OBITUARIES

Bennie Louis Tidwell

Published

2 years ago

01/05/2024

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

OBITUARIES

Imogene Dalton Evans

Published

5 days ago

06/19/2026

bowienews

November 28,1928 – June 9, 2026
DENTON – Imogene Dalton Evans, 97, passed away on June 9, 2026.
A visitation will begin at 1 p.m. on June 20 at DeBerry Funeral Home and at 2 p.m. the funeral service will follow. A grave side service will immediately follow at Roselawn Memorial Park 3801 Roselawn Dr., Denton.
Imogene Dalton Evans was born on Nov. 28, 1928 in Coleman County Texas to Samuel and Effie Clara Dalton. She was raised on the family farm and ranch near Gouldbusk attending local schools and graduating high school from Mozelle High School.
Growing up she worked in the fields and with the cattle and sheep alongside her brothers. She gained a great work ethic that stayed with her throughout her life. She felt blessed to have three careers. She worked with her husband Joe Evans in their plumbing, heating and air conditioning business. After it was sold because of Joe’s health, she returned to college to finish her education, receiving a BS degree from North Texas State University (now UNT) and a master’s degree from Texas Woman’s University. She began work as a county extension agent in Montague County, retiring in 1991. She moved back to Denton and began a career in real estate in 1993.
Family was extremely important to her. After working all day she would work at night canning and freezing food from the family’s garden. One of her sayings she will be remembered for is a quote “waste not, want not.”
She was proceeded in death by her husband, Joe B. Evans in 1991; daughter, Regina Pitt in 2011; son, Joe B. Evans Jr. in 2015; daughter, Sharon Griffith in 2023; parents and three brothers.
She is survived by her grandsons, Scott Griffith, Fort Worth, Chad (Milly) Griffith, Dallas and “Trey” (Julie) Joe B. Evans III, Bowie; granddaughters, Lindsay (Kyle) Coker, Dallas, Shannon (James) Mares, Krum, and Lydia Evans, Bowie; great-grandchildren, Case Janopoulos, Krum, Emarie Evans, Bowie, Harper and Ellis Griffith, Dallas, Jack Griffith, Fort Worth, Berkleigh and Reagan Mares, Krum, and Collins and Myer Coker, Dallas; sister, Anna Walker, Saginaw; and nieces and nephews.
Arrangements entrust to DeBerry Funeral Home, Denton.
Paid publication

OBITUARIES

Mark Dean Hancock

Published

6 days ago

06/18/2026

bowienews

June 21, 1958 – June 10, 2026
NOCONA – Mark Dean Hancock, 67, died on June 10, 2026.
A memorial service will be from 2-4 p.m. on June 28 at the Turquoise Owl in Nocona.
He and his twin, Mike, were born on June 21, 1958, in Gainesville to Harvey F. Hancock and Jean (Hancock) Shears. He graduated from Nocona High School in 1976. He also attended North Texas University. He had several careers in his lifetime—the Boys’ State School in Gainesville, Tucker Rocky Distributing and numerous oilfield companies.
He is preceded in death by his parents; a half-sister and grandparents.
He is survived by two sons, Ben Hancock and Sam Hancock; brothers, Harvey Hancock and Mike Hancock; sisters, Kathy Tomlinson and Patty Crabtree; two grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews; and great-nieces and nephews.
Arrangements entrusted to Jerry Woods Funeral Home, Nocona.

OBITUARIES

Minnie Allen Walker

Published

6 days ago

06/18/2026

bowienews

January 20, 1938 – June 12, 2026
BOWIE – Minnie Allen Walker, 88 years, 4 months, and 23 days old died June 12, 2026.
There was a visitation from 5-6 p.m. on June 14 at Jerry Woods Funeral Home Chapel.
A funeral service took place at 2 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church on June 15. Interment followed in Ringgold Cemetery.
She was born Jan. 20, 1938, to Clarence and Eunice Allen in Ardmore, OK on what had once been reservation land. She was the only one of nine children to be born in a hospital. She graduated from Prairie Valley High School, where she played basketball and volleyball.
In 1959, she married her soulmate, Jerry Walker, and they built their extended family over the next 56 years. She worked for Dude’s Duds briefly, and at the Ford dealership in Nocona for many years. She served as Nocona City secretary and then as Nocona City manager, retiring in 2005 after a total of 23 years. The Walkers lost Jerry in 2018, and she moved to Independence Hall in Bowie a few years ago.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Walker; parents; and siblings, Alice Harper, Sam, Doie and David Allen.
She is survived by her three daughters, Karen Walker, Linda Wickersham and Kathy Sayers; three step-daughters; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; sisters, Joan Tettleton and Barbara Ice; and many nieces and nephews.
She had a lifelong love of flowers, so flowers to remember her are welcome or donate to the Carpenter Shop, 400 Boston St., Nocona, TX 76255.
Arrangements entrusted to Jerry Woods Funeral Home, Nocona.