LaNelle Phillips Waldrop

LaNelle Phillips Waldrop, who lived in various towns and cities in the Texas Panhandle all her life, passed away Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at The Craig Senior Living in Amarillo. She was 94.

She was born to Clury and Hazel Phillips on December 9, 1927, at her grandparents' home in Ashtola in Donley County and grew up in Lamb and Castro Counties. Her father was a farmer, and her mother was a homemaker. She was the oldest of four daughters.

She attended Wayland Baptist College in Plainview and later graduated from West Texas State College in Canyon in August 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in vocational home economics. She was active in the Baptist Student Union where she met Hubert Waldrop, a World War II veteran and German prisoner of war. They married on Christmas Eve in 1947.

LaNelle said she would never marry a farmer. When they married, Hubert wasn’t a farmer, but later became one. While teaching elementary school in Olton, LaNelle decided to pursue an advanced degree and graduated with a master’s degree in education in August 1963 from West Texas State University. She continued teaching elementary school in Olton and Stratford until she retired.

LaNelle and her family always were involved in church by volunteering for various ministries such as Sunday School, choir and committees. She and Hubert were part of international mission trips to South Korea and Brazil. After retirement, they served as Mission Service Corps volunteers for the Southern Baptist Convention at Wayland Baptist University.

Having grown up on a farm during the depression, LaNelle learned value of hard work. This carried through to her vocational home economics major in college. She was a wonderful cook and seamstress. Until retirement she made most of her clothes. She even sewed the wedding dress for her daughter’s wedding. And she enjoyed sewing for her granddaughter as a child. She loved cooking and assembled several cookbooks of her favorite recipes for her family.

She also loved family which had fun and large “get togethers,” especially at holidays where there would be lots of good food and game playing. She was especially fond of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She spent time traveling with them, playing all sorts of games, teaching them to ride bicycles, and cooking her specialty – chocolate chip cookies. Education was important to her and Hubert who made sure that each of their children and grandchildren graduated from college.

Not wanting to burden their children with disposing of an estate when they passed, LaNelle and Hubert downsized and moved into Park Place Towers in Amarillo where they renewed and made many new friendships.

Visitation will be held at Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 S. Georgia from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 5, 2022. Burial is scheduled Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 11am in Plainview Memorial Park Cemetery, 100 S. Joliet Rd in Plainview, and a Memorial Service will be held at Park Place Towers, 1300 S. Harrison St in Amarillo on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please send remembrances to Faith City Mission in Amarillo (https://www.faithcity.org/give) or The Craig Senior Living, 5500 SW 9th Ave., Amarillo, TX 79106.

She was preceded in death by her husband of almost 72 years, her parents and one sister, Joy.

She is survived by two children – Linda (husband Terry) of Fresno, CA; and son, Phillip (and wife Cindy) of Pflugerville, TX; three grandchildren – Chris Waldrop of Canyon, TX; Beau Waldrop (and wife Chelsea) of Choctaw, OK; and Anna Barone of Fresno, CA; three great grandchildren – Evelyn Waldrop of Oklahoma City, OK; Jordan Waldrop of Kress, TX; and Brayden Waldrop of Choctaw, OK; three step grandchildren – Cheree Monden and Maribel Thompson of Round Rock, TX; Chris Monden (wife Jenni) of Harrah, OK; and Courtney Monden of Austin; six step great grandchildren; two sisters – Gwen Ziska of Arkansas; Mary Maddox, (husband Cecil) of Windsor, CO; two sisters-in-law – Vonne Schmidt of Amarillo and Jan McClure of Keller, TX; and numerous nieces and nephews.