Dateline: July 26, 2007
Phyllis
Abernethy Shelton, age 68, died Tuesday, July 10, 2007, in
Amarillo. Services were held Thursday, July 12, 2007, in the First Baptist
Church in Clarendon with Rev. Lance Wood, Pastor, and Rev. Truman
Ledbetter, retired Baptist Minister from Claude, officiating.
Burial was in
Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon with arrangements by Robertson Funeral
Directors of Clarendon.
Mrs. Shelton was born
March 22, 1939, to Louie and Verna Gammon Abernethy on the family farm in
Collingsworth County. She
started school at Quail and moved with her large family to Kelton in 1945,
where she graduated high school in 1957.
Phyllis moved to Clarendon in 1968 and worked as Vice President and
Cashier at the Farmers State Bank and Trust and First Bank and Trust for
over 20 years. She was a long
time member of the First Baptist Church.
She married Douglas
Shelton on October 4, 1985 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and often worked
alongside Douglas at their ranch near Ashtola.
She opened more gates and fed more cattle than most cowboys in
Texas. Phyllis loved anything
to do with her family and was a fabulous cook.
Her kids and grandkids will always remember her good Texas cooking
like fried chicken, homemade biscuits, coconut cakes, and many other
wonderful foods – always in abundance on her table and always served
with a smile and great love. One of her favorite activities was cooking a
hearty breakfast for the “neighboring” cowboys before they began their
day’s work at the ranch. Jokes
and stories were plentiful when Phyllis was around, and her eight siblings
were often found laughing along with her as they shared the trials and
adventures of growing up on a dryland cotton farm in Wheeler County.
She was an
accomplished gardener and loved flowers of every variety.
Her favorite flowers were pink roses, and the beautiful roses she
grew are in full bloom in her yard right now.
She spent many happy hours every day lovingly maintaining a yard
full of colorful flowers.
Mrs. Shelton was
preceded in death by her parents; an infant son, Danny; a sister, Currie
Dell Bliss; and three brothers-in-law. She is survived by her devoted
husband Douglas of Clarendon; two sons, Colonel Dewey Ford and wife Cathy
of Burke, Virginia, Chris Ford and wife Terri of Clarendon; two step sons,
Stan Shelton and wife Melanie and Ken Shelton and wife Theresa all of
Clarendon; 10 grandchildren, Elizabeth Ford, Zachary Ford, Lance Ford,
Amber Ford, Callie Ford, Shanna Shelton, Derrick Shelton, Audrey Shelton,
Haley Shelton, Raylyn Shelton; six sisters, Katherine Calcote and husband
Otis of McLean, Joann Simmons of Wheeler, Barbara Vines and husband Frank
of Celina, Aliene Mills of Erick, Okla., Vernell McDonald and husband
Harold of Longview, Cherry Johnson of Wheeler; one brother, Jerry
Abernethy and wife Linda of Evant; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
The
family requests that memorials be to BSA Hospice or Olivia’s Angels or
to First Baptist Church in Clarendon.