Dick Boxwell is invested in Perryton and everyone here is all the better for it. His work with the Beehive Daycare Center, Salvation Army and Museum of the Plains should be emulated by us all. He tirelessly works to make people around him more comfortable and improve their lives.
Boxwell was born on Feb. 13, 1939 in Amarillo. His parents lived in Dumas at the time and opened the first funeral home there in 1937. Dumas did not have a hospital at that time so Boxwell was born in Amarillo. Dick’s father purchased the Wilson Funeral Homes in Perryton and Spearman in 1943 and moved the family here in 1944. Boxwell graduated from PHS in 1957.
“My memories of school were that I was told at home that if I got into trouble at school, my parents would believe the teacher and not me. I would have never dreamed in the 1940s of not obeying the administration or teachers,” he commented.
Boxwell remembers burning up the streets and sidewalks of Perryton on his bike in the 1940s. Riding on the sidewalk caused him to get a verbal scolding from Sheriff Ray Phagan. That bike was also used to deliver the Amarillo newspaper for five dollars a week as a kid. Boxwell remembers fondly being in the Boy Scouts and camping trips to “Sourdough Canyon” south of Perryton with the Scouts.
Boxwell relayed a story of taking a train trip with fellow Scouts Kent Apple, Bob Beck and Charles Erickson to California for a Boy Scout Jamboree in 1953. The trip was memorable for the chance to be entertained by Roy Rogers, Mitzi Gaynor and Vice President Richard Nixon.
That was not the only memory for Boxwell. He and the above-mentioned boys went AWOL from the camp to meet and visit former Perryton Coach Murry and his family who lived nearby. Coach Murry took the Ranger football team to the regional playoffs in the late 1940s. The Boy Scout leaders panicked at their absence and sent law enforcement to look for them.
After graduation from PHS, Boxwell graduated from Texas Christian University with a bachelor of science degree in commerce. He then attended San Jacinto Junior College, with special permission to enroll in the Mortuary Science Department for an associate degree. He moved back to Perryton in 1962 and got his embalmers and funeral directors licenses in 1963. Other than spending a while in Spearman to manage the facility there, he has lived in Perryton ever since. Boxwell met and married
Arlene Gadberry from Follett in 1963. He took charge of the Perryton office at 29 years old in 1969, after the early death of his father at age 56. The Boxwells have three children, Jeff, Brent and Shannon, six grandchildren and seven great grandkids.
“Since my sons, Jeff and Brent, came back to work at the business, I know that I am leaving the business in very capable hands,” Boxwell said proudly.
Boxwell commented that many changes have occurred in the 58 years he has been in control of the business. He has gotten to know people from all walks of life. Originally, the Boxwells also ran the ambulance service, which tied them to the phone constantly in the time of landlines only. Boxwell feels the funeral business has been his life’s calling. He has helped families with grandparents, parents, children and even grandchildren.Stories he remembers are numerous, sad and often funny, but are never shared by Boxwell due to privacy.
Boxwell has been involved in a church almost all his adult life. He feels that has helped him to become a better person. He enjoys the time he spends serving his community on various boards around town and appreciates the friendships he has developed doing this service.
What war in your lifetime do you remember the most? “I was aware of the start of the Vietnam War ,but did not think much about it until my younger brother, Bob, was drafted into the Army and deployed there. The war came closer to home when we began to bury young men that were casualties there.”
What car do you remember the most? “My first car was a 1958 Rambler American. It was a two door, sixcylinder, stick shift with a 270-air conditioner-both windows down at 70 mph.”
What advice would you give to younger generations? “Our world would be a much better place if we practiced the Golden Rule. If we all make a concerted effort to practice it better, most of our world’s problems will take care of themselves. I would encourage young people to get involved in community organizations wherever they choose to live. Helping others and your community should be a primary goal. Doing this will help them to realize that it is not all about them.”
What is the proudest achievement of your life? “I had two businesses dumped in my lap at 29. I have tried to manage them well. In August we began our 77th year. I am also proud of my family. We raised our children and they are happily married and we have six fabulous grandchildren. Two of our grandchildren are teachers at PHS, Jeff and Brent’s wives also teach in Perryton schools. We have seven great-grandchildren and they are truly a blessing. We keep them some and they will keep us young.”
What establishment do you wish would return? “I would like to see the Dairy Kream come back. It had great burgers and the kids hung out there.”
What are the best and worst jobs that you have had in your life? “That is an easy question! Funeral work is all that I have actually ever done. I began helping in the summer between my eighth grade and freshman years. I guess that newspaper delivery was my worst job.”
What has made you proudest and least proud of being an American? “911 probably made me the proudest. America united more than at any time since. The current situation with the protests and riots has made me the least proud.”
What has been the best invention of your life? “The computer and internet have profoundly changed us, mostly for the good. I would also mention the cell phone. Until that came around, we in the business were stuck to the phone 24/7. We can transfer the business phone to our cell phones, and we can do things that I was never able to do in the early days.”
What would we be surprised to learn about you? ‘I am really very shy. I have had to work really hard all my life to be more outgoing.”
(If you have suggestions for articles you would like to read on area residents, please call or text Randy Skaggs at (806) 202-0187 or email rskaggsdvm@hotmail.com.)