Classmates_We_Miss_Page

I was trying to buy an art print over the
internet from a company in New Jersey
which ran an art institute on the side. I
finally phoned to speak directly, and
when the saleslady heard where I was
from, she asked if I was familiar with
Belton, etc., and it led to her telling me
that Richard, as she called him, had
been the CFO of their large company
for over 30 years. He had just died a
week before, and she said that
every-one there was just devastated,
as he was very much loved and
appreciated. It seemed such a
coincidence that I hadn't heard from
R.H. in so many years and would learn
of him and his life having just read his
obituary.
---Judy ER.

R.H. Owens
3/13/41 - 6/2/05

Classmates We Miss
Page 2

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Memories of Ray, continued

I have been meaning to ask what took
Ray Bell's life?
He died so young.
(Ray died of leukemia.)
I remember when we were watching one of
our Friday night football games, Ray and
some of the other guys were sitting
behind me and other girls. We were
playing Taylor that night. It was a tough
game.....we would score...then they would
score. Finally near the end I remember
Ray saying, "We just can't beat them."
Then at the end, we had the advantage.
We made a touchdown just before the
clock ran out. We all stood up, arm in
arm, swaying side to side, chanting
"Poor Taylor" "Poor Taylor".
sigh..........such nice memories.
I don't know where the time has gone.
Love, Mary Ann

Bill D. says that Ray was very good at
pool, and taught him to play nine-ball. Ray
was always very gracious, whether
winning or losing. Bill appreciated that, as
well as the extra money he brought with
his new expertise.

Ray Bell
10/11/41 - 8/77

Judy Fulwiler
ca. 1942-ca. 1972
Moved to Waco after '55 annual.

Judy was my good friend, and she had
a really fun sense of humor. There was
one time I didn't appreciate it too
much, though. We were spending the
night together and getting undressed
to put on our pajamas. She giggled at
my tiny breast-buds and called them
"nubbins." (Hers were better
developed, for sure!) She'd probably
had that word used on herself, I'll bet,
at one time. I really missed her after
she moved, and heard that she had
died later by her own hand. That made
it a lot worse. --Jan

Judy was always so cute and fun to be
with. I will always remember the good
times I had out at their house in the
country, especially the Halloween party
they gave when we were young.

John and I used to see Judy when we
lived in Houston. Her husband had
died in a car accident and she just
couldn’t get over it. Her brother Joe
took her two boys to raise after her
death. ---Judy PS

John Eubanks
9/8/42 - 9/27/08

From Morris:
What I liked about John was how
honest and down-to-earth he was.
What you saw was the real John. While
we were not close friends, I respected
John, as I did Ray, Angharad, and Ken.
Most of our other classmates who have
passed on were not as close to me.
--Morris

Sent Oct. 5, 2008, by John's daughter, Dorinda:

My mother would like to thank the Class of 1960 for their gift. My father John Eubanks made a
quick exit, he only spent a week in the hospital, he was suffering from blood clots in his lungs
and heart failure, kidney and liver failure. My Father had many memories he shared of his high
school days. How the athletes tutored each other, on the subjects in school they needed help
with, his weakness was spelling. The Football team worked together on the field too, my
father's favorite play the "Zebra play", in which the referee was the target and not the end zone.
And people didn't have a lot of money back then, I remember my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Hays
made my father his first dress shirt out of a white sheet so he could sing in the choir, of course
her name wasn't Mrs. Hays back then. And someone had pictures taken of my father and his
turkeys, and a hog he entered in the local fair, his family didn't have money for things like that so
I'm sure someone helped pay for those pictures. Or the time my father told me about his 16th
birthday party, how he cleaned the swimming hole all day and only Skip showed up for the party,
(Jan's note: If only we could turn back the clock!) that story may of had something to do with
both he and my mother forgetting MY 13th birthday!!! My father had his nipple bit off by a fish in
that swimming hole too so I'm glad no-one else got hurt. I hope everyone had a great 50 year
reunion. My family will be having a 'Celebration Of Life' memorial at a later time, friends and
classmates are welcome. --Dorinda Eubanks

From Skip:
I was saddened to hear of John's death.
We communicated a few years ago, but I
always intended to spend some time with
him talking about old times.

John's family and mine were neighbors
on Lake Belton. John's family had lived
in the area long before the dam was built
and mine moved there shortly after. Our
common interest in the outdoors led to
many hours roaming the hills and
"hollers" that John and his dad Bob knew
so well. We hunted deer in season and
jackrabbits by headlight when we could
commandeer a car and buy gasoline.
John and his dad showed me how to roll
rocks (some the size of an automobile)
down the hills at the lake just to hear the
splash. Sometimes we used automobile
jacks and crowbars for hours on end for
this endeavor. We tried, unsuccessfully,
to persuade John's dad to let us use his
dynamite.

We explored the wagon wheel tracks
from the "trail" enroute through the old
"Tanyard Holler" near what is now Lake
Belton.

For several years, when the weather
turned cold, I helped John and Bob kill
and butcher a hog. When they had stray
Spanish goats, John and I hunted them
down before they contaminated the
Mohair herd.

John's parents were true pioneers who
lived a simple but productive life in the
country, while instilling a strong work
ethic in John and his siblings. I believe
they have all done well.

I attended John and Sylvia's wedding and
enjoy knowing her. She and John were
good for each other. I hope to visit with
Sylvia and their family when things settle
down.

We will miss John.

Skip

From Rob:
To me, he will always be remembered
as the "gentle giant." He towered head
and shoulders over most of the males
in our class and had extraordinary
physical abilities. Although, what
impressed me most was his character
and personality. He came from hard
times. That said, those circumstances
simply were not a part of John's
"Persona." You could always count on
John to give 110%. He had a big heart,
genuinely loved people and always
maintained a positive life force which I
am certain, survives through his family
in these challenging days .My
condolences to John's family. Bon
Voyage, my old friend.

John Eubanks,
Senior Tackle,
Belton Tigers

From Jan:
The John that I knew was always
good-natured and a bit shy. He was
also one of the most handsome boys
in our class. When Len and I went to
the 1985 (?) class reunion picnic, he,
along with Anton Moy, introduced
themselves to Len and made him feel
welcome. They enjoyed sharing some
of their Navy experiences, which is
always a sure starter with veterans.
There is an empty place against the
sky now that John is gone.
--Jan

Susie
Southerland '58
Died Oct. 24, '09

Ted Froderman
10/15/41 - 1/12/11

Note from Jan: We looked really hard to get in touch with Teddy to send us
his bio. David B even PAID one of those websites that claims to find anyone for
you. An obit was found for Teddy's daughter Staci and her husband (they were
killed in May 2010 by a disgruntled employee; Teddy was never told), and a
Ted Froderman was listed as a relative. A person named Joan was also named,
and I vaguely remembered that Teddy's first wife was named Joan. I checked
for his last name on Facebook and found Joan, who has remarried and has a
new last name. I wrote asking her if she knew where Teddy was.

She did. At that time, he already had had a stroke and was in a Saudi hospital.
He had fallen in a Saudi street and had not had immediate care. He developed
gangrene in his leg and contracted some virulent infections in the hospital. He
was no longer married and had no home stateside, so it took some organizing
to get him shipped to a place near family. His daughter Terri, whom he hadn't
seen in 15 years, lives in Oregon, so he was sent to a Portland hospital. After a
couple of transfers, he ended up in a rehab place not too far from his daughter.
He lost his leg, and was unable to overcome the infections even after taking the
strongest of antibiotics. Finally, he asked for treatment to be terminated, and
he died shortly thereafter on Jan. 12, 2011.

Many thanks are due to Teddy's former wife, Joan, and to his daughter, Terri,
for their help in getting this information and some for his own bio page .

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If you have any fond memories
of Teddy, please send them and
I'll put them here.

BELTON - James R.
"Jim/Jimmy'; Wilbanks, 70, of
McKinney, formerly of Belton
died Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011.
Services will be 2 p.m. Saturday
at Dossman Funeral Home
in Belton with Joe Baisden officiating.
Burial will follow in North
Belton Cemetery.
Mr. Wilbanks was born on
May 27,1941, to Wilma Garner
and Delay Hiriam
Wilbanks in Belton. He attended
Belton schools, where
he played several sports, was
co-captain of the 1958 football
team graduating in 1959. He

attended North Texas State
University and received a B.A.
in Business in 1963. He served
four years in the U.S. Marine
Corps attaining the rank of
captain. He later worked for
St. Regis Paper Company' in .
Dallas, followed by 20 years at
Frito Lay, Inc. in Plano and retired
in 2000.
Survivors include his wife of
40 years, Sue Griffin-Wilbanks,
daughter, Amanda Duncan of
McKinney; two brothers, Robert
Wilbanks of Denver and William
Wilbanks of Sun City; and two
grandchildren. Visitation will be 6-8
p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

James (Jimmy) R. Wilbanks, Brother of Billy and Bobby
May 27, 1941 - Dec. 8, 2011

Feb. 5, Judy PS reports:
David Bartek, age 59, died
Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012, in Las
Vegas where he lived. He was in
the BHS Class of 1961. This is all
the info I have right now.

And last: You taught me how to shoot craps
one day on my front porch, and it was fun.
Fortunately, the experience did NOT start me
on a career of compulsive gambling.You were
intelligent and fun to be with. We had no mad
romantic crush; we were just friends.

Terri has told me that you’ve asked not to
continue treatment and that you are in
hospice. I am SO SORRY to hear that. You still
have a lot of friends out here in the world who
will really miss you. Once you heal up from
those nasty infections, you could get a new leg
and walk again. I will be very sad if you leave.

Love, Jan

This letter to Teddy arrived the day after his
funeral. He died January 12, 2011, in Grants
Pass, Oregon, of infections contracted in a
hospital in Saudi Arabia. Teddy’s sister Terri is
sending me a picture of him as he was before
his illness, and perhaps a program from his
memorial service. I’ll share them with you.

Cherish each other,
Love, Jan Bee

Letter to Teddy from Jan

In case you’re wondering why I still feel such
fondness for you after all these years, come
with me down Memory Lane.

You were the first boy to give me a gift, and I’m
sure you’ve completely forgotten about it, it
was so long ago. Besides, I wouldn’t be
surprised if your mother picked it out.
Whatever. It was a gift that I prized and still
enjoy: a single drop of opal on a chain. That
started me on my love of opals, which
continues to this day. (My husband has given
me two beautiful opal rings, which I’d rather
have than any other stone.)

Also, you gave me my first trip to the
Bluebonnet Cafe. Your mom and dad took us
there for dinner once, and I really enjoyed the
outing. I think this was my first experience of
chicken fried steak, which I still love. I’ve been
back to the Bluebonnet several times. My
brother tells me that it is going out of business,
not because of economic failure, but because
the owners and pastry cook are all in their 70’s
and feel the need to retire. They want the
Bluebonnet name to go with them.

Another first: You gave me my first French
cruller. It may even have been on the same
night that we went to the Bluebonnet. Your
mom had a friend who was a baker in Waco.
We went to visit her one night on a Sunday
when her bakery wasn’t open. She served us
French crullers hot from the deep fryer. Wow!
They melted right in our mouths! I’ve never
had a French cruller as good as those!

Jane's Obituary from Temple Telegram
Nov. 16, 1941 - Feb. 13, 2011

Margaret Jane Inman, 69, died peacefully on
February 13, 2011, after a courageous battle with
cancer. She was born November 16,1941, in
Belton, Texas. She was a cheerleader of Belton
High School and graduated salutatorian
of her class in 1960. After attending the
University of Texas at Austin she moved to
Dallas and worked as an executive secretary
for an oil company. On June 21, 1963 she
married her high school sweetheart Richard
and moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where she
caught her first glimpse of the greatness that is
the University of Oklahoma. Jane and
Richard moved back to Belton upon Richard's
graduation to open their own pharmacy.
Although she had a significant behind the
scenes role in the family business ventures
Jane was most proud of being a stay-at-home
mom, a choice she said she never regretted. As
a busy wife and mother of three, she had many
varied roles including homeroom mother, team
mother, Sunday school teacher and running a
taxi service for her kids and their friends. Jane
enjoyed cooking and entertaining friends at her
home, playing tennis, being in bridge club,
and even found time to serve as the general
contractor on the family home. After Jane's
youngest child reached high school, the family
moved to Austin and she worked as an office
manager for the State of Texas for many years.
Jane and Richard enjoyed retirement in Sun
City in Georgetown, Texas, where she was
known to take advantage of the many social
activities. She and Richard were members of
Crestview Baptist Church in Georgetown.

Wherever life took Jane, those who came into
contact with her came to appreciate her for
her class and character. She was known as a
woman of faith with great integrity and
discipline. Jane is survived by her husband
Richard, of Sun City, Texas, son Wade and
daughter-in-law Kathy and their children
Jordan and Alex; her daughter Kerri Busby
and her children Maddi and Abbi; her son
Bert and daughter-in-law Natalie and their
children Georgia and Campbell, all of Boerne,
Texas.
Other survivors include her sister Sue
Beistel, of Belton; sister Kay Vaughn of
Belton; sister and brother-in-law Mary and
Wayne Billeck of Belton; her sister-in-law
and brother-in-law Ann and Wayne Carpenter
of Belton; and her brother-in-law Joe Inman of
Washington DC. She is preceded in death by
her parents James (Jim) and Opal Sandlin of
Belton.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 P.M. on
Friday, February 18, 2011 at the First United
Methodist Church, 205 East 3rd Avenue,
Belton, TX, followed by a celebration of life at
Schoepf's BBQ, 702 East Central Avenue,
Belton, TX. Memorials may be made to The
Busby Foundation, 3600 North Capital of Texas
Highway, Building B, suite 250, Austin, TX
78746.
Words of comfort may be shared with the
family at www.
cookwaldendavisfuneralhome.com
Arrangements by Cook-Walden Davis Funeral
Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown,
Texas 78628 (512) 863-2564.
Paid Obituary

(We knew her as Jane Sandlin)