Gary Givens

Gary Earl Givens, 63, of 214 W. Cottonwood Rd., died Monday, September 15. Cremation will take place under the supervision of Terpening Son. Visitation will be at Terpening Son Mortuary beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Memorial service will be at First Baptist Church at 3 P.M. on Wednesday, September 17, 2008. The family will receive guests following the service in the Fellowship Hall. Gary Earl Givens was born on March 2, 1945 in Clarendon, Texas; the son of James Earl Givens and Ella Mae Sullivan. He spent his younger years in Noel, MO and Amarillo, TX. He married Lindsey Rose Dowell on September 9, 1967 in Amarillo. He graduated from West Texas State University in May 1968. He joined the Air Force as an officer from 1968-1973. He flew F-4 Phantom Fighters in the Viet Nam conflict during which time he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a mission over North Viet Nam. He was honorably discharged as a Captain in 1973. He obtained his CPA certificate and worked at Plains Chevrolet as Office Manager, as a partner in Brooks Wilson CPA firm, and as an accountant at Santa Fe Energy in Amarillo. He moved to Artesia in 1990 where he worked as Assistant Accounting Manager and Accounting Manager at Yates Petroleum Corporation for 17 years, retiring in July 2007. He was a member and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church. He loved teaching the Bible and was very thankful for the faith instilled in him by his parents and Bible teachers Gary was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Bob Givens of Keyes, OK. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Lindsey of the home; daughters: Kristi Kendall and husband Jim of Amarillo, Paula Givens of Artesia, Hannah Palomin and husband Joey of Artesia, Abigail Allen and husband Matt of Carlsbad, and Stacia Givens of Lubbock, and seven grandchildren: Quinn, Noah, Nathaniel Jude Kendall, and Kaetlie, Alyssa, Josiah Palomin. Survivors also include: sister-in-law Owenita Givens and nephews Weston Givens wife, Ruth Ann children-Will, Laura Lena; Juston Givens wife Casie of Oklahoma; father-in-law R.L. Dowell and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Delyse Rick Baker of Amarillo. He is also survived by his uncles, aunts and numerous nieces and nephews and cousins. Honorary pall bearers are: Jim Haas, Scott Beardemphl, Randy Dippel, Randy Spencer, Ron Harvey, John Yates, Jr., Bill Greenhaw, Doug Adee, John Cota, Tom Kelley, and Tom Kravchak.