Obituaries

King William York, age 76, took his last breath with his wife holding his hand on Friday, December 2, 2022 at 3:15 pm and was reunited with our Lord and Savior. King was born June 28, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas to William Walter and Lorene Emilie Willms York. He was the first son of two surviving children. His sister, Nancy was born 7 years later. He was raised Lutheran and attended St. John’s Lutheran Church in San Antonio. During his childhood he and his father shared the love of the outdoors and the hobby of raising homing pigeons. He would tell stories of how they would drive the pigeons 5+ miles from their home and release them, always amazed at their talent to find their way back home. He also loved to read and to sing. He was a member of the choir both at his church growing up and during his years in high school. At age 5 he had a debut performance at the Beethoven Männerchor in San Antonio by singing a solo, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in San Antonio, 1964. The following year he began his postsecondary education at Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, Texas. In 1966, he met and married the love of his life. King and Diane Harris were married at St. John’s Lutheran Church in San Antonio on November 18, 1966. In 1969 they relocated to the Dallas area where Diane was raised. He became a member of the First Baptist Church of Dallas where Diane had already been a lifelong member. King was an active member of the church, serving on the Junior Board of Deacons, teaching Sunday school and volunteering as an Usher during Sunday morning services. He also sang with the church choir and orchestra. King was an entrepreneur. He provided for his family with various businesses owned and operated by him and his wife. He was an active member in his community and worked hard to make it a better place to raise a family. He was a life member of the Garland Jaycees, a JCI Senator, a US Jaycee Ambassador, a Rattlesnake Corp member,

Maria (Mary) Teresa DeLeon Patrick, age 68, of Brownwood, Texas passed on Monday December 12, 2022, at Hendrick Hospice Care in Abilene, Texas. Visitation will be Thursday, December 15, 2022, from 5:00 PM. to 7:00 PM with Rosary at 6:00 pm at Heritage Funeral Home Davis Morris Chapel, 800 Center Avenue, in Brownwood. Funeral services will be at 1:00 pm on Friday December 16, 2022, at St. Mary’s Queen of Peace catholic Church, 1105 Main St. Brownwood with Father Francis Onyekozuru officiating. Interment will follow at the Vega Cemetery in Bowser Community, Texas. She was born Maria Teresa DeLeon on December 4, 1954, in Santa Anna, Texas to Alejandro and Amelia DeLeon. She graduated from Santa Anna High School, then attended Commercial College. She then started working for the Kohler Co, Brownwood on September 17, 1981, to earn a little extra Christmas money for that year...then retired nearly 40 years later on July 1, 2021. It was at Kohler where Mary and Perry found each mother and began their journey through life. After 12 years of ’dating’, Perry and Mary married on September 5, 1998. She was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Coleman, later moving to Brownwood where she attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church Mary was “determined and headstrong”, never backing-down! She was a natural decorator and organizer of parties/events both at home and work. She had deep appreciation for the finer things in life and loved to shop. She loved to decorate her house for special occasions - she believed you can never have enough decorations. She was an easy bribe with a movie and popcorn. George Strait was her fantasy man and she loved to fish. With the love of her life, she changed from a small town city slicker girl to working cow girl; sorting cattle, pushing cattle down the alleyway, deworming, feeding hay/cubes. Mary loved to “go”, go anywhere with a passion for travel. She naturally liked to help others. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother,

Barbara Louise Gazaway Harris, known to her friends and family as “Boby”, completed her earthly journey Saturday, December 10th, after a lengthy illness. Boby was born in Ruidoso, New Mexico, the first child of JB and Julia Ann Gazaway, on August 7, 1936. As a junior in high school, she met a tall, handsome airman, Ken Harris, at the roller rink. That night she went home and told her mother she had met the man she was going to marry. They did marry on July 13, 1953! They were very happily married 67 years. Ken & Boby had four children: Terry Kimm, Kathy Jan, Gregory Stewart, and Jeffrey Scott. Boby graduated valedictorian from Ruidoso High School in Ruidoso, NM in 1954. She later earned two Associate degrees, one in Music and one in Accounting, from St. Clair Co. Community College in Port Huron, MI. She put those to use serving as Pastors’ secretaries, church financial secretary, church pianist, including directing the choir from the piano in one church, and teaching piano lessons. She also taught children and adults in Sunday School. Boby loved gardening, tailoring her plants to the climate she lived in at the time. In Michigan she grew beautiful roses and gallons of strawberries. Here in Brownwood she grew blue bonnets and poppies. She often said, “Like Paul, I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.” Additionally, she enjoyed sewing and needlework. Her needlework gifts are treasured items of family and friends. In college Boby took a bowling class. Following that she taught Jeff to bowl and they all joined a league. In Brownwood she also recruited her brother Jerry and they all bowled together in leagues and just for fun with family and friends. Boby dedicated her life to her faith, her husband, and her family. She was known and loved by so many friends, of all ages, across the country, making life long friends wherever Ken’s job, as a Border Patrolman, took them. In retirement, she and Ken moved to Brownwood where they were active in Coggi

Charles Allen Allgood 68, of Mineola, Texas, formerly of Brownwood, passed away on September 24, 2022, after a brief illness. Charles was born on October 25, 1953, to Charles and…

Elaine (Walls) Blackwell, age 80 passed away peacefully on Monday, December 5, 2022 in Gainesville, Texas. Elaine was born on May 1, 1942 to parents, Otis and Evelyn Walls.

Bonnie Jean Gober Sides, 94, passed away, Sunday, December 4, 2022, in Bedford. Memorial: 11 a.m., Saturday, December 17th, 2022 at Rocky Creek Baptist Church, Brownwood, Texas, 76801 Bonnie was born January 29, 1928 in San Saba County to Levi and Blanche Horne.

Harold L. Thomas, 92 of Bangs passed away on Monday, December 5, 2022 at his home surrounded by his family. His family will host a visitation on Sunday, December 11th from 5 to 7 pm at Heartland Funeral Home in Early. Funeral Service will be Monday, December 12th at 2 pm in the Heartland Funeral Home Chapel with interment to follow at Eastlawn Memorial Park in Early. Harold was born on Friday, April 14, 1930 in Lafe, Arkansas to Everett and Alta Thomas. He attended school in Corning, Arkansas. Harold married Helen Lincoln and had one daughter Teresa. They were married for 16 years when all three were struck by lightening on vacation and his wife and daughter were tragically killed. Later he met Vivian Rogers in El Paso, Texas, she had two little boys Jimmy and Randy, who he dearly loved from the moment he met them. Harold and Vivian were married on June 22, 1968 in Las Vegas and they began a life together that blessed them with two more children, Ann and Lance. He served in the US Airforce during the Korean War. Harold worked at White Sands Missel Range as a civil servant and private contractor. While he lived in Tularosa, NM he took 13 acres of blank land and turned it into a thriving pecan farm that is now part of a lucrative commercial pecan company to this day. He retired from White Sands Missel Range after 30 years of service and moved to Atlanta, TX. After three years, they lived in various areas, but settled in Bangs, TX in 1992. He and Vivian started the Portable Buildings of Central Texas in Early in 1993. Later they moved the business to Bangs. He finally fully retired at age 75. He loved playing baseball, softball and later became an accomplished bowler and golfer. He continued playing golf as often as he could until his knees wouldn’t let him anymore. He was a self-taught guitar and piano player, according to his family, he tried really hard but was his worse critic. Harold was a member of Bangs Methodist Church and a supporter of kindness to all livin

Dennis Wayne Simpson was born on October 3, 1941, in Shamrock, Texas, to Claude McVoy and Jewell May Hawkins Simpson. He graduated from Sam Norwood High School and faithfully attended class reunions for decades. At West Texas State university, he met Betty Sue Williams. She won his heart with homemade gravy and they spent the next 59 years building a life together. Dennis entered the Army in 1966 and, after officer candidate school, they were off to Bad Nauheim, Germany, where their son Shannon was born. After his military service ended, Dennis and Sue spent a few years in Amarillo where their daughter Crystal was born. In 1971, the family moved to Brownwood, where God has blessed them with an incredible community for 50 years. Dennis started his sales career as a Conoco Oil distributor. After 5 years running the local distributorship, he became the first outside sales rep for Firestone Tires, and set up the territory here. After a short time there, he bought into a small business that would mark the rest of his career, Brownwood Business Forms. The whole family would take part in this business over the years and Dennis thrived as he built long term relationships with customers all over central Texas. One thing he was very proud of was his involvement in Masonry. He became a Master Mason in Tascosa Lodge No. 1375 in 1970. He served many positions over the years, including Master of Brownwood Lodge No. 279, District Deputy Grand Master and received multiple awards. He received his 50 year service award in 2020. Dennis changed jobs a few times in Brownwood, and the family changed houses, but one constant has been Coggin Avenue Baptist Church. Dennis helped shape this church family and it has shaped him. He enjoyed serving in many areas over the years, from driving the bus to teaching Sunday school. He was ordained as a Deacon in 1980, and served in many areas of that ministry. He enjoyed every moment of counting the offering, hospital visitation, making coffee in the

The Greatest Generation lost another member with the passing of Dr. Arthur Fourment. Born to Belle and Arthur Fourment, Sr. in Canfield, Ohio, the family moved to Wayne, Michigan, where Art received his education, ultimately enrolling in Henry Ford Engineering College, where he planned to study engineering. The Second World War interrupted those plans and he, like most of the young people at that time, joined the service. He chose to enter the Air Force in 1942 and become a pilot. His four years began with flight school in Mission, Texas where he met his wife-to-be, Geraldine (Jerry) Gebhardt. His time in the service allowed him to fly several different airplanes and finally the converted B24, in which he flew some seventy-five missions from India to China over the Himalayas, delivering fuel to the bombers raiding Japan, receiving the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross. Prior to his discharge, he met and befriended a dentist who suggested he consider dentistry as a profession- the idea took! On his return, Art met his 1-month-old son for the first time and set his sights on dental school. After preparation, he was accepted and entered Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, where he and his family moved. On graduation, he chose to follow the study of orthodontics, still a young profession, and the family moved to Abilene, Texas where he joined the practice of Dr Gillespie. He practiced first in Abilene, then in Brownwood where he met and married Rose Marie Arnold on April 21, 1979. On retirement, Art pursued his many hobbies, including flying, painting, golf, travel, sailing and reading. He and Rose Marie visited Europe often, visiting her family in France and researching his family’s genealogy in France and Belgium. They lived on Lake Brownwood, surrounded by good friends and lucky recipients of many of his paintings. Age, (102), finally caught up with him and he passed on peacefully to the next level, pre-deceased by his first wife, Jerry, and his brother,