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Jerome Robison Whitmire was born June 24, 1904 in San Angelo, Texas to Jerome Ross Whitmire and Daise May Robison. He was the third child born, after Durward Payne Whitmire and Winnie Mae Whitmire Campbell. His grandfather James Madison Whitmire fought in the Civil War and moved to Panola County, Texas from Neshoba County, Mississippi shortly after the war. His roots go back to Georgia and South Carolina long before the American Revolution.
Jerome's mother died when he was two years old, and he was raised by his father, a water well driller in the Water Valley, Texas area. Jerome did a lot of the cooking for the family while he was growing up and continued to enjoy cooking in later years. Jerome attended the Water Valley Public School system through the eighth grade and then went to Abilene where he attended Hardin Simmons Prep-school. He always said he never graduated from high school because when you finished high school you just continued into college. He graduated from Simmons University in 1925 where he was very active in the debate and speech teams. Jerome continued his education at Texas Tech University where he received a Masters Degree in History.
Jerome began a career in the teaching field where he taught and coached for thirteen years. During this time, he became Superintendent of Schools at Saragosa, Texas and met his future wife, Willie Mae Davis, who was teaching close by at Balmorhea, Texas. They were married June 2, 1931 in Sweet Home Baptist Church, Rule, Texas. Two days after their marriage Willie Mae received her degree from Hardin Simmons University. They continued to teach together until after the 1938 school year when Jerome went to work for The Texas Department of Public Safety as a highway patrolman. They moved several times during the next few years from Sunray to Fort Worth to Amarillo to Lubbock and finally to being stationed in Spur, Texas beginning in 1949. Jerome was transferred to the Texas Motor Vehicle Division of the DPS in the early 1950s.
Jerome and Willie Mae begin their family in 1934 with a girl named Wanda Fern who died shortly after birth (January 20) and is buried at Sagerton, Texas. On May 4, 1937 in Stamford, Texas they were blessed with a boy they named Jerome Royce who now lives in West Harrison, Indiana with his wife Janis (three children). Gary Lyndal was born on June 3, 1940 in Amarillo, Texas and now lives in Chester, California (two children). Delwin Davis was born February 26, 1942 in Fort Worth, Texas and resides in San Antonio, Texas with his wife Mary (two children). Their last child, Danis Ray was born August 27, 1947 in Lubbock, Texas and now resides in Moulton, Texas with his wife Carolyn (three children). All four boys graduated from Spur High School.
Jerome Robison was very active in his community and took great pride in being a Deacon in the First Baptist Church where he and Willie Mae both taught Sunday School. Jerome was a charter member of the Caprock Peace Officer's Association that began in 1949 and he was Secretary/Treasurer of that origination for many years. He won many awards during the rattlesnake rodeo they held every year at their annual meeting. Jerome was also a Mason in the Rule, Texas Lodge. Jerome and his family loved to travel on vacations and they visited most of the states in the continental United States.
Jerome Robison Whitmire died November 15, 1967 in the Crosbyton Hospital after a long battle with throat cancer. Jerome was buried in the Spur City Cemetery after his funeral in the First Baptist Church of Spur. He was honored by many of the area's peace officers as they served as an honor guard at his funeral and burial.
Submitted by: Danis R. Whitmire, April 2001
On Willile Mae Davis Whitmire -- Willie Mae moved to San Antonio, Texas shortly after the death of Jerome where her son Delwin lived and next to a friend who was her college room-mate. She taught elementary school there for several years in the Harlendale ISD before she retired. She was very active in her church and grandmother's club. She enjoyed being with her children and grandchildren when not watching her daily soap-operas. She died June 4, 1992 in San Antonio of heart failure and she had chosen to be buried in San Antonio. Her grandparents and several of her aunts and uncles and cousins are buried in the Spur Cemetery. (John A. and Nancy Jane Davis, Joise Mitchell, Helen Gibson, Loraine Haazelwood, etc) Her parents and most of her family is buried in Rule, TX. where she grow up.submitted by Dan Whitmire
SPUR (Special) - Services for J. R. Whitmire, 63, a longtime employee of the Texas Department of Public Safety here, are scheduled for 2 p.m. today in the First Baptist Church with the Rev. Norris Taylor, pastor, officiating.Burial will be in Spur with Campbell Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Born June 24, 1904, in San Angelo, Whitmire died Wednesday afternoon in a Crosbyton hospital following a lengthy illness.
Whitmire married the former Willie Mae Davis June 2, 1931, in Rule. They had been residents of Spur since 1949.
He had been employed by the Department of Public Safety for 28 years. Whitmire was a member of the Baptist Church, Masonic Lodge and Caprock Peace Officers Assn.
Survivors include his wife; four sons, Jerry of Lancaster, Calif., Gary of Sacramento, Calif., Delwin of San Antonio, and Danis of the home; a sister Mrs. V. M. Campbell of Pecos; a brother, D. P. of Fort Worth and three grandchildren.
Pallbearers: J. A. Williams, R. A. Gilcrease, Rex Holder, C. W. Barelay, W. L. Singleton, Johnny Scudder, Pat Winker, and George Gabriel
Lubbock Avalanche Journal, November 1967
Submitted by: Danis R. Whitmire
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