Bennie Louis Tidwell
December 25, 1944 – August 27, 2023
BOWIE -Bennie Louis Tidwell, 96, passed away peacefully at his home on Jan. 1, 2024.
Family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 5 at the White Family Funeral Home in Bowie.
Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. on Jan. 6 at the First Christian Church in Bowie with Pastor Kristi Hand officiating. Burial will follow at Salona Cemetery in Bowie.
Bennie was born in Montague County on his family property near Salona on Nov. 5, 1927 to Ben and Ada Tidwell. He graduated from Bowie High in 1945 and was a faithful Bowie Jackrabbit all his life. He is on the Bowie High Hall of Honor as well as the Texas Tech Ring of Honor. Bennie was on the football field when the Army called him into service. He served 18 months in Korea. He was discharged in 1948 after typing his and others paperwork.
Bennie married his high school sweetheart Doris on Aug. 27, 1949. They were married for 70 years. He graduated from Midwestern College in 1951 with a teaching certificate, intent on becoming a coach. After working various jobs (movie theater, roustabout, YMCA) to put himself through college, he was offered a job as a landman with Texaco. He was proud to say he bought oil and gas leases in all 254 counties in the state of Texas and some in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado and Pennsylvania. He retired from Texaco after 40 years in Fort Worth, Wichita Falls, Richardson, Amarillo, Midland and returned to Bowie to take care of aging parents.
Although he began his life as a farmer taking their crops to Fort Worth, Dallas and Wichita Falls and raising chickens and turkeys, he prided himself on changing the farm to a ranch with over 100 head of cattle at one time.
He and his wife’s greatest joy was their family. They raised two daughters, three grandchildren and two great grandsons. They were involved as youth leaders, band sponsors and athletics of every kind. No matter who they were there to support, they were there 100%. They also traveled near and far to attend many events and showed their support.
He attended various First Christian churches for 70 years and was an elder in the Midland and Bowie churches. He loved working at the ranch and in town in his yard. You could always find him digging, pruning, mowing, fertilizing and watering something. In his younger years he enjoyed hunting, fishing, square dancing, playing bridge and dominoes. After his wife died, he became the unofficial groundskeeper of the Salona Cemetery.
He loved to tell stories and was a great storyteller. He never met a stranger and was always quick to ask “Where are you from?” His family categorized his stories an “A” true and “B” embellished.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Doris.
Bennie is survived by two daughters, Janis Weseman and husband Gary, Sunset and Tricia Deaton and husband Steve, Lubbock; three grandchildren, Derek Deaton, Houston, Lynsey Flores and husband Trey, Wolfforth and Audra Dockrey and husband Weston, Austin; two great-grandsons, Thomas Flores and Patrick Flores, Wolfforth; and various nieces, nephews and cousins.
Should friends desire, memorials can be made in honor of Bennie Tidwell to Salona Cemetery c/o Jo Kleinhans at 294 Kleinhans Bowie, TX 76230.
Arrangements entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home of Bowie.
Paid publication