COUNTY LIFE
Restoring cemetery markers is more than just business for Pearson
By DANI BLACKBURN
dani@postoakmedia.net
Mark Pearson of Pearson’s Services has spent the last weeks improving headstones at the Nocona Cemetery in what he calls a labor of love.
Pearson was contacted by local citizen Robert Terry, who has worked the last 11 years to create a database for the Nocona Cemetery.
He also has spent countless hours searching for the names of unmarked graves and recently, new headstones were put in the place of those names he discovered. Identifying 144 headstones that were in the most need of cleaning and repair was the next step.
Terry had concerns the distance would be too far for Pearson, but he reached out in hopes of bringing the service to the community. The Hemphill native was willing to stop in Nocona and take a look on his way through to another job.
“As long as it is cost effective it isn’t’ a problem. I was actually going to Oklahoma to consult on another cemetery, so I stopped on my way through and he showed me the list for the project,” recalled Pearson.
After Pearson visited and agreed to do the job, Terry approached the Nocona City Council to ask for funding from the cemetery bequeath fund and it was approved.
“When Terry contacted me, I was winding down since I had done so many for the year. I had been gone all the time and wanted to rest and had even booked at rip to Washington to see monuments, but I feel fate brought me here if you will,” said Pearson.
After doing 10,000 graves this year, the Nocona project of 144 was on the smaller scale for the company, so Pearson got to work with only one employee, Allen Mills.
Read the full story in the weekend News.
Nocona is preparing for the 74th annual Chisholm Trail Rodeo May 8 and 9 at the Chisholm Trail Arena.
The rodeo will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nightly with the Ryan Ready Band playing for the rodeo dance afterward on Saturday night. Tickets in advance are $12 and $15 at the gate.
All the traditional rodeo events are planned along with non-sanctioned events of junior barrels for 16 and under. There is $250 added each night, a jackpot nightly and contestants have a $50 entry fee. Entries open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 4-5.
The new Chisholm Trail Rodeo Queen and Princess will be crowned during Saturday night’s performance. Read about these young ladies in your Thursday Bowie New.
Clara Anderson
TxDOT is hosting a virtual meeting to review projects included in the 2027-2030 Rural TIP.
The program is at 4 p.m. on May 6 and 11:59 p.m. on May 19, all online at https://bit.ly/4uhDwMG
The Rural TIP is a list of local projects to be funded during the next four years in the Wichita Falls District of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The counties included are Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Montague, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young. Transportation projects cannot receive federal funding unless they are included in the Rural TIP. This includes projects for private vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, public transport, and commercial vehicles.
A section of Roach Street has been closed for the last few weeks as a new sewer line was installed replacing old clay tile line. It is phase two of multi-phase sewer line project across the city funded through a Texas Water Development Board loan of more than $9.7 million. The project will replace nearly10 miles of aging lines. (News photo by Barbara Green)
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