Wendell Lee "Peb"
Richards
Apr 21, 1938 - Aug 29, 2024
 Peb
Richards went to be with the Lord on August 29,
2024, while in his home, surrounded by his loved
ones in Barry, Texas. He was born to William
Jennings "Skeeter" Richards and Pink Marie Hopkins
Richards in Pinkston, Texas on April 21, 1938. They
named him Wendell Lee Richards, but he was better
known as Stickhorse, Peb, Daddy, Raymond and Bibby.
Peb grew up in Blooming Grove, Texas with a whole
town of friends he played with every day. The
closest friends he had were called the Squash Town
Gang, they lived on the north side of Blooming
Grove. Peb was all about creating fun with his
friends. The family never grew tired of hearing
about his childhood days that were full of stick
horse riding, building his own toys, going barefoot
year round, having a clubhouse, taking bicycles
apart and piecing them back together to make a super
duper bike. They loved playing marbles and swimming
in their secret swimming hole. When he was in high
school, he enjoyed loud cars and playing silly
pranks. Peb was a
1956 graduate of Blooming Grove High School
where he was a star athlete all four years of high
school.
Peb picked cotton, hauled hay and worked at the
local gas station. He worked on the pipeline with
his Daddy. After he married, he worked at Welex and
Carnation Milk in Ft. Worth, TX. Peb was then
drafted and served in the United States Army and was
stationed in Korea.
He received the top marksman medal while serving his
country. He returned home and worked at Tom's Food
Ltd. for 39 years as a supervisor until retirement.
Peb loved to play on his softball team and bowling
league. He was a member of New Beginnings Family
Fellowship, he helped construct the church building
and served as an elder. Peb had a servant's heart
and was always willing to help others in need.
Peb is survived by his wife, Diane Hinkle Richards
whom he married on June 20, 1958. Other survivors
include, daughter Amanda Jane "Mandy" Grounds,
husband Donnie. Two sons who were waiting to welcome
their Daddy to heaven, Eric Wendell Richards and
Kyle Wayne Richards. Later in life God blessed them
with a bonus son, Jason Wayne Richards, wife
Valerie. Six grandsons, Lee Eric Grounds, wife
Brittany. Noah Kyle Grounds, wife Katlyn. Tristen
Luke Richards, Braeden Alec Richards, Luke Braeden
Andrews, wife Iris and Logan Wayne Andrews. Twin
great granddaughters Leighton Jane Grounds and
Langston Ann Grounds. One great grandson, Nash Kyle
Grounds. Also many, many nieces and nephews whom he
loved.
Peb and Diane were high school sweethearts, and it
was a true love story. The union before God was
lived out for 66 years and withstood the test of
every trial imaginable. Peb always thought she was
beautiful and always wanted to be near her but loved
to pick on her. Diane thought he was the most
handsome, dreamy man ever. Peb loved his family
something fierce. He made sure there was fun,
laughter, adventures and a little mischief. Peb
loved to fish, mow, drive the tractor, ride his four
wheeler, raise cattle, watch bull riding and just
sitting down to talk so he could do a lot of
storytelling and teasing.
Peb was a Daddy who loved his children
unconditionally, kept laughter in their mouths and
giggles on their lips even at the most inappropriate
times. He was always there when they needed him. He
was not just a grandfather, he was a best friend and
the most fun playmate to his grandsons. He made them
his number one priority and he was their biggest
fan.
Peb was an uncle that always showed up to support
and help. The Richards house was a home away from
home to all of them. It was the most fun place to
hang out. Peb was a true friend you could depend on
to make you laugh, help you out and always listen.
He was definitely not short on friends.
Peb loved meeting new people, he didn't mind
peppering them with questions so when he walked away
he had a new friend. While he was a supervisor, he
went above and beyond to help his co-workers who had
become his dear friends.
Peb walked faithfully with the Lord. His faith is
defined by perseverance and a will to live; even in
the midst of the pain and suffering he endured
throughout his life. Peb's faith in Jesus Christ is
what allowed him to bring joy to all whom crossed
his path. Peb's faith can be summarized by James
1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its
work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything."
Peb was preceded in death by his father, William
Richards, mother, Pink Richards, brother, Wayne
Richards, sons, Eric and Kyle Richards.
At Peb's request, his body will be donated to UT
Southwestern Medical Center for the advancement of
science. A celebration of life will be held at First
Baptist Church, Blooming Grove, Texas on September
3, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations
can be made to Rose Hill Cemetery PO Box 413,
Blooming Grove, TX, 76626.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt
appreciation to New Century Hospice for their loving
care of Peb, with a special thank you to McKeylee
Taylor, Connie Moriatis, and Holly Molina. |
Notes:
-
The Corsicana Daily Sun
- Fri., Aug. 30, 2024
- Submitted by
Karen Rost
- w/o Ruthie Diane
(Hinkle) Richards, married June 20, 1958; s/o William
Jennings "Skeeter" Richards & Pink Marie "Pinkie"
(Hopkins) Richards
- Marker at
Rose Hill
Cemetery, Blooming Grove, Navarro Co., TX
James Albert
"Jim" Banks
Oct 14, 1946 - Sep 2, 2024
 James
Albert Banks, also known as Jim, or Mr. Banks, or
Bub, or Brother to many who knew him, peacefully
passed away at home on Monday, September 2, 2024, at
age 77.
Visitation will be held in the Groesbeck Funeral
Home Chapel on Thursday, September 5, 2024, from
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on
Friday, September 6, 2024, at Cobb Cemetery, with
Reverend Ben Huebner of the First Methodist Church
officiating.
Pallbearers will be Stephen Reeder, Paul Beene,
Brian Banks, Steven Banks, Jason Banks, and Tim
Banks.
Jim was born October 14, 1946, in Corsicana, TX. to
H. C. and Ruby Faye (Ellis) Banks. He grew up there
and graduated from Corsicana High School in 1965 and
attended Navarro College.
Jim was united in marriage with his high school
sweetheart, Cathy Mims in August 1966 in Corsicana.
He enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1967 and served in
Germany. After his honorable discharge, he resumed
his college education at Navarro College and then at
the University of Texas at Austin, where he received
a Bachelor of Science degree.
Jim was a vocational teacher in Baytown for a couple
of years, and after he and Cathy had three
daughters, he decided to change careers to the
computer industry. The family made their home in
Houston, and he worked for HL&P/Center Point Energy
during the last 19 years of his career. While his
daughters were growing up, he was the certified
referee at their swim meets, and did not show them
partiality over the other swimmers.
Jim retired from his career at Center Point in 2004.
He had also enjoyed being an adjunct faculty teacher
at North Harris County Community College, teaching
data processing. Jim was a member of the Old Town
Spring Masonic Lodge.
Jim and Cathy were long time owners of property at
Oak Point at Lake Limestone, and in 2006 made their
permanent home at the lake. He had been an active
Mason and transferred his membership to the Thornton
Masonic Lodge. He had a strong Christian faith, and
was active in his hobby of woodworking, enjoyed
reading U.S. and Texas history and the Lee
Child-Jack Reacher novels, and especially remained a
loyal Longhorn football fan since his days at
Austin. He was a loving husband, father, and brother
throughout his life.
Jim was preceded in death by his grandparents, Ivan
and Dona Banks; parents, H.C. and Ruby Banks, and a
brother, John Ellis Banks.
He is survived by his wife, Cathy Banks of Thornton;
three daughters and sons-in-law, Lisa Anne and
Charles Williams of Kerrville, Lesley Diane and
Stephen Reeder of Kingwood, and Lisbeth Ellen and
Steve Brown of Florence, Arizona, and his four
grandchildren and their spouses, Caitlyn and Kevin
Drewry, Abigail and Brad Batsell, Ashtin Brown, and
Madison Brown.
He is also survived by his brother and
sister-in-law, Robert Earl and Debbie Banks of
Corsicana; sisters-in-law, Deborah Drum and Barbara
Banks, and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to
AccentCare Hospice of Groesbeck at 314 S. Dr. JB
Riggs Drive, Groesbeck, TX 76642.
Groesbeck Funeral Home |
Notes:
William Todd "Todd" Wills
Nov 30, 1966 - Jul 29, 2024
 William
Todd Wills was born on November 30, 1966 in Dallas
to Will and Lugay Wills. He was the oldest of four
siblings - Robert, Jeff and Tracy. Robert, Todd and
Jeff were each two years apart and Tracy came along
when Todd was 13.
Todd attended Hyer Elementary School, McCulloch
Middle School, Highland Park High School and
Westlake High School, where he graduated in 1985.
Growing up and into his adulthood, he enjoyed
playing football, baseball, basketball, track,
soccer and golf.
As children, Todd's parents would send him and his
two brothers to Austin or Stephenville in the summer
to spend with their grandparents. Robert said:
"Looking back, those trips were the highlight of my
summers. Our grandparents would drop us off at the
golf course first thing in the morning and pick us
up at sundown. I could write a book filled with
stories of our summers on the golf course, but those
days will always be my fondest memories of my
brothers. Todd, as the oldest, was always the leader
of the pack and was very much behind the games and
contests we would create during those long summer
days on the golf course."
On March 1, 1979, Todd's baby sister, Tracy, passed
away from complications from pneumonia. Tracy was an
all-state cross country runner at Highland Park High
School. Her running successes were a great source of
pride for the entire family. Tracy's death had a
tremendous impact on Todd as having a successful
athlete as a sibling perfectly aligned with his love
of sports and sports writing.
In the fall of 1985, he attended the University of
Texas at Austin to study history. While in college,
he was a member of Chi Phi Fraternity, and played
and officiated in multiple intramural sports at UT
Austin. He competed in almost every intramural
contest in hopes of winning the coveted 'Intramural
Champion' t-shirt. Throughout college, Todd worked
as a stringer, covering high school football games
for the Austin American-Statesman and the Dallas
Morning News. He formally started his journalism
career as a sports writer for the Corsicana Daily
Sun in 1993 and would go on to be the sports editor.
In 1996, he moved to the Arlington Morning News as
sports editor and oversaw the first ever publication
of the paper. He was thrilled to cover sports teams
he grew up a fan of such as the Texas Rangers. He
would eventually become a staff writer at the Dallas
Morning News.
Todd had two daughters - Abby in 1996 and Paige in
1999 - through his first marriage. Throughout the
girls' lives Todd served as coach to their soccer
and basketball teams. Abby recalls how "he always
cherished coaching my '01 soccer team and a photo of
me, him and Paige with me in my soccer jersey was
one of his favorites." Todd had two sons - Brady in
2008 and Ben in 2009 - through his second marriage.
Todd regularly cheered on Brady's soccer games and
Ben's recent interest in golf. It's no surprise he
cultivated his children's interest in sports. He
attended multiple TX/OU football games with Brady
and Ben, including the remarkable 49-0 shutout in
2022. According to Ben, "the Longhorns were [their]
pride and joy last season."
Although Paige has never had much interest in golf,
she still "fondly remembers a time she and her dad
dined at Matt's El Rancho in Austin and ran into Ben
Crenshaw - the first Longhorn Masters' champion and
his favorite all-time golfer. He was elated."
Despite Todd's interest in nearly every sport, Abby
managed to put Todd onto Formula 1 racing, resulting
in the pair rooting for the same team - Ferrari.
Throughout Todd's life, he managed to see all of his
favorite teams win championships - the Cowboys
(1971, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1995), Mavericks (2011),
Stars (1999), Rangers (2023) and Longhorns (1969,
1970, 2005).
Todd started his second career at Stewart Toyota in
Corsicana, using his likeability and charm to match
customers with the car for them. His ties to
journalism never stopped though: he also appeared on
KAND Radio to cover and discuss high school sports.
He continued his passion for writing in recent years
with his Substack - Chillin' With Wills - and
through lengthy social media posts his kids would
poke fun at him about. Brady says, "In his old home
you could see posters of his articles along the
walls, truly depicting how proud he was of his
work."
In the fall of 2022, Todd was diagnosed with kidney
cancer. Despite the fear and uncertainty of the
diagnosis, he found solace in country music and
connecting with friends, oftentimes ensuring he tied
both together. He even put together a George Strait
bracket where friends voted for their favorite
songs, all culminating in a night at The Rustic
during TX/OU weekend.
Todd is preceded in death by his mother and father,
Lugay and Will, and his sister, Tracy. He is
survived by his two brothers, Robert and his fianc�e
Louise, and Jeff, and his four children, Abby,
Paige, Brady and Ben.
A celebration of Todd's life will be held on
September 7 from 11 am to 3 pm for family and
friends at the Inwood Tavern during the
Texas-Michigan game. In lieu of flowers, donations
can be made to Do It For Durrett. |
Notes:
WORK AREA
|
Navarro County TXGenWeb