C. Clarence Riddle

C. CLARENCE RIDDLE passed away on Sunday, the 5th of October, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 96. Clarence was born the third of four children to Ira L. and Mary Strickland Riddle on the 26th of February 1912, in Garrison, Texas. He and had two older brothers, Alton and Larry, and a younger sister, Thelma, all of whom were orphaned at an early age due to an illness suffered by their mother, and who were then raised by their mother's sister, Martha Strickland Boatman and her husband Dave, on their farm in Garrison. Clarence left Garrison for Houston seeking work and ultimately enlisting in the Army to serve his country honorably in World War II in the Army Airdrome, now known as the Air Force. His tour of duty took him to the Philippine Islands where he saw combat. He served his tour of duty with honor and was discharged at its completion having earned the rank of corporal. Re-entering life as a civilian, he worked for several years as a route manager for the Rice Hotel laundry. He profited from this experience joining forces with his wife, Eva Louise Synott Riddle, to open Riddle's Washeteria and Dry-Cleaning, which successfully operated for many years at its location on the corner of Ella Boulevard and West 18th Street in the Heights. Clarence was blessed with good health, mentally and physically, right up to his last days before suffering a stroke. He loved hunting and fishing, and was an active bowler for most of his adult life, once bowling an almost perfect game, missing by one split frame. Clarence was devoted to his church and to his Lord, Jesus Christ; they always came first. He was generous in his giving to his four favorite charities: Second Baptist Church, Cal Farley's Boy's Ranch, Radio Bible Class and Billy Graham Crusades. He was interested and involved in the affairs of our country. He loved the old country music, typified by "Under the Double Eagle" and "Orange Blossom Special. He is preceded in death by his two brothers and only sister, and his wife who passed away in 1988. Left behind to cherish his memory are his two nephews, Alton Riddle and his wife Barbara, and Charles Riddle and his wife Jeanne; two nieces, Cheryl Riddle and Rachel Riddle Yeates and her husband Kent and their four children; two sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Synott Cook and Ernestine Riddle; and numerous nieces and nephews, and extended family members who will all miss him dearly. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family to be held from five o'clock in the afternoon until seven o'clock in the evening on Thursday, the 9th of October, in the Drawing Room of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston. A funeral service will be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Friday, the 10th of October, in the Hankamer Chapel of Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway Drive in Houston, where Dr. Ed Young will serve as officiant. Entombment will follow, via an escorted cortege, at the Sunnyside Mausoleum of Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, 6900 Lawndale Avenue in Houston, where military honors will be rendered. In lieu of usual remembrances the family requests with gratitude that contributions in Clarence's memory be directed to Second Baptist Church at 6400 Woodway Dr., Houston TX 77057-1606, Cal Farley's Boy's Ranch at P.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, Texas 79174-0001, Radio Bible Class at P.O. Box 2222, Grand Rapids, MI 49501, or Billy Graham Crusades, at 1 Billy Graham Pkwy., Charlotte, NC 28201. Clarence exemplified the American character and was a man of his word. He will be greatly missed by all who were privileged to know him.