Obituary of James David Avis III
(C. Avis Catalog entry #678)
Times-Record-News
Wichita Falls, Texas
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
James David Avis III
HENRIETTA, Texas — James David Avis III, passed away at his home on the ranch on Saturday, December 6, 2008.
Visitation will be Wednesday, December 10, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Davis Funeral Home in Henrietta, Texas. Dr. Ike Butterworth will preside over the funeral service at the Davis Funeral Home Chapel in Henrietta on Thursday, December 11, at 10 a.m. with burial to follow in Hope Cemetery in Henrietta.
J.D. Avis was born on January 30, 1915, at the ranch near Jolly, Texas, on a plot of land of about 4,000 acres that remained from the original Avis Ranch of 35,000 acres. His proud parents were James David Avis Jr. and Allide Neeley Avis. His grandfather, James Davis Avis Sr., or Jim, moved from Montague County to settle this land and register the lazy nines brand in 1894 at Wichita County with the headquarters at what is now 16th and Austin in Wichita Falls extending Southwest along both sides of Holiday Creek.
James David Avis III, or J.D., attended Alamo Elementary School, Zundy Junior High and graduated from Wichita Falls High School. While attending Wichita Falls High School and being a 4-H member, he showed the Grand Champion Steer at the 2nd Annual District Livestock Show in 1933, sponsored by the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce. He attended Texas A&M College in the study of Animal Husbandry and succumbed to an illness so bad, that the school sent him home to die. His mother, Allide, nursed him back to health and he was the first student to pay back his student loan to the J.S. Bridwell Ag Student Loan Foundation.
During World War II, he had just bought his first herd of cattle when he was drafted into the Army. He was assigned to the Veterinary Station Hospital at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he cared for horses and mules. After the Army mobilized the field artillery, he was reassigned to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where he was in charge of training pack mules to haul ammunition and guns to the Russian front by way of the mountains of Iran. Fortunately for J.D. the war was over before he was shipped overseas and he was given an early discharge to return to Clay County because his father, Dave, broke his leg unloading feed at the barn.
Sometime during 1946, he met Billie Mae Culwell of Henrietta and they later married on August 25, 1946, at the Little Chapel in the Woods on the campus of Texas Woman College at Denton, Texas. While residing with J.D.'s parents, J.D. and Billie bought 20 acres from Billie's widowed mother, Ida Culwell with an option to buy the remaining land. They began restoring the ranch house that had been vacant for 13 years at which Billie's father, William, died building. William and Ida Culwell had bought this land during the depression. This land on Bennet Creek became the new Avis Ranch since Dave and Allide Avis retired to Wichita Falls in 1958 and sold the original Avis Ranch southwest of Jolly to W.H. Hammond. With this location west of Henrietta, J.D. and Billie used this headquarters to build a successful ranch and raise three children by leasing land from other property owners and by raising quality bred cattle.
J.D. Avis signed the original note to start building Tex Richard Arena and served several terms on the Nine-Man Board of the Clay County Pioneer Association. He served several terms as Rodeo Secretary for the Nine-Man Board. He was honored as president of the 1997 Clay County Pioneer Association. He helped start the Clay County Beef Committee. He was a long-time contributor to FFA, Clay County Junior Livestock Association, Henrietta Volunteer Fire Department and Disabled Veterans. He served several terms on the Board of Henrietta ISD. He was a contributor and Board Member of the Clay County Historical Society. He served as a Trustee and was a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church of Wichita Falls.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Piner D. Avis; his sisters, Helen Avis Miller and Martha Avis Wood; and his wife of 49 years, Billie Culwell Avis.
He is survived by his children, daughters, Ann Avis Parkey and husband Jack of Dundee, Texas, and Carol Avis Griffin and husband Dr. Frederick of Birmingham, Ala.; son, James David Avis IV and wife Jill Eckert Avis of Henrietta, Texas; brother-in-law, Buck Miller of Dallas, Texas; seven grandchildren, Dr. Robert and Katie Parkey of Henrietta, Texas, David and Vanessa Parkey of Mergarel, Texas, Jennifer and Todd Herring of Archer City, Texas, Mathew and Meredith Griffin of New York City, N.Y., Ashley and Rob Kittle of Henrietta, Texas, and Kenneth James Avis of Wichita Falls, Texas; and seven great-grandchildren, Rachael, Alex and Ellen Parkey, Victoria and Isabel Parkey, Maeley and Jack Herring.
Those desiring may make memorials to Hospice of Wichita Falls, Clay County Historical Society, Clay County Senior Citizen's Center, Clay County Memorial Hospital or to the First Presbyterian Church Foundation of Wichita Falls.
Special thanks to Hospice, Care Partners, Gino Guidry and staff of the Clay County Senior Citizen's Center for their loving care and assistance in the past few months.