OBITUARIES
James William Taylor
April 27, 1950 – September 7, 2022
NOCONA – James William Taylor, 72, died on Sept. 7, 2022 in Nocona.
Visitation will be at 10 a.m. on Sept. 14 at the First United Methodist Church in Nocona. A funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. with Minister Valleri Sewell officiating. Burial will follow at Spanish Fort Cemetery.
Taylor was born on April 27, 1950 in Nocona to Earlene Morris and Jack Taylor. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Nocona. He attended school at Prairie Valley and graduated from Goldburg High School. He continued his education and received an associate degree from Cooke County College.
Taylor graduated from The Art Institute of Dallas in 1972. He used his keen eye for color balance and composition and began a career in custom framing and art restoration by apprenticing at the Sanger Harris Department store.
He soon moved on to custom framing in Newman Galleries and framed for Manheim Galleries, shipping custom work to Houston and New York City. He later worked for the The Frame House and Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas.
For many years, he worked as a stone mason and landscape artist. His stonework and waterfall construction at the Benton Place Inn in Eureka Springs won first place in a national competition “America in Blooms,” and is still featured landscape of Eureka Springs.
His stone projects can be found throughout northwest Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. He moved to Nocona in 2010 and used his skill to do restoration and custom framing for the Tales and Trails Museum.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Taylor is survived by his constant companion, Foxy, along with many other dear friends and family.
Memorials may be made to Lucky Paws Animal Shelter in Nocona.
Arrangements entrusted to Jerry Woods Funeral Home in Nocona.
OBITUARIES
Maggie Killen
November 5, 1938 – April 18, 2026
WICHITA FALLS – Maggie Killen, 87, died on April 18, 2026.
A graveside service took place at 1 p.m. on April 27 at Salona Cemetery near Bowie.
She was born on Nov. 5, 1938 in Bowie to Bertha Irene (Brewer) and Emmett Franklin Thompson. She was a graduate of Bowie High School. She was an oil information secretary and later in life as a business office manager in a skilled nursing home.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Bertha Irene and Emmett Franklin Thompson: sisters; Gracie McNatt, Berneice Oliver, Ola Mae Deeton, Ernestine Ray and Dorothy Woolf: brothers; Kelly Thompson, John Thompson, Lonnie Thompson, Wayne Thompson and Tommy Thompson; son, Ricky Wallace and daughter, Vicki Cullens.
She is survived by two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to University Park Nursing and Rehab.
OBITUARIES
Sammy Joe Mitchell
June 4, 1947 – April 19, 2026
SPAINSH FORT – Sammy Joe Mitchell, 78, died on April 19, 2026.
There was a visitation from 5-6 p.m. on April 24 at Jerry Woods Funeral Home Chapel in Nocona.
A graveside service will be at 10 a.m. on April 25 at Spanish Fort Cemetery in Spanish Fort.
He was born on June 4, 1947 in Nocona to Bonnie O. Mitchell Jr. & Mary Lou Cross Mitchell. He grew up in the Spanish Fort area and went to school at Prairie Valley Schools. He was a hard-working farmer, rancher and mechanic all of his life and served his nation in the Airforce. He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Spanish Fort. He married the love of his life Robbie Hawthorne on May 8, 1971 in Nocona.
He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Steven Chris Mitchell.
He is survived by his wife, Robbie Mitchell, Spanish Fort; children, Joe Chris Mitchell, Spanish Fort and Kasie Hamilton, Bowie; sister, Bonnie Robertson, Spanish Fort; six grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to The Montague County Youth Fair, c/o Kenton Holloway, 5549 F.M. 1758, Bowie, TX 76230.
OBITUARIES
Lesli Jan Phipps
November 8, 1958 – April 20, 2026
NOCONA – Lesli Jan Phipps, 67, died on April 20, 2026.
There was a funeral service at 2 p.m. on April 23 at Bethel Baptist Church in Nocona with Pastor David Rogers officiating. The interment followed in Hope Cemetery, Henrietta. Pallbearers were Will Johnson, Ben Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Kaye Rhoades, Tom Skinner and Bill Holcomb.
She was born in Nocona on Nov. 8, 1958 to Gerald “Jerry” and Lucia Painter Johnson. She grew up in Nocona and graduated Nocona High School in 1977. She attended Bethel Baptist Church. She later attended college at Midwestern State University and was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. She worked mostly in accounting for Northrop Grumman. She married Curtis Phipps on June 3 2021 in Henrietta.
She is preceded in death by her parents.
She is survived by her husband, Curtis Phipps, Nocona; children, Blake Gantz, Euless, Emily Gantz Hicks, Hoover, AL and Garrett Palla, Denton; brother, Craig Johnson; and one grandson.
Memorial donations may be made to the Susan G. Komen Foundation at www.komen.org.
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