Chester Arthur Gilham Jr.

Chester A. Gilham Jr. passed away at Crane Memorial Hospital on Feb. 12, 2014. He was born in a camp house out on Spudder Flat between Crane and McCamey, Texas to Chester A. Gilham Sr. and Ruth Rutherford Gilham on Sept. 28 1931. He had two older brothers, Jack and Gene. He attended schools in McCamey and Iraan.
He served in the US Army from 1951 to 1953, and was stationed in Germany as part of the US Peace Keeping Forces. He came to Crane after getting out of the army.
He went to work for Tidewater Oil Company which became Getty Oil Company, and then later Texaco. He started in the roustabout gang and worked on the old standard derricks pulling wells. Later he worked in the office as an Engineer Technician and eventually was promoted to Production Foreman. He retired on December 31, 1988 after 35 years of service.
He married Marta Rhodes in McCamey, Texas on Dec. 22, 1954. They had just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. They had three children, Jack, Tanya, and Clay. As the children got older, Chester became active in the Crane County 4-H Club helping as an adult 4-H leader, and helping work during many of the county stock shows. The Crane County Show of 1998 was dedicated to him. He also attended his children’s school activities, band concerts, and football games.
After retirement Chester and Marta travelled in their travel trailer all over the US and also into Canada. They travelled from Texas northeastward all the way to Nova Scotia, and northwestward all the way into Alaska.
He was very handy and liked carpentry and working with wood. He built several items of furniture and added onto and remodeled the house. He was very innovative, and when faced with difficult problems, he would ponder the situation and come up with a solution.
He liked spending time with his family having cookouts and fish fries and making homemade ice cream. He loved being a father, grandfather and a great grandfather.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, and his son Clay. He is survived by his wife Marta, his son Jack Gilham, his daughter Tanya and her husband Stan Oxford, and grandchildren Joyce Gilham Schaub and husband Eric, Kasey Johnson, and Ashley Gilham, four great grandchildren, Robert, Evan, Victoria, and Colton, and his sister in law and brother in law Janice and Roger Mason.
He was a member of the First Assembly of God Church in McCamey, Texas.
He loved and appreciated all his caretakers from Rural Home Health Care. Thank you to Beverly Hess, Crysti McDonald, Corina Rivas, Rachel Garcia, Mandy Brooks, and Physical Therapists Steven Spangler and Cheryl Goodson.
The family will be receiving friends at the funeral home on Sunday, February 16, 2014, from 6pm until 8pm. Funeral services will be held at 2pm on Monday, February 17, 2014, at the Shaffer-Nichols Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Duane Gryder officiating. Burial will follow in the Crane County Cemetery.