Edward Williiam Homen

Edward William “Ed” Homen, of Amarillo, passed away Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, at the age of 93.

A Rosary is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 19, 2017, at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman

Catholic Church, 4100 S Coulter Street, Amarillo. A Mass of Christian Burial service is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.

on Monday, February 20, 2017 at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Groom, Texas.

Ed was born on December 27, 1923 in White Deer, Texas, to John and Elizabeth Homen. He was the

eldest of four children, followed by brothers, Roman and D.D., and sister, Helen.

Ed grew up on farms in Carson County and graduated from Panhandle High School in 1941. He was

briefly enrolled in West Texas State Teacher’s College (now WTAMU), where he roomed with local legend

Spicer Gripp, until he was drafted into military service in January of 1943 and dutifully served his country in

World War II. As a member of the 86th Blackhawk Division, he deployed to Germany in 1945 where he took

part in a mission that captured 14,000 prisoners and liberated 15,000 allied soldiers, before returning to

American soil in June 1945. Ed and the 86th Division were in the midst of the Pacific Ocean en route to Japan

when an end to the war was declared, and he was honorably discharged in March 1946.

In 1947, Ed met Dora Jean Britten of Groom, a nursing student who would become his wife in a double

ceremony (joined by Dora’s sister, Eva Marie, and Sammy Scott) on November 20, 1948. To their union were

born six boisterous sons: Robert, Donald, John, Larry, Richard and Louis. After nearly twenty years living in

Groom, Ed and his family moved to a farm on the east side of Amarillo in 1968, and then into their home in

Puckett Place in the mid-1970s, where Dora and their eldest son Robert still reside.

If you knew Ed at all, you knew two things about him: he had an unrelenting work ethic and an

unassumingly sharp wit. He worked from dusk until dawn the majority of his able-bodied life, either on the

farm or in his residential bathroom remodeling business, and most days, an arduous combination of the two.

He often enlisted the help (and cheap labor) of his children and grandchildren, instilling in them the value of

hard work – a gift as much as it was a lesson – that his descendants will always carry fondly.

Ed also bestowed the gift of laughter upon everyone he encountered. His humor was smart, succinct,

and never ceased to take you by surprise. Aptly declared Class Favorite over Class Clown, he rarely made a

joke for joke’s sake, but left a legacy of hilarious epigrams, unforgettable for their candor and unpredictabilit

Ed had a love for writing, talking politics, playing 42, and rooting for the Dallas Cowboys. He was a

devout Catholic, and a founding member of St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Church.

He is preceded in death by his parents and siblings. He is survived by his wife, Dora Jean, his sons and

daughters-in-law; Robert Homen of Amarillo, Donny and Peaches Homen of Amarillo, John and Tonya Homen

of White Deer, Larry and Damaris Homen of Amarillo, Richard and Gina Homen of Lubbock, and Louis and

Alice Homen of Amarillo; and while not a direct descendant, it would be remiss to omit his niece, Mary Ruth

Albracht of Bushland, who has always felt more like a daughter to Ed and Dora, and a sister to their boys. He is

also survived by a bevy of grandchildren and grandchildren-in-law, and fourteen great-grandchildren: Misty

Homen of Arlington, Grant Homen (and son Reed) and fiancé Beth Goldstein (and their son, Finn) of Amarillo,

Amanda and Philip Saffel (and daughter Olivia and son Everett) of Lubbock, Justin Homen of White Deer, Jodi

and Casey Crow (and sons Ellis and Edge and daughter Eppie) of White Deer, Chase and Liuda Homen (and

daughters Anatolia and Aviana) of Corpus Christi, Justin and Lacee Freeman (and son Jaxon and daughters

Logan and Hunter) of White Deer, Halley Homen of Houston, Malorie and Ryan Zimmer (and daughter Hattie)

of Amarillo, Jordan and Bo Marquez (and daughter Mackenzie) of Lubbock, Dean and Julie Homen of Lubbock,

Dylan and Paige Homen of Lubbock, Hayden Homen of Lubbock, Andrew Homen of Amarillo, Christopher

Homen of White Deer, Chelsea Homen of Amarillo, Meghan Homen of Amarillo, Meredith Homen of Amarillo,

and Levi Homen of Amarillo.