Death notices
Jo Thomas
Jo Thomas, 88, of San Angelo died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996. Services are pending at Johnson's Funeral Home.
Addison Milton
Addison E. Milton, 66, of San Angelo died Friday, Dec. 13, 1996. Services are pending at Johnson's Funeral Home.
Addie Holmes
MARFA - Addie Bertha Holmes, 68, of Marfa died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996, in a Fort Davis care center.
Graveside service will be at 2 p.m. today in Holmes Ranch Cemetery. Arrangements are by Memorial Funeral Home.
She was born March 12, 1928, in Marfa and was a lifetime resident. She was a rancher, a public school teacher and a Methodist.
Survivors include four uncles, Si Reynolds, Bruce Moon, Bine Culpepper and Noel Varner; two aunts, Lucille Varner and Elizabeth Varner; and a cousin, Kathryn Merchant.
Samuel Vess
RED OAK - Samuel Porter Vess, 77 of De Soto died Friday, Dec. 13, 1996, in Cedar Hill.
Service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Hampton Road Baptist Church in De Soto with burial in Red Oak Cemetery. Arrangements are by Red Oak Funeral Home.
He was born Aug. 10, 1919, in Knoxville, Tenn. He was a veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Audrey R. Vess; four sons, Troy Vess of Big Spring, John Vess and Billy Vess, both of Tennessee, and Shelby Vess of Warsaw; a daughter, Jacquie Ward of Fort Worth; a brother, Harrison Vess Jr. of Duncanville; and 11 grandchildren.
James Sanker
OZONA - James D. ``Jim'' Sanker, 70, died Friday, Dec. 13, 1996, in a local hospital.
Graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Cedar Hill Cemetery. Arrangements are by Preddy Funeral Home.
He was born Oct. 9, 1926, in Nashville, Tenn., and had been a resident of Ozona for 26 years. He was a retired veteran of the Air Force and a Baptist.
Survivors include his wife, Montie Sanker of Ozona; two daughters, Patricia Weatherby and Pamela Sanker, both of Austin; two sisters, Lois Morton and Robbie Graham, both of Houston; a brother, Billy Turman of Trinity; and one granddaughter.
Rosendo Santellan
BIG SPRING - Rosendo ``Wimpy'' Santellan, 81, of Big Spring died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996, in Weatherford.
Rosary will be at 7:30 p.m. today in Nalley-Pickle & Welch Rosewood Chapel. Service will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church with burial in Mount Olive Memorial Park.
He was born Aug. 30, 1915, in Broado, Calif., and had been a resident of Big Spring since 1918. He was worked in civil service at Webb Air Force Base and was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Woodmen of the World, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Oddfellows, Rebekah Lodge and Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife, Melecia R. Santellan of Big Spring.
Emiliano Fierro
BIG SPRING - Emiliano A. Fierro, 91, of Big Spring died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996, in a Midland hospital.
Rosary will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Nalley-Pickle & Welch Rosewood Chapel. Service will be at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with burial in Mount Olive Memorial Park.
He was born Aug. 8, 1905, in Chihuahua, Mexico and had been a resident of Big Spring since 1914. He worked for T&P; Railroad (Union Pacific) for 43 years and was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Consuelo F. Johnson of El Paso and Maria J. Trevino of San Antonio; four sons, Felix E. Fierro of Milwaukee, Wis., Gabriel Fierro of El Paso, Alberto S. Fierro of Plano and Jorge L. Fierro of Midland; 16 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Brent Keller
MASON - Brent Keller, 55, of San Antonio died Friday, Dec. 13, 1996, at his residence.
Service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in Mason Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Gooch Cemetery.
He was born Nov. 15, 1941, in Mason and was a longtime resident of San Antonio. He was a communication service technician with Lucent Technology and was a Lutheran.
Survivors include his wife, Ann Elizabeth Beffer Keller of San Antonio, and a stepson, Chris Beffer of San Antonio.
Leona Jones
ROSCOE - Leona O. Jones, 82, of Roscoe died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996, in an Abilene hospital. Services are pending at McCoy Funeral Home.
Abel Martinez Sr.
OZONA - Abel Martinez Sr., 96, died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996, in a local care center. Services are pending at Preddy Funeral Home.
Lorene Dubose
BIG SPRING - Lorene ``Granny'' Dubose, 76, died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996. Services are pending at Myers & Smith Funeral Home.
CHARLES J. DANKWORTH
BALLINGER - Charles J. Dankworth, age 67, of Paint Rock passed away Friday evening, Dec. 13, 1996, in Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo.
Rosary will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, in the Rains-Seale Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Olfen, with Monsignor Curtis Halfmann of Lubbock, Father Stephen Kennelly of St. Boniface and Deacon Leroy Beach of Millersview officiating. Burial will follow in the Paint Rock Memorial Cemetery in Paint Rock, Texas.
Charles was born on July 11, 1929, in his parents' home in Ballinger. He graduated from Ballinger High School in 1947, where he received many athletic and FFA awards. He married June Hartgrove on Jan. 2, 1953, in Olfen, Texas. He served in the Army during the Korean War and was discharged in 1957 as a first lieutenant.
Charles was a stock farmer and served as county commissioner, Precinct 1, Concho County, Texas, for 13 years. During this time, he served as president of West Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, was the first president to the Concho Valley Council of Governments and was instrumental in the restoration of the Concho County Courthouse. He became county judge for Concho County in 1980 and served in that capacity for 15 years.
Charles was a member of St. Boniface Catholic Church in Olfen, the Paint Rock Lions Club and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ballinger post. He was an avid gardener and was best known for growing state champion pecans. He will be remembered for his love for Concho County and respect for his fellow man.
He is survived by his wife, June of Paint Rock; a son, Dr. David Dankworth and his wife, Pamela Williams, of Whitehouse Station, N.J.; a daughter, Dixie Ann Cope and her husband, Dr. Stephen Cope, of New York City; and his parents, Charles E. and Anna Fuchs Dankworth of Ballinger.
He also is survived by three brothers, Dan of Abilene, Ralph of Laveen, Ariz., and Herbie of Rowena; and four sisters, Laverne Goetz of Winters, Doodle Dankworth and Jeanie Minzenmayer, both of San Angelo, and Frances Adams of Forth Worth.
Nephews, Mark Goetz, Ed Jones, Bob Jones, Greg Dankworth, Rick Minzenmayer and Dall Dankworth will serve as pallbearers.
The family requests that memorials by given to a favorite charity.
MARTHA DALE CHARLESS POLLARD
On Friday, Dec. 13, 1996, Martha Dale Charless Pollard passed gently into the hands of God.
The younger of two daughters, Martha was born in Amarillo, Texas, on Dec. 5, 1936, to Margaret and Henry Charless. She lived in Amarillo until she moved with her family to San Angelo in 1944. She married James Frank Pollard on Feb. 24, 1962, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in San Angelo.
Frank and Martha settled in Fort Stockton and were blessed with three children, an abundance of dear friends and 10 years of memories that are treasured by the Pollard family.
In 1972, the Pollards moved to their family ranch in the Davis Mountains near Alpine. Martha nourished a heartfelt love for the majestic mountains, her many dear friends in the Big Bend Country, her wide array of pets and wildlife and above all else, her family and her God. It was a magical place and magical time.
Martha's legacy to her family and friends is to be found in the way she lived each day. In a life blessed with wondrous joy and also touched by deepest sorrow, Martha never lost her faith, her love and commitment to her family, her passion for being part of this world or her devilish sense of humor.
We count the final weeks of Martha's life as a special blessing. We treasure the memory of a Thanksgiving in the snowy mountains of Colorado spent skiing with the family and a surprise birthday party full of laughter, dancing and dear friends. This time will always hold a special warmth and glow.
Martha shared with all of us a most giving and compassionate soul. There was never an animal, child, friend or stranger in difficult straits or a time of crisis who could not count on Martha to be there - lending her hand or helping shoulder the burden.
Martha is survived by her husband, Frank; her daughter, Lisa Pollard; her son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Wendy Pollard; her mother-in-law, Grace Pollard; her brother-in-law, Bernard Beck; her niece, Lori Upham, her husband, Robert, and their children, Ashley, Slade and Olivia; her nephew, Brandon Beck, his wife, Suzanne, and their children, Grace, Emily and Pierce; her nephew, Kyle Beck, his wife, Tisha, and their children, Madeline and Anna. She also will be greatly missed by family members Max and Grace Beck and Beverly Blum.
Service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at the First Presbyterian Church in San Angelo with the Rev. Ron Sutto officiating. Burial will follow in Fairmount Cemetery, under the direction of Johnson's Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Lon Slaughter, Lad Linthicum, Dale Bates, Clayton Williams, King Terry, Jim White, Paul Olsen, Conoly Brooks III and Joey DeHart.
We have faith in the fact that Martha has returned to her God. We find consolation in the knowledge of her reunion with her parents, Henry and Margaret Charless, her sister, Jayne Beck, and her eldest son, Mark Pollard.
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