Mary Elizabeth Talley Childs

Mary Elizabeth Talley Childs, 93, passed peacefully on the morning of January 10, 2022 in Amarillo.

Mary was born on April 18, 1928 to John Chester and Leora Alleen Reeves Talley in Silverton, Texas, she was the second eldest of 4 children.  She was a lifetime resident of the Texas Panhandle and spent much of her youth in the Martin-Clarendon, Texas area.

As a child, she experienced some of the most significant events the United States had ever known in the 20th Century.  During the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, she told stories of how fortunate it was that her father had a farm and was at least able to keep food on the table, and her mother was able to provide a meal to the “hobos” passing through in search of work. She described the dust storms as being so bad that the doors and windows couldn’t keep the dirt from blowing in and they would sweep up baskets of dirt from inside their home after the storms were over. As a teenager, she listened intently to President Roosevelt’s radio address when he declared “December 7, 1941, A Date Which Will Live in Infamy” after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor which began the U.S. involvement in World War II.

After graduation from high school, Elizabeth, as she was known to most, moved to Amarillo and began working for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company as a telephone operator.  There she met Harold Verden Childs, whom she married in March of 1949.  They were married for forty-five years and lovingly raised two children and subsequently, two grandchildren.  In the 1960s and early 1970s she worked for Sears Roebuck and Company in the Credit Department.  In those days, she cooked pies, cookies, and cakes from scratch and always had breakfast and dinner on the table for her family.  She never lacked having an opinion, especially when it came to politics and even in her last days, she stood her ground on who should or should not be running the country.  She loved cats and dogs, enjoyed watching Judge Judy and putting puzzles together.  She was blessed with a good memory and a clear thought process.  She always had something to say about everything  (whether she was right or not), and had strong moral and religious beliefs.  She will be greatly missed.

Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, John and Alleen Talley and her three brothers John Chester Talley, Jr; Bill Jack Talley, and Robert Thomas Talley. She is survived by her daughter Vicki and son-in -law Richard Battley of Amarillo; her son, Gary and wife Barbra of Plano,  two grandsons: Stephen Childs of Richardson, Texas and Andrew Childs and wife Alison of DeWitt, Michigan; Sister-in-Law, Evelyn Talley, wife of Robert; three great granddaughters, Lulu, Violet, and Zayna and one great grandson, Liam.

The family will have private services at a yet to be determined date.  She will be laid to rest at Citizen’s Cemetery in Clarendon, Texas.