System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!
Jewell Alexander Pilant
Funeral services for Jewell Alexander Pilant, 94, of Clifton, were held Wednesday, Nov. 2, 5003, at United Pentecostal Church, Clifton, the Rev. Daniel Gann officiating. Interment
followed at Clifton Memorial Park. He died Monday, Nov. 3, 2003, at Goodall-Witcher Nursing Facility. He was born Sept. 4, 1909, in Clifton, to William Henderson and Sallie Marie Lyon Pilant. He attended school in Valley Mills and Clifton. On June 7, 1937, he married
Jewel King Clark in Meridian. The couple had four children. Pilant worked for Kimbell Mining Company, the City of Clifton, and Wilson Building Materials. He was a member of Clifton United Pentecostal Church. He enjoyed gardening and working in the yard, and he loved his church. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jewel King Pilant; brothers Earl H. Pilant and Kermit Pilant; and sister Willie Mae Andrews. Survivors include sons Billy Pilant, Bobby Pilant, and Kenneth Pilant, and daughter Mary Brewer, all of Clifton; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Pallbearers were Wayne Smith, Don Pilant, Kevin Pilant, Kelly Pilant, Billy Pilant Jr., and Rodney Brewer. Clifton Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Rosalie Johanna Gaskamp
Funeral services were held for Rosalie Johanna Gaskamp, 74, of Valley Mills on Saturday, Nov. 8, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Clifton, with Rev. Glenn E. Kramer officiating. Gaskamp was born on Aug. 1, 1929, to Albert and Anna (Haverland) Gaskamp in the Lanes Chapel Community of Bosque County. She passed away at the Clifton Care Center on Nov. 1, 2003. She attended school in Turnersville and Moshiem and lived in the Moshiem community all her life. Her church affliation was Lutheran. Her hobbies included sewing, quilting, gardening, and talking on the phone. She is preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Alfred Gaskamp, Leonard Gaskamp, and Lester Gaskamp. Surviviors include one brother, Monroe Gaskamp of Valley Mills, and three sisters, Alice Hartman of Taylor, Lenora Symank of Clifton, and Estella Thiele of Clifton. Pallbearers were Tommy Gaskamp, Curtis Symank, Brian Gaskamp, Stanley Gaskamp, David Hartman, and Marvin Thiele.
Ellaween Liles Cranfill
Funeral services were held for Ellaween Liles Cranfill, 85, on Friday, Nov. 14, 2003, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Norse with Rev. Beverly A. Blackmon officiating. Cranfill was born on May 31, 1918, to Asa and Elsa (Mims) Liles at Millsap. She passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2003, at Goodall-Witcher Healthcare Foundation. Cranfill attended school in Millsap. She married
Melvin Monroe Cranfill on July 4, 1940, in Chicago, Ill. Due to the nature of her husband’s work, she lived in about 30 or more states and served as a housewife and mother. Her church affliation was Lutheran. Her hobbies included gardening, knitting, crocheting, and cooking. She was devoted to her family and home. Preceding her in death were her parents, Asa and Elsa Liles, and her brother, Leonard Liles. Survivors included her husband, Melvin M. Cranfill; daughters, Jo Carrol Atkinson and her husband, Richard, of Clifton, and Gail Whittington and her husband, Larry, of Katy; grandchildren, Amber Becker of Austin, Amanda Sheehan of Victoria, Professor Keith Whittington of Princeton, N.J., Laura Winckler of Katy, and nine great-grandchildren. Pallbearers included Lester Baumann, Travis Cranfill, Richard Atkinson, Lloyd Aulie, Winston Longeway, and Larry Whittington. Internment was at Our Savior’s Lutheran cemetery at Norse under the direction of Clifton Funeral Home.
Clyde Edwin Seljos
Funeral services were held for Clyde Edwin Seljos, 74, on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2003, at the First Baptist Church in Clifton with Brother Bill Schibler officiating. Seljos was born on the Moffatt farm north of Clifton on Jan. 19, 1929, the son of the late Jake and Mamie (Moffatt) Seljos. He passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003. Seljos was reared on the Moffatt farm during the Great Depression. He was baptised at an early age, and graduated from Clifton High School in 1947. He attended Clifton Lutheran College briefly, quitting after football season was over in order to work. In 1953, Seljos went to work for Community Public Service (now Texas-New Mexico Power) where he was employed in a variety of jobs for 38 years. On Aug. 7, 1953, he married
Frances Samuelson. The couple celebrated 50 years of marriage three months ago. In 1964, after 11 years of marriage, the couple found their lives truly blessed with the birth of their daughter, Marcie. Seljos would probably say his happiest memories were spent at his daughter’s side, working with her on 4-H projects and attending livestock shows. “Quiet and dependable” are words used by many in describing the attributes of Seljos. The man seldom rested or new the word “vacation.” Whether working the line crew at Texas-New Mexico, plowing or baling hay on the Seljos farm, south of Clifton, or volunteering for the fire department and local fair, his hands were never idle. Retirement found him with merely more time to help more people .Will a hamburger ever tastes as good as those made by him for just about every worthwhile fund-raiser around? For many, Seljos will be forever remembered walking behind a push lawnmower, most often in the head of the day and sporting that straw hat while mowing a neighbor’s yard, or the florist’s, or the church grounds. Seljos’ civic involvement spanned six decades and benefitted the Clifton Volunteer Fire Department, the Central Texas Youth Fair and Rodeo, and the Norwegian Society of Texas, among others. He was active in all efforts of church life at Clifton’s First Presbyterian, where he served as an elder for the past four years and oversaw building and grounds maintenance and upkeep. His kindness and generosity for others was done in the same quiet and unassuming manner in which he lived life. Whether mowing a yard, taking a friend to the doctor, or helping Frances bake bread for a fund-raiser, Seljos never stopped helping others. If it’s true that a man’s life is enriched by good deeds and devoted friends, then rest assured that Seljos leaves us as the richest man in town. Seljos was preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Jodie Seljos. Survivors include his wife, Frances; daughter, Marcie and her husband, Brian Gillaspie; aunts and uncles, Rudolph and Ruby Seljos and Bob Stanley; sister-in-law, Nadine Seljos, all of Clifton, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Freddie and Wanda Pilant, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Pallbearers were T.F. Crawford, Harold Kettler, Fred Low, Joe White, E.J. Belvin, and Albert Symank. The family requests memorials to be made to the Central Texas Youth Fair or the First Presbyterian Church. Burial was held at Trinity Lutheran cemetery in Clifton under the direction of Clifton Funeral Home.
Florence Chaudoin
Graveside funeral services for Florence (Flo) Chaudoin, 88, of Clifton, were held Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003, at Youngblood cemetery in Nortonville, Ill. Chaudoin died Saturday, Nov. 8, 2003, in a Whitney nursing facility. She was born Sept. 1, 1915, in Nebo, Ill., the daughter of Wayne Antone and Cora G. Fuller Hendrickson. She married
Lloyd R. Chaudoin on Nov. 16, 1935, in Nebo. She was a seamstress, and a member of Youngblood Baptist Church in Nortonville. Chaudoin was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd R. Chaudoin, her parents, six brothers, and two sisters. Survivors include sons Gene Chaudoin and Lloyd Chaudoin of Clifton; a brother, Wayne Hendrickson of Houston; a sister, Violet Gant of Auburn, Ill.; six grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and many nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Heart, Whitney. Edens Funeral Home, Hillsboro, was in charge of arrangements.
Patricia Ruth Todd
Graveside funeral services for Patricia Ruth Todd, 64, of Brownwood, here held Sunday, Nov. 9, 2003, in Clifton Memorial Park, with Tom Cosper officiating. Todd died Friday morning, Nov. 7, 2003, in Brownwood Regional Medical Center. She was born in Meridian on July 2, 1939, to Emmett and Lelia Oswald Tucker. She received a Bachelor of Science in English degree from Midwestern University, and earned her Master’s Degree in Library Science at East Texas State University. She was a librarian for over 25 years at the Brownwood Public Library, and was also the librarian at Walker Memorial Library at Howard Payne University for two years. She was a talented pianist, enjoyed gardening, and loved her cats. She was preceded in death by her parents, Emmett and Lelia Oswald Tucker, and a sister, Geraldine (Jean) Locker. Todd is survived by a brother, Kenneth and wife Carol Tucker of Bedford; two nephews; three nieces; and longtime friend Carolyn Eaves of Brownwood. Davis- Morris Funeral Home, Brownwood, was in charge of arrangements.
William Alvis Wright
Funeral services for William Alvis Wright, 53, were held Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003, at Peace Lutheran Church in Edmond, Okla. A graveside service with interment followed at Gracelawn cemetery in Edmond. Wright died Friday, Nov. 7, 2003, in Midwest City Okla. He was born Nov. 29, 1949, in Hamilton. He graduated from Clifton High School in 1968. He married
Verna Beth McGuyer on Oct. 23, 1970. Wright earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from Central State University in Edmond. Wright served in the Texas National Guard as a military policeman. He served in the Texas Department of Public Safety, first in the Highway Patrol Division, then in the Driver’s License Division, completing his service as an investigator in the Motor Vehicle Theft Division. He also worked at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma until 1992, and fir AvPro Inc. from 1993 to present, most recently as deputy technical director. He underwent a heart transplant at Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City in 1992, and afterwards put a great deal of effort into encouraging organ donor awareness. Wright was preceded in death by his grandparents, Armon and Estella Wright, and a son, Steven Alvis Wright. He is survived by his parents, Texas Ranger Captain James Alvis Wright (retired) and Laura Jean Wright; his wife, Verna Beth Wright; a daughter, Anne Elisabeth and husband Capt. Christopher Erick Backus, USAF; a brother, James Ray and wife Phyllis Wright; and nephew James Matthew Wright. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Zuhdi Transplant Institute at INTEGRIS Family of Foundations, 3030 N.W. Expressway, Suite 1600, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, or to the Texas Ranger Association Foundation, 104 Texas Ranger Trail, Waco, TX 76706. Matthews Funeral Home, Edmond, was in charge of arrangements.
Tommie Charles Neystel
Graveside funeral services for Tommie Charles Neystel, 59, of Meridian, were held Monday, Nov. 3, 2003, in the Meridian cemetery, with Minister David Tappe officiating. Clifton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8553 was in charge of military rites. Neystel died Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003, in a Dallas hospital. He was born Feb. 1, 1944, in meridian, a son of Drusilla Bullard Neystel and the late Tommie Neystel (who died in 1985). He lived his early years in the Meridian area, where he attended school, until moving to Cleburne where he finished school in 1962. In 1966 he joined the U.S. Border Patrol in Presidio until begin drafted into the U.S. Army in 1967. He served in Viet Nam as a medical corpsman, and was discharged in 1968. He returned to duty with the Border Patrol in February 1969, and worked there until retirement in 1988. He returned to Meridian in 1992. He married
Raquel Valenzuela in 1973 in Cleburne. Neystel was a member of the Church of Christ, and Clifton VFW Post #8553. He is survived by his wife, Raquel Neystel of Meridian; daughter March and husband Chris Calcagno of Atlanta, Ga.; sons Sergio and wife Cathy Valenzuela of Dallas, and Johnny C. Neystel and fiance Stephanie Parrott of Atlanta; three grandchildren; mother and stepfather Drusilla and Kenneth Howell of Cleburne; brother Ole and wife Helen Neystel of Goatneck; sister Dora and husband Otice Boyle of Grandview; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and other relatives. Pallbearers were Edgar Valenzuela, David Brunson, Dean Gates, Travis Neystel, T.J. Neystel, and Chris Calcagno. Lawson Funeral Home, Meridian, was in charge of arrangements.
Alma Day Whitlock
Funeral services for Alma Day Whitlock, 94, of Lakeside Village, were held Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003, at Kopperl First Baptist Church, the Rev. Rob Tombrella officiating. Interment
followed in Kopperl cemetery. She died Monday, Oct. 27, 2003, in Arlington, following an extended illness. She was born Feb. 8, 1909, in Kopperl, a daughter of the late Thomas Benjamin and Bessie Billings Day. She finished school in the Union Hill community near Kopperl, and attended college for two years at North Texas State Teachers College in Denton. She taught school in Kopperl, Walling Bend, and at various other locations for many years. On July 3, 1932, she was united in marriage to Calvin Edwards Whitlock in Marietta, Okla. She lived in Fort Worth from 1048 to 1988, when she and her husband retired and moved to Lakeside Village. A member of Kopperl First Baptist Church, she was preceded in death by her husband on Nov. 30, 1995. Whitlock is survived by daughters Janelle and husband Leon McDaniel of Colleyville, and June and husband Wesley Dunn of Arlington; sisters Essie King and Billie Prince, both of Clifton, and Tommie Messina of Fort Worth; five grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; and a number of other relatives and a host of friends. Pallbearers were David Layton Sr., David Layton Jr., Timmothy Zimmerman, Edward Zimmerman, Vincent Messina, and Teddy Messina. Lawson Funeral Home, Meridian, was in charge of arrangements.
