Emmitt Erwin Phifer was born in Limestone County, Texas, December 28, 1904. Hs moved with his parents, John and Katie Phifer, and brother and sisters, Annie, Lonnie, Willie, Orie, and Ollie to McAdoo in February 1920. One brother, Leslie, was born after the family moved to McAdoo. Emmitt and his dad came by train to Spur (they spent the night in Stamford) with the livestock and household goods and the rest of the family came by car.
May Carmack was born in Eldorado, Oklahoma, May 24, 1906. She moved with her family, Mr. and Mrs. John Carmack, and brothers and sister, Neomia, Milton, Clifton, and Clarence to McAdoo in January 1921. May and Emmitt attended school in McAdoo. After finishing all the grades offered in McAdoo, Emmitt graduated from Spur High School in May, 1923.
Emmitt and May began dating when going to a singing school. Our families were a little surprised and somewhat upset when we "eloped" to Dickens on Sunday afternoon, August 17, 1924 and did not invite them to the wedding. We lived with the Phifers for five months while Emmitt finished gathering the crop, and while the "weaning shack" (a small two room house that all the Phifer offspring except two lived in when they married) was being remodeled.
In 1928 we moved to Spur Experiment Station. While there, our first daughter, Reta Mac was born on September 6, 1928. In 1931, we moved back to McAdoo and worked on several farms. Our son, Lavelle was born on November 11, 1931, and another daughter, Neva Jo, was born February 10, 1934. In 1942 we bought our present farm (the L.E. Bass place) northeast of McAdoo where we now live.
All three of our children are McAdoo graduates. Reta Mac married Bryan Hardin, Jr. of McAdoo and lives in Portales, New Mexico They have three children: Lyndon, Randall, and Rote Gayle. Lavelle married Mary Miller of Happy, Texas, and lives in Amarillo. They have three children: Greg, David, and Doris. Neva married Edwin Bass, also of a McAdoo family, and lives in Dalhart, Texas. They have four children: Joe Edd, Judy, Jimmy and Jerry.
....by Emmitt and May PhiferSource: Dickens County History...its Land and People © Dickens Historical Commission; Printer: Craftsman Inc. Lubbock, Texas 1986
McADOO (Special) — Services for May Phifer, 84, of Crosbyton will be at 10 a.m. Monday in McAdoo First Baptist Church with the Rev. Carl Coffey officiating.Burial will be in McAdoo Cemetery under direction of Adams Funeral Home.
She died at 1:40 a.m. Saturday in Crosbyton Hospital after a lengthy illness.
An infant daughter preceded her in death in 1925.
She was born in Eldorado, Okla., and moved from McAdoo to Crosbyton in 1987. She married Emmitt Phifer in 1924 in Dickens. She was a member of McAdoo First Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, a son, Lavelle of Amarillo; two daughters, Reta Mac Hardin of Portales, NM, and Neva Jo Bass of Dalhart; a brother, Glen Carmack of Whittier, Calif.; a sister, Geneva Cooke of Fresno, Calif.; nine grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
©Lubbock Avalanche Journal, April 12, 1991
Record provided by Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum
transcribed by Linda Fox Hughes
Services for Emmitt Erwin Phifer, 86, of Crosbyton were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, 1991, in the McAdoo First Baptist Church with the Rev. Carl Coffey, retired Baptist minister, officiating, with Joe Bass, Donald Harris and Sam Brown assisting.Burial followed in the McAdoo Cemetery under direction of Adams Funeral Home of Crosbyton.
Mr. Phifer died at 5:10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, 1991, in the Crosbyton Hospital following a lengthy illness.
He was born Dec. 28, 1904, in Limestone County, Texas, and moved to Limestone County to Jones County then to Dickens County in 1919. He moved to Crosbyton Oct. 27, 1987, from McAdoo where he had lived since 1919.
He married May Carmack Aug. 17, 1924 in Dickens. She preceded him in death April 20, 1991. He was a farmer and a member of the McAdoo First Baptist Church. He is preceded in death by an infant daughter who died in 1925, by three brothers, two sisters and a grandson, David Phifer who died in 1987.
Survivors include one son, Lavelle Phifer of Amarillo; two daughters, Reta Hardin of Portales, NM and Neva Jo Bass of Dalhart; one brother, Leslie Phifer of Sacramento, CA; two sisters, Beulah Eldredge of Crosbyton and ONie Wyatt of Levelland; 9 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren.
©Crosby County News & Chronicle, November 7, 1991
Record provided by Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum
transcribed by Linda Fox Hughes
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