December 2014 - Henderson County Now

Obituary: Harold W. Tippie

Harold W. Tippie passed away on December 29, 2014 in Malakoff at the age of 82.

Harold was born in Bartlesville, OK on July 2, 1932 to Fred A. Tippie and Elizabeth Ball Tippie.

Harold was survived by his loving wife, Helen Tippie, son, Harold Steven Tippie, daughters, Nancy Eilene McCord, Julia Diane Moore, sons, Jeffrey C. Fox, Mark S. Fox, Richard J. Fox, daughter, Monica L. Fox, 10 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Elizabeth Tippie, brothers, Richard and Fred Lee Tippie, sister, Elizabeth Jean Tippie.

Memorial service will be held on Friday, January 2, 2015 at 1 p.m. at Fellowship Baptist Church in Athens. Interment will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2015 at 1 p.m. At Hillcrest Memorial Park in Texarkana.

Cotton Patch Ribbon Cutting

The Athens Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the Cotton Patch restaurant this morning and afterward toured the new restaurant. Cotton Patch officials also served several selections from their menu for chamber members to try. (The shrimp rocked out loud) … Check out more photos here.

The Cotton Patch will open to the public Thursday, Jan. 1.

Obituary: Ronald Jack Henry

Funeral services for Ronald Jack Henry, 68 of Athens, Texas are scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, December, 31, 2014 at Hannigan Smith Funeral Home in Athens, Texas with Bro. Charles Newman officiating. Interment will be held at Carroll Springs Cemetery in Athens, Texas.

Ronnie went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 in Athens, Texas. He passed away peacefully at his home after a battle with cancer.

Ronnie was born August 8, 1946 in Mt. Vernon, Texas the oldest son of Jack Henry and Ruth Hunt Henry. Ronnie graduated in 1964 from Mt. Pleasant High School. He went on from there to attend Paris Jr. College for two years on a music scholarship. From school, he found his next step in life would lead him into the Navy. One of his greatest hobbies as an accomplished musician was playing the drums. He loved being on the road in his big truck, traveling abroad, the outdoors, fishing, and being with his family. His greatest joy in life was being with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Continue reading “Obituary: Ronald Jack Henry”

Around the Town: A Letter From John

By Loretta Humble

Sorry I’ve been skipping out on my column here lately. It’s just that I haven’t been doing a whole lot of interesting things, or getting out to where I would see other folks doing interesting things. I could use a little help in this for a while. I really appreciate Teri Caswell and Billy Bucher filling in for me. If you have something you’d like to tell the community, talk to me. We just might work something out.

It’s been a while since I’ve had anything new to write about my friend John Walker. He’s been visiting his son Nick in Chile for several weeks. I believe now he is in Washington State visiting his daughter, though maybe he is on his way back now. He’s not much better at letter writing than I am, though I did get one letter from him a couple of weeks ago. I’m going let him help write this column by reprinting part of that letter. Sounds to me like he is have a grand old time. Continue reading “Around the Town: A Letter From John”

Obituary: Oddie V. ‘Sonny’ Smith

Oddie V. “Sonny” Smith, born July 28, 1935, in Kaufman County, Texas, died Sunday, December 21, 2014, at his home in Tool, Texas, at 6:47 p.m. Sonny passed peacefully, surrounded by his family.

Sonny was preceded in death by his wife Emily Sue Smith, brothers Bobby Smith and Ronnie Smith, mother Vera Smith, and father Ransom Smith. He is survived by one son, Mark Smith, of Tool, two grandsons, Nathan Smith, also of Tool, and Dustin Smith of Athens, brothers William Smith of Gun Barrel City, Harold Smith of Tool, Jimmie Smith of Gun Barrel City, and James Smith of Kemp.

Visitation will be at Eubank Funeral Home in Mabank on Friday, December 26, 6:00-8:00 p.m. The service will be 10:00 a.m. at Christian Life Center Church, with Pastor Jeffrey Bryce officiating, and interment immediately following at King Cemetery. The family invites everyone to join them at Mark Smith’s home in Tool, following the interment. Continue reading “Obituary: Oddie V. ‘Sonny’ Smith”