Obituaries

Eleanor K. Dixon

Eleanor K. Dixon was killed in a car accident Dec. 31, 2000, near Marietta, Okla. She was 19 years old.

Dixon graduated from Fort Worth Christian High School, Fort Worth, Texas, in 2000, and had begun her freshman year as an occupational therapy major at Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma City, in fall 2000. She was an active member of campus social service club Beta Beta Sigma and participated in several dramatic presentations during her first semester.

According to friends and family, she is best remembered for her smile and her cheerful spirit.

Dixon is survived by her mother, Suzanne England Dixon, Oklahoma City; her father, Joe Dixon, Jr., Nashville, Tenn.; sisters Erin and Emily, Oklahoma City; aunts and uncles and her grandparents.

Ramona A. Dobson

Ramona Ann Dobson, Edmond, Okla., died Jan. 19 following heart surgery. She was 61 years old.

Dobson graduated from Phillips University with a degree in Elementary Education and married Max Dobson in 1958. The couple moved to Edmond, Okla., in 1966, where Max began working for Oklahoma Christian University. Dobson was a member of the Memorial Road church, Oklahoma City.

According to her co-workers, family and friends, Dobson will be remembered for her good taste and gift for service.

She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Max; three children, Tami Robbins, Todd Dobson and Teri Mueller; eight grandchildren; her mother and two sisters.

Everett W. Evans

Everett W. Evans, Grass Valley, Calif., died Dec. 26, 2000, at the age of 96.

Born March 13, 1904, in Sebastian, County, Ark., Evans was the first member of his family to attend college, graduating from Harding College, Morrilton, Ark., in 1930. A minister for more than 60 years, Evans worked with congregations in California and Arkansas and did mission work in the Phillipine Islands, the Bahamas, and several African and Asian countries. Featured in Who’s Who Among Arkansas Men, he was a regular guest speaker on Morrilton, Ark., radio programs. While in California, he served as a trustee of Sierra Christian Children’s Home, Vacaville, and received a Distinguished Preacher Service Award from Pepperdine University, Malibu.

Evans was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Beulah, and is survived by his second wife, Dorothy; a son, Roy, Palm Springs, Calif.; a daughter, Judy Skelton, Dallas, Texas; two granddaughters; two great-granddaughters; a brother; two sisters; 13 stepchildren; 23 step-grandchildren and nine step-great-grandchildren.

Bertha G. Hayes

Bertha G. Hayes died Jan. 24 in Altus, Okla., at the age of 92.

Hayes was a 1932 graduate of Harding College, Searcy, Ark., and spent the early part of her teaching career in the rural area of Dewey County. She married Frederick Hayes in 1933 and moved to Seiling, Okla., where they raised their two children. After working as a high school, junior high school and elementary school teacher in the Seiling public school system, Hayes retired in 1974 and continued serving at the Seiling church.

She is survived by her son, Don, Altus, Okla.; her daughter, Sandra Johnson, Austin, Texas; three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband; a sister and three brothers.

Leon Lugar

Leon Lugar died Jan. 27 in Bartlesville, Okla. He was 96 years old.

Lugar worked for the Phillips Petroleum Company from 1931-1969 and was a long-time member of the Kiwanis Club. A member of the Adams Blvd. church, Bartlesville, Lugar had previously served as an elder for the Limestone church. Lugar became a member of the Board of Trustees at Oklahoma Christian College in 1962, serving for 18 years before being named an honorary trustee in 1980.

Lugar is survived by his wife, Myra; a daughter, Jackie Morgan, Tulsa, Okla.; a daughter-in-law; five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

John T. Wearden

John T. Wearden, Haigler, Neb., died Dec. 13, 2000, at the age of 63.

Wearden married Betty Jo Armstrong in 1956, and the couple settled in New Mexico. In 1969, they moved Lubbock, Texas, where Wearden attended Sunset School of Preaching. He graduated in 1971 and later earned a B.A. in Business from York College, York, Neb. Wearden formerly served as the director of the Midway School of Biblical Studies, Sabetha, Kan., and was active in mission work to Ukraine.

Wearden was preceded in death by his parents, one sister and five brothers. His survivors include his wife of 44 years; four sons: Russell, Pine Mountain, Ga.; Ken, Littleton, Colo.; Jeff, Fremont, Neb.; and Joel, Denver; two daughters: Karen Aponte, Montgomery Ala., and Leah Swenson, Haigler; a half brother and half sister; 11 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

 

Arlie Gardner

Arlie Gardner died Dec. 17, 2000, at the age of 75.

Born Oct. 27, 1925, Gardner later served with the U.S. Navy during World War II. In 1952 he married Margaret Simmons, and the couple served as house parents for Sunny Glen Children’s Home, San Benito, Texas, until 1979. Gardner later moved to Petersburg , Texas, where he worked for Pay ‘n Save until retiring in 1987.

Gardner is survived by a son, Tommy, of Lubbock, Texas; a daughter, Chris Pohorelsky, Rockwall, Texas; a brother; a sister; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Robert C. Hampton

Robert C. Hampton died Dec. 12, 2000, in Fort Worth, Texas, at the age of 69.

Hampton attended Freed-Hardeman College and Grand Canyon College. He later preached for churches in Michigan, Tennessee, Illinois, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, and held numerous meetings in other states. Hampton helped to establish several churches and Christian camps in Michigan and Illinois, and was a regular speaker on television and radio programs in the Albuquerque, N.M., area. Hampton served as an elder at the Las Vegas Trail church, Fort Worth, from 1996 until his death.

He is survived by his wife, Mildred; a son, Gary, of Valdosta, Ga.; two daughters, Laura Osborne, Jackson, Tenn., and Lisa Wilson, Fort Worth; and six grandchildren.

Wyndal Hudson

Wyndal Hudson died Dec. 5, 2000, at the age of 73.

Hudson was a veteran preacher, serving on the first missionary team to Italy in 1949. He worked with the Westhaven church, Texas City, Texas, for 17 years, and served as chaplain for several prisons and an area hospital. Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease in 1983, he and his wife went on to author a tract entitled, ‘Our Fight with Cancer, and We Won.’

Hudson is survived by his wife of 39 years, Judy; sons Wyndal Jr. and John David; a brother; and two nephews.

Howard W. Reese

Howard W. Reece, 84, died at his home in Panama City, Fla., Dec. 15, 2000, after battling cancer.

Reese worked as a minister for more than 55 years, serving various congregations in Tennessee and Mississippi.

He is survived by his wife, Ann, Panama City, and two sons, Jim Reece, West Lafayette, Ind., and Jack Reece, Panama City.

Reba Tucker Thomas

Reba Tucker Thomas, professor emeritus of Family and Consumer Sciences at Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson, Tenn., died Nov. 15, 2000, in Nashville, Tenn.

Born in 1935 in Pulaski, Tenn., she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and went on to teach at Freed-Hardeman University between 1958 and 2000.

Thomas was a member of Civitan International and former president of the Henderson Civitan Club. She attended the Henderson church and participated in three mission trips to Russia.

Thomas is survived by her husband, John David Thomas; three daughters, Linda Williams, Laura J. Hall, and Lisa Thomas; two brothers; a sister; and three grandchildren.

Danna L. Skaggs Rende

Danna Lou Skaggs Rende was killed in a car accident outside of Montgomery, Ala., Nov. 16, 2000. She was 29 years old.

Rende worked for newspapers in California and Texas before accepting a position with the Montgomery Advertiser in August. A member of the Prattville church, Prattville, Ala., Rende is remembered for her singing voice, her positive outlook on life and her caring spirit.

She is survived by her husband of nine years, Kelly, and her parents, Dan and Lutricia Skaggs.