June 1, 1925 – November 9, 2021
BOWIE – Luella Mae Pirtle, 96, Lubbock, TX, formerly of Bowie, TX, went home to be with the Lord on Nov. 9, 2021.
A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13 at the United Presbyterian Church of Montague County in Bowie, with the Rev. Joe Gambill officiating. The burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery in Bowie. The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the White Family Funeral Home in Bowie.
Luella was born on June 1, 1925 in Clayton, NM to William and Nora Wright. As a child she moved to Bowie from Dalhart in 1935 during the notorious Dust Bowl. Luella graduated from Bowie High School in 1942, and attended business school in Fort Worth before being employed by the Johnson Poultry Ranch where she worked in the office handling shipping orders. Thus began Luella’s years of being an intricate part of Bowie and the surrounding area. Luella married Willard Pirtle in Oct. 28, 1959 in Bowie, the couple lived in the Bowie and Sunset areas for the entirety of their married, while raising two sons. Luella was the matriarch and operator of the Mark P. Hereford Ranch.
She was an active member of the Presbyterian Church for over 75 years. Not only did she enjoy singing in the choir, but also taught Sunday school for many years and was a former member of the governing session.
Luella served as a member of the board of directors of the Bowie Senior Citizens’ Project and volunteered at the Bowie Mission for 12 years. In past years, when her sons were in Bowie schools, she served as president of the Parent-Teacher Association and was awarded a lifetime membership. She also was a vital part of the Band Parents’ Association. Luella was a recipient of the Silver Beaver award for her work with the Boy Scouts of America. She was one of the last members of the McDowell Music Club of Bowie and was a past worthy matron of Bowie Eastern Star.
She is a member of the Texas Hereford Association and the American Hereford Association, as well as, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. In 1982 during the Bowie Centennial Celebration, she was honored to serve as duchess on the Pioneer Queen’s Court. Thirty-three years later, in 2015 she was again honored to represent Jim Bowie Days as Pioneer Queen and continued to contribute to the ongoing pioneer spirit of the community that she so dearly loved.
She is preceded in death by her parents and husband, Floyd Willard Pirtle in 2003.
Luella is survived by her sons, Floyd Pirtle and wife, Susan, Lubbock, Philip Pirtle and Cindy, Spring and grandchildren, Andrew Pirtle, Katie Pirtle and Cassie Pirtle.
Should friends desire, memorials can be made in honor of Mrs. Pirtle, to the Presbyterian Church or a charity of your choice.
Arrangements entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home of Bowie.
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