Obituaries
Charlene Beatrice Walker Harper
Charlene Beatrice Walker Harper, age 90, passed away December 5, 2019 in Portland, Oregon.
Celebration of Life Services will be held at 10:00 a.m., December 16, 2019 in Friona, Texas at the Friona Cemetery Memorial Chapel with Rev. Skip Hodges, officiating. Internment following in the Friona Cemetery by HANSARD FAMILY Funeral Home of Friona.
Charlene was born October 25, 1929 in Hereford, Texas into a farming family. She was the daughter of Lowery and Jewell Walker and the oldest of five children. She was educated in Hereford and graduated from high school in 1946. She met her future husband, Clifton Lowell Harper, when she was 14 and he was 16. They met at a community chicken fry gathering and were engaged one year later. They married June 8, 1946 at her parents’ home in Summerfield, Texas.
Clifton passed away August 28, 2007 after the couple had celebrated 61 happy years together. In their early years, Charlene supported and assisted Clifton in farming in Parmer, Reeves and Deaf Smith counties in Texas, ranching in Hartsel, Colorado and custom harvesting, cutting fields for farmers every season from south Texas up the grain belt to Wyoming, along with raising four children.
In 1970, Charlene began working as a bookkeeper at Friona State Bank.
While working at the bank, she joined the National Association of Banking Women and attended night school to earn an Associate of Arts Degree in Banking, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Eastern New Mexico University.
She retired after 25 years as the bank’s first woman Vice President.
Following Charlene’s retirement, the couple moved to Van Alstyne, Texas. There, Charlene earned a Master Gardner’s certificate, became active in the Van Alstyne United Methodist Church, the Van Alstyne Quilters Guild, and was accepted as a Daughter of the American Revolution.
Five years after Clifton’s death, Charlene moved to Portland, Oregon, where she lived with one of her daughters and sons-in-law and transferred her church membership to Fremont United Methodist Church in Portland. During her life, she had many interests and hobbies which included: genealogical research, quilting, knitting, gardening, painting, embroidery, reading, and Bible study. Charlene loved her family and took pride in their large holiday gatherings where everyone raved over her amazing fried okra, cornbread dressing and homemade cinnamon rolls.
Charlene is survived by her sons, C. David Harper of Dallas and Lowery Harper of San Antonio and their wives Carole and Rhonda; daughters, Donna Doebbler of Houston and C. Darlene Harper and her husband, Joe Meissner of Portland, Oregon; sister, Carolyn McNeil of Pecos, Texas; sisters-in-law, Sandra McIntyre of Bayfield, Colorado and Virgie Walker of Antelope, California; eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Charlene was preceded in death by her husband, Clifton Lowell Harper; parents, Lowery and Jewell Walker; sister, Wanda Pegram; brothers, Wayne and Norman Walker; and son-in-law, Fred Doebbler.
Charlene was much loved by her many friends and family and will be greatly missed by all who knew her. May she forever rest in peace. You may send condolences to the family and sign the online register book at
www.hansardfamily.com
Ileta Uldene Bomar Grimsley
Ileta Uldene Bomar Grimsley, age 88, passed away Sunday, December 8, 2019, at Parmer Medical Center in Friona. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service was be held at 1:30 P.M. Wednesday, December 11, 2019, at Sixth Street Church of Christ in Friona, with Jeff Proctor, minister, officiating.
Arrangements by HANSARD FAMILY Funeral Home of Friona.
Uldene was born on December 22, 1930, in Clovis, New Mexico, to James Herbert and Esther May Bomar. An only child, Uldene spent her childhood in the small general mercantile store operated by her parents. In her early years the family lived in the community of Maple, and she grew up with many of her cousins filling in as surrogate siblings and playmates. The business then relocated to Lubbock for two years, before finally moving to the town of Springlake where her mother continued operating a small grocery store for many more years. Uldene was a 1948 graduate of Springlake High School and was married to her husband, David, that same year. They made their home and farmed outside of Olton before moving to Friona in 1959.
She was a member of the Sixth Street Church of Christ, where she taught bible class for many years. She also volunteered delivering Meals on Wheels in Friona. Until her later years, she spent countless hours working in her yard and truly enjoyed her grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her son, James “Jimmy” Grimsley, and a great-granddaughter Sayge Caroline Massie.
Uldene is survived by her husband of 71 years, David; her son Jayson, and wife Jyl, of Friona; seven grandchildren: Holly Davila, of Lubbock, Poppy (Rob) Stokes of McKinney, Kyle (Kiley) Grimsley, of Dalhart, Justin (Julie) Grimsley of Benbrook, Jena (Shawn) Massie, of Lubbock, Jacy Weatherly, of Friona, and Cody (Erin) Grimsley, of Friona; and 15 great-grandchildren.
The family would like to say a special thank you to the doctors, nurses, attendants and staff who have so graciously attended to our mother and grandmother during the last months and days of her life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to: Parmer Medical Center 1307 Cleveland Friona, Texas 79035 you may send condolences to the family and sign the online register book at www.hansardfamily.com
