1925
Wilton
2013
Wilton Marquis Slife
July 20, 1925 — September 21, 2013
Mark Slife, 88, of Amarillo, died peacefully at the BSA Hospice on Saturday, September 21, 2013.
A memorial celebration will be at 11a.m. Wednesday, September 25 at The Church of Christ at the Colonies. Private family interment will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery. Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Home.
Mark was born July 20, 1925 in a farmhouse near Burns Flat, Oklahoma, to John William Slife and Hattie Eva Parker. Mark realized at a young age that farming was not for him--especially after he made his only D in school, in agriculture! Shortly after graduating high school, he moved to Oklahoma City and began attending business school and earning money by selling shoes. When it came time to be drafted, he decided to enlist in the Navy so he would be assured of a bed! He was shipped to Honolulu where he served until the end of the war.
Not long after he returned Stateside, Mark went on a blind date with a woman who soon would become the "love of his life," Trixie Lee Ensey. They married in 1946 and moved to Denver where Mark worked for the U.S. Mint and as a car salesman.
In 1954, Mark and Trixie Lee moved to Amarillo with their four-year old daughter, Kathy Suzan, in tow. Mark found work as a lab technician in product and design at Texaco Refinery, retiring some 35 years later.
Mark was known for his strong Christian principles, kind and thoughtful actions towards others, and his loving generosity toward Trixie Lee and his two daughters. He served as a deacon at North Seminole Church of Christ and later at Central Church of Christ.
He is preceded in death by four brothers and two sisters. He has a few remaining nephews and nieces, including Ellen McFall from Stockton, CA and Larry Slife, from Sayre, OK. His wife, Trixie Lee, with whom he lived a loving and fulfilling 64 years, passed away in 2010. His firstborn daughter, Kathy, also passed away the same year. Survivors include his daughter, Julie Huffman, and her husband, Craig, from Ballston Lake, NY; son-in-law, Chris King, of Kernersville, NC; grandchildren: Brandon King, Tom, Allyson, Jake, and Sam Huffman; and great-grandaughter, Alex King.
Mark had a heart for young people, especially those who are without a parent or who struggle financially to attend church sponsored activities. Just before his death, he requested a fund be set up for young people throughout Amarillo who need financial assistance in getting to church camp or mission trips. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Mark Slife Youth Fund, P.O. Box 2673, Amarillo TX, 79105 or the High Plains Children's Home, http://www.hpch.org/giving.
A memorial celebration will be at 11a.m. Wednesday, September 25 at The Church of Christ at the Colonies. Private family interment will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery. Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Home.
Mark was born July 20, 1925 in a farmhouse near Burns Flat, Oklahoma, to John William Slife and Hattie Eva Parker. Mark realized at a young age that farming was not for him--especially after he made his only D in school, in agriculture! Shortly after graduating high school, he moved to Oklahoma City and began attending business school and earning money by selling shoes. When it came time to be drafted, he decided to enlist in the Navy so he would be assured of a bed! He was shipped to Honolulu where he served until the end of the war.
Not long after he returned Stateside, Mark went on a blind date with a woman who soon would become the "love of his life," Trixie Lee Ensey. They married in 1946 and moved to Denver where Mark worked for the U.S. Mint and as a car salesman.
In 1954, Mark and Trixie Lee moved to Amarillo with their four-year old daughter, Kathy Suzan, in tow. Mark found work as a lab technician in product and design at Texaco Refinery, retiring some 35 years later.
Mark was known for his strong Christian principles, kind and thoughtful actions towards others, and his loving generosity toward Trixie Lee and his two daughters. He served as a deacon at North Seminole Church of Christ and later at Central Church of Christ.
He is preceded in death by four brothers and two sisters. He has a few remaining nephews and nieces, including Ellen McFall from Stockton, CA and Larry Slife, from Sayre, OK. His wife, Trixie Lee, with whom he lived a loving and fulfilling 64 years, passed away in 2010. His firstborn daughter, Kathy, also passed away the same year. Survivors include his daughter, Julie Huffman, and her husband, Craig, from Ballston Lake, NY; son-in-law, Chris King, of Kernersville, NC; grandchildren: Brandon King, Tom, Allyson, Jake, and Sam Huffman; and great-grandaughter, Alex King.
Mark had a heart for young people, especially those who are without a parent or who struggle financially to attend church sponsored activities. Just before his death, he requested a fund be set up for young people throughout Amarillo who need financial assistance in getting to church camp or mission trips. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Mark Slife Youth Fund, P.O. Box 2673, Amarillo TX, 79105 or the High Plains Children's Home, http://www.hpch.org/giving.
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