2003

Mrs. Louise Elizabeth Monteith
San Angelo Standard-San Angelo, Texas- May 25, 1929
Mrs. Montieth Dies In Angelo Friday
  Mrs. Louise Elizabeth Montieth, 54, died at her residence, 134 East Seventh Street, at 3:20 Friday afternoon. The body is to be taken to Ozona by the Robert Massie Co, the funeral services to be held from the Ozona Church of Christ at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon. Three sisters are survivors, Mrs. W. P. HOLT, MRS. LORA LEE TEAMES, and MRS. THELMA WARNER, all of San Angelo.

(Survivors are DAUGHTERS, not sisters. Mrs. Thelma Warner, is Mrs. THELMA VARNER. b.v.)

I also have a Death Card
IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE LOUISE E. MONTEITH Died May 24, 1929 Age 54 years

Ozona Texas newspaper clipping No date
Mrs. Monteith Is Laid To Rest Here
Daughter of Mrs. M. E. SMITH Dies in San Angelo Fri.
  Mrs. Louise Elizabeth MONTEITH, daughter of Mrs. M. E. Smith, of Ozona, was buried Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock in Cedar Hills Cemetery following funeral services at the Church of Christ. Rev. W. R. SWINNEY conducted the services.
  Mrs. MONTEITH died 4 o'clock Friday afternoon in San Angelo following a long illness.
  She was 64 years, 8 months and 27 days old. She is survived by her mother, Mrs. M. E. Smith, three daughters, Mrs. W. E. Holt, Mrs. Thelma Barner, and Mrs. Lora Teams, all of San Angelo. One brother Austin SHIPP, of Hope, N.M., and three sisters, Mrs. TOM CASBEER and Miss LEE SMITH, of Ozona, and Mrs. J.L. TOOLE of Brownfield, Texas.
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 9, 2003

Mrs. M. E. Smith
Newspaper clipping from Ozona Newspaper?? Jan 2 1948??
Mrs. M. E. Smith, 92, Crockett Pioneer, Called By Death
Ozona Resident for 52 Years Buried in Services Wednesday
  Ranks of the true pioneers of Crockett county and of Texas were thinned with the death here Tuesday night of MRS. MARY ELIZABETH SMITH, a residence of Ozona and Crockett county since 1895,, who passed her 92nd birthday last September 20th. Mrs. Smith died at her home here after a brief illness.
  Funeral services were held at 10 o'clock this morning from Ratliff Funeral Home, Rev. Horace M. KING , pastor of the Ozona Methodist Church, conducting the service. Burial was in Cedar Hill Cemetery.
  Mrs. Smith, one of the oldest residents of Crockett county, who was MARY ELIZABETH SHIPP, was born in Llano county September 20, 1855. Her parents were Dr. and MRS. A. A. SHIPP, who came to Texas in the early days from Tennessee.
  Memories of Indian raids during her childhood in Llano county, of the hardships of the civil was days, of the trials of the pioneer life in West Texas and of the later development of Ozona and Crockett county were mingled in the mind of this pioneer mother whose mind remained clear and whose life was full even to her last days.
  In an interview given on the occasion of her 82nd birthday, Mrs. Smith recalled the life of her family in LLano county in the early days when Indian raids were common. Her father, a practicing physician, was often away on sick calls and she recalled that she, her mother and two small brothers often would sit in the dark of their home, afraid to light a lamp for fear it would attract marauding redskins. She recalled that after she was grown the Indians often would parade around their home at night looking into the windows. It was impossible to keep a saddle horse and many times children and wives were hustled into a certain farm house for protection while the men took up the trail of a band of raiders.
  The SHIPP's moved to Bastrop for a short time and from there to Caldwell county where they were at the time of the Civil War. Mrs. Smith recalled that her father waited on the Confederate soldiers, contracting from them what was then known as "camp fever" which caused his death. She remembered Confederate soldiers passing all day in front of their home. She recalled also the hardships of the times, the shortage of food, the plundering by Northern soldiers who devastated growing fields and destroyed food supplies in the home of southerners.
  After Dr. Shipp's death, Mrs. Shipp moved her family to Blanco and it was there that Mary Elizabeth met JAMES SMITH, a cowboy. They were married in 1869 and soon after they started west with their cattle, settling near Big Spring. At that time the country was not fenced and they drifted as far as New Mexico.
  The Smiths moved to Ozona in 1895, their son having come here five years earlier. Mrs. Smith had been living in the same house here for over fifty years, her daughter, Miss Lee Smith, living with her. Mrs. Smith is a charter member of the Ozona Methodist Church and has held membership in that church for over 60 years.
  Mrs. Smith is survived by four children, AUSTIN A. SMITH of Hope, NM; Mrs. J. L. TOOLE of Lamesa, Mrs. TOM CASBEER and Miss LEE SMITH, both of Ozona. Thirteen grand children and sixteen great grandchildren also survive.

There is also an obit for her in the San Angelo Standard Times
  Additional items in this obit. Died at her home at 8:45 p.m. Thursday. Pallbearers will be PARK HOLT, LAMAR CASBEER, J. T. CASBBER, and MILTON SPURGER, all grandsons; JOE DAVIDSON and HOUSTON SMITH. Fourteen grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 11, 2003

Clay Addison Adams
From the Ozona Stockman, Aug 1957
"Clay Adams Dies Of Heart Attack Early Wednesday"
  Funeral Services Set For 5 p.m. Today at the Methodist Church
  Friends here and throughout West Texas were shocked Wednesday to learn of the sudden death at about 2:30 Wednesday morning (August 7, 1957) of Clay Adams, 55, prominent Crockett, Pecos and Val Verde county ranchman, and member of a pioneer West Texas ranch family.
  Mr. Adams, who had been in apparent good health, suffered a heart attack at around midnight Tuesday night. Mrs. Adams summoned a physician and after emergency treatment in the home Mr. Adams was removed to the Crockett County Hospital where he died at 2:30 when another attack struck.
  Funeral services will be held at 5 o'clock this afternoon from the Ozona Methodist Church, with the Rev. Leroy Russell, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery, with Cody Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
  Pallbearers will be Jack Neill, Sonora; Sid Slaughter, San Angelo; Frank Meadows, San Angelo; Buster Holland, Silver City, N.M.; and Boy Clayton, Rufus Ward, Albert Bailey, Sherman Taylor and Charlie Black, all of Ozona.
  Born in Christoval Jan. 7, 1902, Mr. Adams had been a resident of Ozona since 1914 except for a time when he was ranching in Pecos county near Fort Stockton and on another of his holdings in the Pumpville area. At the time of his death he was operating ranches in the south part of Crockett county and the Pumpville and Pecos county places while making his home in Ozona.
  A son of the late W. A. Adams and Mrs. Adams (Della Sims), he moved here with his family from Schleicher county where the elder Adams was ranching before acquiring ranch lands in Crockett County. He was married June 6, 1928, to Miss Emma Phillips, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Byrd Phillips, pioneer Crockett county ranch family.
  Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Adams moved to the Pecos county ranch where they lived until 1935, moving then for a time to the Pumpville ranch and later buying a home in Ozona where they have lived since.
  Surviving are the widow, two daughters, Jane Adams, a student in Southern Methodist University, and Camile, Ozona High School student, and his mother Mrs. W. A. Adams of Fort Stockton.
  Victim of a heart condition for a number of years, Mr. Adams had delegated ranch chores to employees and devoted himself to supervision and to the development of entertaining hobbies. A talented artist with the pencil and brush, he developed in recent years a new avenue of expression for his artistic talents in the field of wood carving. A lifetime of associations in the ranching industry, his creations naturally turned to that field and many friends were grateful recipients of artistic creations in wood of familiar ranch figures, cowboys, horses, chuck wagons, cows, etc. A typical early west camp scene, with all figures, chuck wagon camp utensils, corrals, etc. carved from wood, made an interesting Christmas display in the window of a downtown business house here last year."

Lola May Sims Day Gardner
the Ozona Stockman, Oct 1957
Services Here Monday For Mrs. A. V. Gardner, Former Ozona Resident
  Funeral services for Mrs. A. V. Gardner, formerly of Ozona, were held Monday, at 4 p.m. in the Ozona Church of Christ. Frank Lilly officiated at the services, and burial followed in Cedar Hill Cemetery, with Cody Funeral Home directing.
  Mrs. Gardner, the former Mrs. Lola May Day, died in a Tulsa, Okla. hospital Friday (Oct. 11, 1957) afternoon, after an illness of 6 months.
  Mrs. Gardner was born in Henderson, Texas, Jan. 11, 1912. She moved to San Angelo at an early age with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. O. L. Sims, now of Ozona. She attended schools in San Angelo and had been a resident of Ozona for 16 years before her marriage to Mr. Gardner about 3 years ago. Since that time the couple had resided in Tulsa.
  A service for Mrs. Gardner was held in Tulsa at the East Side Church of Christ Saturday afternoon. After services there, the body was brought to Ozona (Oct. 14, 1957).
  Survivors other than the husband and parents are one daughter, Mrs. R. E. Hooper of Tulsa, and a son, Weldon Day, of Ozona, and a sister, Mrs. Hubert Baker of Ozona.
  Pallbearers at the funeral services in Ozona were Burl Sparks, J. W. Johnigan, J. B. Miller, Vernon Ratliff, Frank Janes and James Isbell all of Ozona.

Miss Lee Smith
Ozona newspaper clipping -no date-She died Jan 1, 1965
Miss Lee Smith, Ozonan 70 Years Is Buried Here
  Funeral services were held at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon from the Ozona Methodist Church for Miss Leona (Lee) Smith, 89, a resident of Ozona for 70 years.
  Miss Lee died Friday, Jan. 1, in the Golden Years Nursing Home in Christoval. Services were conducted by the pastor, Rev. Leonard Garrett. Burial was in Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of Janes Funeral Home.
  Miss. Smith was born near Austin Feb 21, 1876. She moved to Ozona in 1895, just four years after the county's organization., and for many years operated a boarding and rooming house. Her home, one of Ozona'a landmarks, located on Water Works Drive just east of the First Baptist Church, was the "town Home" of many Crockett county ranch families in the early days. It was a place to eat, for an overnight stay or leave the kids while parents attended a social function while in town.
  Survivors include two sisters, Mrs Tom Casbeer, of Ozona, and Mrs Bell Toole of Monahans.
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 9, 2003

Otis Lee Sims
From the Ozona Stockman:
Otis Lee Sims Dies; Ozona Rites Slated
  Ozona - Otis Lee (Pappy) Sims, 89, long-time Tom Green and Crockett County ranchman died in Crockett County Hospital about 6 p.m. Friday (May 20, 1966) after a brief illness.
  Mr. Sims was born at Llano on Sept. 29, 1876, and moved to Tom Green County when he was a boy of 10. His father settled on a ranch about 12 miles south of San Angelo long before the Ben Ficklin flood.
  Mr. Sims ranched in Tom Green County until 1945 when he moved to Ozona. He was married to Lula Mae [sic] (Mary) Scott in 1899 at San Angelo. He and Mrs. Sims celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1949. He was a member of the Old Cowboys Association and was able to recall many historical events in West Texas history.
  Funeral will be held at 4 p.m. today at Ozona Church of Christ with burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery here directed by Janes Funeral Home.
  Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Mrs. Hubert Baker of Ozona; a sister, Mrs. W. A. Adams of Fort Stockton; three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Frank (Thelma) Laws
Laws Services Set In San Angelo
  Funeral Services for Mrs. Frank (Thelma) LAWS, about 63, of Lometa, will be held at 4 p.m. today at graveside in Fairmount Cemetery directed by Johnson's Funeral Home. Mrs. LAWS died Thursday in Albuquerque, NM.
  She is survived by her husband, a son, J. L. VARNER of San Angelo; and sister Mrs. Lora Lee MAYS of Abilene.
  Her headstone in Fairmount says Thelma Monteith Laws Feb 19 1903-May 26 1966
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 11, 2003

Lula Mary Scott Sims
From the Ozona Stockman:
Mrs. O. L. Sims Died Wednesday; Funeral Friday
  Funeral services for Mrs. Otis L. Sims, 88, will be held tomorrow, Friday, afternoon at 3 p.m. from the Ozona Church of Christ with A. C. Knight, minister, officiating. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of Janes Funeral Home.
  Mrs. Sims died here early Wednesday (Dec. 19, 1968) morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Hubert Baker.
  She was born March 28, 1880, in Corinth, Miss. She was married to Otis L. Sims in San Angelo July 21, 1899. They had been married 67 years when Mr. Sims died in 1966. Before moving to Ozona in 1945, they were in the ranching business south of San Angelo for many years.
  Mrs. Sims had been a member of the Church of Christ for over 70 years and was an active member in the Ozona Woman's Club when it disbanded a few years ago.
  Survivors include the one daughter, Mrs. Baker of Ozona; 3 grandchildren, Mrs. Priscilla Low of Kerrville, Mrs. R. E. Hooper of Tulsa, Okla. and Weldon Day of Ozona; one sister, Mrs. Lottie Smith of Roscoe and one brother, Otis L. Scott of Pinson, Tenn. and seven great-grandchildren.
  Pall bearers will be Delbert Stewart, J. W. Johnigan, A. E. Gilliam, Pascal Northcutt, Bud Loudamy and Harold Farmer.

Mrs. J. R. (Lora Lee) Mays
newspaper clipping-no heading
Ozona Rites Set For Mrs. J. R. Mays
  Ozona-Mrs. J. R. (Lora Lee) MAYS, 64, former San Angelo beautician, died Monday in Albuquerque, NM. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Ozona, Tx.
  Survivors include her husband, and a nephew JIMMIE VARNER of San Angelo.
Her headstone in Cedar Hill Cemetery says LORA LEE MONTEITH MAYS Aug 12, 1908 May 12, 1973
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 10, 2003

Hubert Weldon Baker
the Ozona Stockman, Oct 1977
Services Sunday For Hubert Baker
  Funeral services for Hubert Weldon Baker, 75, were held Sunday (Oct. 30, 1977) afternoon at 3:30 in Ozona Church of Christ with burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery under the direction of Janes Funeral Home.
  Mr. Baker died at 12:30 Thursday (Oct. 27, 1977) in Shannon Hospital where he had been rushed by ambulance earlier that morning, of an apparent heart attack.
  He was born Aug. 13, 1902 in Tennyson and lived in Ozona since 1937. He had a grocery store in Ozona for 16 years and was a salesman for Martin Glover Wholesale for 23 years before then. He was manager of the Ozona Chamber of Commerce for nine years before retiring in March 1974. He served on the chamber board of directors until death.
  Mr. Baker was past worshipful master of Ozona Masonic Lodge and received his 50-year pin in 1974. An elder of Ozona Church of Christ for 30 years. He was a member of the Texas Old Time Fiddlers Association. Mr. Baker was an accomplished musician and shared his talents every time he was called upon
  He was married to Lottie Lee Sims, September 1, 1923 in San Angelo. They celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary here four years ago.
  Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Mrs. A. J. Pakkila of Buchannan Dam; one sister, Mrs. J. E. Butler of San Angelo; two brothers, Clifford Baker and Neal Baker, both of San Angelo; three grandchildren, three great- grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Bell S. Toole
San Angelo Standard Sep 23 1978
TOOLE
  Monahans-- Mrs. BELL S. TOOLE, 98, of Monahans, died Thursday afternoon (Sept 21 1978), in Ward Memorial Hospital following a brief illness.
  Services will be at 2: p.m. Sunday at Southside Baptist Church. Burial will be in Lames Memorial Parks Cemetery under the direction of Wilson-Miller Funeral Home.
  Mrs. Toole was born Oct 27, 1879 in Blanco County and had been a residence of Monahans, since 1959. A retired teacher, she received her teaching certificate at the age of 16 and began teaching in Ozona in 1896. She graduated from Sam Houston Teachers College and taught three more years in Ozona. She was married to JOHN L. TOOLE on Sept 30, 1902. Mr. Toole preceded her in death in 1958.
  She retired from the teaching profession at the age of 65. She was an active member of Southside Baptist Church, a member of the Monahans and Ward County Retired Teachers Association., the National Retired Teachers Association and the Historical Society of Odessa. In 1968 she won first place in historical writing at a writers roundup in Odessa.
  Survivors include four daughters, OTTIE BELL SPEED of Beaumont, VARUE CHENAULT of Houston, CHRISTINA ANDERSON of Little Rock, Ark., and VIRGINIA REED of Monahans: a son JOHN TOOLE of Wichita Falls: a sister Mrs. ELLA CASBEER of Eldorado; nine grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Submitted by Betty Varner on October 10, 2003

Mrs. Ella Casbeer
Clipping from San Angelo Standard? Oct 20 1979
  Eldorado (SC)- Mrs. ELLA CASBEER, 94, died Sunday afternoon in Schleicher County Medical Center. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Ozona.
  Mrs. CASBEER was born Jan 4, 1885. She was married to J. T. CASBEER in Ozona in 1903, and moved from there to Eldorado in 1969. She was a Methodist.
  Survivors include one son, J. T. CASBEER of Eldorado; one daughter, MRS. OLETA SNODGRASS of Monahans; nine grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.
Submitted by Betty Varner

Emma Lou Phillips Adams
the Ozona Stockman, September 18, 1998
  Emma Lou Phillips Adams, 92, died Tuesday, Sept. 15, 1998, at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo.
  Funeral Service was held at 2 p.m. Friday in Ozona United Methodist Church followed by burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery. Arrangements were by Preddy Funeral Home.
  Emma Lou Phillips Adams, born Aug. 18, 1906, was the daughter of Samuel Byrd Phillips and Lela Williams Phillips. After graduating from Ozona High School, Mrs. Adams attended Mary Hardin Baylor in Temple and was in the 1927 graduating class of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.
  On June 6, 1928, she married Clay Addison Adams of Ozona. They made their first home on the Adams Ranch in Pecos County, where Emma Adams was a charter member of the Fort Stockton Tuesday Bridge Club. From 1936-47, Clay and Emma Adams lived and ranched in Crockett, Terrell, Pecos and Val Verde Counties. In 1947 they moved to Ozona. After Mr. Adams' death in 1957, Mrs. Adams and her daughters managed the family ranching business.
  Emma Adams was the 30-year president of the Ozona Country Club Ladies Bridge Association with whom she played weekly until her death at 92. A long-time member of the Ozona United Methodist Church, Mrs. Adams was chairman of the hospitality committee and Sunday School teacher. She was a member of the Crockett County Historical Society and worked with others to create "A History of Crockett County".
  Mrs. Adams is survived by two daughters, Jane Addison Adams Garlitz and her husband, Charles Gary Garlitz of Midland, and Ann Camille Adams Jones and her husband, Martin Brock Jones, Jr. of Ozona; six grandchildren, William Wade Garlitz, Christa Adams Garlitz Bolger, Charles Clay Garlitz, Martin Brock Jones, III, Jane Ann-Caroline Garlitz and Margaret Camille Adams Jones; four great-grandchildren, John Barr Bolger, II, Emma Adams Bolger, Martin Brock Jones, IV and Brady Carlisle Bolger; a sister, Lela Phillips Nussbaumer; a sister-in-law, Bernice Collins Phillips, and numerous nieces and nephews.
  Pallbearers were: Phillips Townes Carleton, Thomas Franklin Collins, Jr., William Wade Garlitz, Charles Clay Garlitz, Martin Brock Jones, III, John Richard Hunnicutt, Jr., Kenneth Lawrence Frazier Jr., John Barr Bolger, Carl Edward Simmons and David Alan Martin.
  Memorials may be sent to: Ozona Untied Methodist Church Foundation, P.O. Box 984, Ozona, TX 76943 or St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, Altar Flower Guild, P.O. Box 5121, Midland, TX 76704.

Jack C. Coates
  Jack C. Coates was born August 21, 1931 in Ozona TX, and passed away May 27, 2002 in Hugo CO.
  He attended and graduated from Ozona High School and attended Sol Ross College is Alpine TX. He was very involved with the rodeo side of college. He joined the air force in 1951 and served in Japan and Korea, receiving an honorable discharge in January 1954.
  His family sold the ranch in TX and after his discharged moved his family to Karvel, CO. He married Marie Steele in 1954 and they lived on the ranch in CO until it sold in 1968. The family moved to Hugo Co where his wife resides today.
  Born to this union were 6 children, David of Cheyenne WY, Linda of Dodge City KS, Robert of ST. Francis KS, Debra of Houston TX, Connie of Riviera Tx, and Jack Jr. Summit Lake Wisc.
  He is survived by all his children, daughter and son-in-laws and 13 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
Submitted by Connie Coates Vela on May 23, 2003.

Weldon Oran Day
September 14, 1941-February 13, 2007
  Weldon was born September 14, 1941 at Shannon Hospital in San Angelo, TX to Jewel Clarence Day and Lola May Sims Day. His parents divorced in May 1942. Weldon, along with his sister, Beverley, and their mother made their home with his maternal grandparents. They settled in Ozona, TX close to his aunt and uncle, Lottie Lee Sims Baker and Hubert Weldon Baker.
  His maternal great-grandparents, James Thomas Sims and Molly Wade Keeton Sims, came from Llano, TX and began ranching near San Angelo, TX in 1884. Their son, Otis Lee Sims married Lula Mary Scott from Henderson County, TX. Her parents, Elbert Patterson Scott and America Lea Scott, were from McNairy County, TN.
  His paternal great-grandparents, Rufus M. Day and Louisa Eliza Jane Daugherty Day, came from Arkansas and settled in Rockwall, TX. Their ancestors can be traced back to Ireland. Their son, Clarence Monroe Day, married Florence Odella Weatherford from Limestone County, AL. Her parents, Harris Martin Weatherford and Mary Virginia Harvey moved the family from Limestone County, AL to Rockwall County, TX.
  While growing up in Ozona, Weldon had a lot of friends, including his three cousins, Jean Ann, Carol Lee and Betty Lou Baker. He enjoyed spelunking with his high school buddies and going fishing with his granddad, Otis Sims and his cousin, Clay Adams. At 14 he developed an interest in ham radios which continued throughout his life. As an adult he attained from the FCC the highest license level possible for Amateur Radio Operator of which he was extremely proud. He was a member of various amateur radio clubs including the Port Lavaca Amateur Radio Club. His call sign number was KC5KQN.
  Weldon graduated in the Class of 1960 from Ozona High School, after which he joined the United States Navy going to boot camp at the Navy Training Base, now Camp Pendleton, San Diego, CA. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Summit, a Landing-Ship-Tank (LST #1146). Their primary work was to provide amphibious training for U.S. Marines and Army troops. His LST took him to Hawaii, Seattle and Johnston Island, where he participated in 3 atomic bomb air-bursts. Weldon made Electrician Mate 3rd Class Petty Officer. His active duty service lasted from July 30, 1960 through July 29, 1964. He was relieved of duty only 5 days before the U.S.S. Summit went to Vietnam. Weldon maintained his ties to his Navy days as a member of the United States LST Association the rest of his life and was very proud of his Navy service. He was a member of the American Legion for the past 23 years.
  After the Navy, Weldon attended Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX, then went on to join the Texas Department of Public Safety as a Communications Officer for the Texas Highway Patrol. He worked in El Paso and Lampasas, TX, retiring after 25 years of service at the age of 55 to the Gulf shores of Indianola, TX.
  Weldon enjoyed sailing on his 37 foot sailboat, kayaking, and scuba diving all in lake and open water, flying glider planes, archery, freelance photography, and always enjoyed reminiscing and telling a good tale. The last several years, using his ham radio, he was a spotter at Sea Drift for the 260 mile Texas Safari Canoe Race held each June. He also enjoyed working on family genealogy with his nephew, Clay Hooper. Together they transcribed the 1880 through 1930 Federal Census records for Crocket County, TX.
  For the last two years he courageously fought malignant melanoma, returning to the hill country of Llano County for his final days. Weldon passed away February 13, 2007 in the family home of his cousin, Pris Baker Pakkila- Gage, attended by his family, Beverley, Clay and Jean. Graveside services Saturday, February 17, 2007, 2 p.m., at the family plot in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Ozona, TX.
  Weldon is survived by his sister, Beverley Hooper of Tulsa, OK; nephew, Clay Hooper of San Francisco, CA; three nieces and their husbands: Leslie and Dan Wright of Tulsa, OK, Terri and Brian Lowther of Alexander, AR, Sydney and Jim Aldag of Tulsa, OK; three grand-nieces: Sara and Amanda Brown, Jenny Aldag; two grand-nephews: Luke and Max Aldag; great-grandniece, K'Leigh Barrett; great-grandnephew, Aiden Barrett all of Tulsa, OK; first cousins and their families: Jean and Ollie Sudduth of Bluffton, TX, Carol and Kirby Bryant of Denham Springs, LA, Lou and Bob Bixby of Acworth, GA; Mary Lou and Chris Holley of Burleson, TX, Ronnie and Brenda West, Gerald and Diane West of Ft.Worth, TX, Linda Hunter of Weatherford, TX, Larry and Grace Day, Sandra and Larry Fenn of Ft. Worth, TX, Denise and Gayle Lacy of Haslet, TX, Angela and Cliff Larison of Ft.Worth, TX; Bonus/Step family: sister, Lucille Cribbet of Scottsdale, AZ, nieces and their families: Mary Ferrill of Oakdale, CA, Emilie and Milt Krieger of Hobart, OK, Irene and Ken Edward of Carmel, CA, nephew, Steve Cribbet of Scottsdale, AZ; and numerous friends and e-mail buddies.
Submitted by Clay Hooper on May 28, 2007.