Sam Parham

    Funeral service for Sam B. Parham, 99, of Lamesa will be held on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Lamesa with Bro. Jim Medley & Bro. Dennis Adams officiating.  
    Interment will follow in Lamesa Memorial Park under the direction of Branon Funeral Home.  
    A family visitation will be held Wednesday, March 31, 2021 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Branon Funeral Home.
    Sam’s promotion to Heaven took place on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at his home in Lamesa. 
    He was born on November 15, 1921 in Knox County, Texas, the fourth child of Crow and Lois Parham.  Like all thirteen of his siblings, he was born at home on the farm. (Coincidentally, although Syble moved from Knox County to Dawson County on her first birthday, she and Sam were born about a mile apart and their families stayed in touch through the years.) 
    The depression years were hard, and arduous work was the norm: adults & kids alike had to contribute in some manner.  Growing up, Sam was quite the horseman and was even offered a job training polo horses on a ranch near Denton. His father agreed until he found out Sam would be going with the horses to England to continue their training prior to their sale.  
    Sam volunteered for the Navy as soon as he was of age for WW2.  In his 41 months of active service, his ship, the USS Vega, made numerous trips to Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, the Bering Strait & the South Pacific. Sam took part in 13 of the WW2 invasions against the Japanese.  Upon his ship’s decommission, he was discharged from the Navy. Taking his $200 in severance pay, he stopped by his parents’ home to say ‘hi’ on the way to Dawson County to ask Syble to marry him.
    Sam’s $200 (minus expenses for Syble’s ring, the preacher, marriage license & honeymoon motel) was blessed by God.  He married Syble O’Neal of Dawson County on February 14, 1946 in Artesia, New Mexico. They were lifelong partners in business and life.  He managed the farming business, and she managed the household while raising their three boys and aiding in paying many of their growing farms’ bills.
    Sam was known for being an honest & extremely hardworking farmer.  He was not the usual farmer and as tractor power increased, he was usually on the leading edge in the county in converting to new row systems: 4-row, 6-row, 8-row, 10-row & 12-row.  His three shop buildings had one thing in common:  each saw Sam building & repairing equipment for himself and others.  It was not unusual for neighbors to bring him broken or bent parts in need of rewelding or straightening.  The shops were the recipients of Sam’s ever-growing collection from trades, auctions, salvages, scrounges, gifts and purchases.  He used these seemingly oddball treasures from hefty stacks, jam-packed cabinets & overflowing bins to build a plethora of equipment to meet his immediate needs.  Sam’s unique creativity, ingenuity & resourcefulness gave him the ability to view the ordinary in extraordinary ways, resulting in inventions that included farm equipment, woodworking equipment & intermediate manufacturing machinery.  His creations included a working sawmill, a wood lathe, numerous large sanders, a sprayer-rig for three-wheelers, a cutter for CRP grass, wooden furniture, swings, turned bowls & many more masterpieces.
    In one part of Lamesa’s past, Sam was proud to have played a role on the Troop Committee for Boy Scout Troop 708.  Over at least a 20-year period, countless young men were given the opportunity of being members of literally the most outstanding Boy Scout Troop in America.  Yes, America!
    Sam made Jesus Christ his Lord and Savior early in his & Syble’s marriage at Friendship Baptist Church.  He was a member there for many years prior to more years at the First Baptist Church of Lamesa.  He loved to sing old country songs, although his favorites were old time Gospel hymns.
    Sam was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Syble, three weeks shy of seventy years of marriage; his parents; seven sisters, five brothers; and Andy Parham, his treasured grandson.  
    Sam is survived by his eldest son and wife, Pat (Linda) Parham of Rockport, and their family, Petrica (Michael) Sharp and their daughter, Ruby Leigh of Arab, Alabama, and Shannon Parham of Rockport; his middle son and wife, Gene (Belva) Parham of Denton, and their family, Tara (Mark) James and their children Sailer, Lincoln, and Sable of Southlake, Rhett (Krystal) Parham and their son Ben of Fort Worth, Crystal Hawkins of Lantana, and Jennie (Scott) Ford of Gainesville and their children, Megan (Robbie) Kerchoff and their daughter Rylee of Rhome, Morgan (John) Terry and their son Mason of Sanger and Ethan Thurman of Gainesville; and his youngest son, James Parham of Lamesa, and his family, Jamie (Chris) Anderson and children, Jean Parham and Hayden Parham of Lamesa; and his younger sister, Louise Morgan of Odessa. There are also numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, all beloved!
    The family suggests memorials to either: Texas Baptist Men, Disaster/Building Unit, 5351 Catron Dr., Dallas, TX 75227, or Buckner Children Home, 700 North Pearl St., Suite 1200 Dallas TX 75201. To send condolences online, please visit www.branonfuneralhome.com.
– Press-Reporter obituary services