Sedalia Swoopes

Sedalia Swoopes, 101, died Monday, Sept. 5, 2016.

Services were held at Jenkins Chapel Baptist Church. Burial followed at Llano Cemetery. Arrangements were made by Warford-Walker Mortuary.

Sedalia lived a long, rich life centered around her faith and her family. Sedalia’s journey began March 8, 1915, in Longview, where she was born to L.D. and Jessie Moore, followed by her sister, Bonnie, and brother, Roger. When Sedalia was 15, her brother Roger passed away from pneumonia. Her parents subsequently divorced and Jessie moved to Dallas, where she met and married Will Chattam. The family added three boys to the two girls, Willie D., Lindsey and Curtis Chattam. The Chattam family moved to Spur in the early ‘30s, where work for Will was plentiful.

At age 17, Sedalia met and married Virgil Swoopes on Sept. 9, 1932. They soon started a family which grew to five boys and two girls. In May 1950, Sedalia and Virgil moved to Amarillo, where they raised five of their seven children and lived out their lives. It was at that time they joined with the Jenkins Chapel church family, where she was an active member for years providing baked goods and filling volunteer hours as well as singing in the choir. Sedalia also volunteered for many years mending aprons and jackets for Iowa Beef Company in fellowship with the Rev. Romaine’s church congregation.

Sedalia read her bible and several newspapers each day, as well as kept up with world events via the evening news. She always sought to be well-informed and knowledgeable in many subjects. She also enjoyed family gatherings, where you could always find her in the kitchen creating her specialties for the family, including baked goods, rabbit and fried chicken. Her grand kids enjoyed receiving pound cakes baked with love from Nanas in the mail, whether at college or on active duty overseas. Sedalia had a great sense of humor and treated her family to great anecdotes, teaching moments and stories of her life across the years, while of course dipping snuff, which she enjoyed until very recently.

She was preceded in death by her parents, LD Moore, Will Chattam and Jessie Chattam; her husband of 58 years, Virgil; and seven sons, Garland, Harvey, Alphonso, Lorenza, Robert, Virgil and Raymond; and five siblings.

She leaves to cherish her memory two daughters; Virginia and husband Essex IV Fowlks of Sacramento, Calif., and Marva Murphy of Amarillo; a brother, Willie D Chattam; a daughter-in-law, Lauretta and husband Alphonso Swoopes, both of Dallas; 13 grandchildren, Essex V and wife (Anne) and their children; Wesley and Kristen; Larry and his children; Cedric and Morgan; Sonja (Steven) McIntosh and their children; Julian and Kendall; Roland (Christina) Fwolks and their children: Melissa, Ester and Nicholas; Andrea Parker, Alvin and Simone Mercer, Jan Parker, Jr., Jade & Children, Josiah and Asber Parker, Darryl Rush & Family,  Alphonso Tyrone and Alphonso Tyrone Jr., of Austin , Texas, Antonio Septien and wife Monica & children, Lauretta Swoopes, daughter-in-law; one brother Will Chattam, granddaughter, Marcella Renee of Vacaville, CA; Lisa Bell, close friends; Elizabeth Brazier,& Family, Betty Cunningham & Family, Shirley Pace & Family, Charles & Jeanie Johnson & Family; a nephew Curtis Chattam of Dallas, Texas and a host of other family members and friends.