Chaney Family Roots

The Stephens family lived in Dickens County, which is about 50 miles or so east of Lubbock, Texas. They moved to Amarillo, Texas in 1940 Shortly after the birth of their second child, Mernon Woodrow Stephens. They lived in several small houses around town while the family grew. Glenda Carolyn Stephens was born in 1943 and the family was struck with tragedy when Carl Dean Stephens was born prematurely in 1945. Medical science at the time could not save him, he only lived for 1 day. The family was devastated. After waiting seven years, the Stephens family was finally complete with the birth of Edith Arlene Stephens in 1952. Woodrow Jackson Stephens was born in Dickens, Texas in 1914 to Wiley Morgan Stephens and Oda "Dee" Street Stephens. He married Edith Jewell White in 1937 and they began their family. After moving to Amarillo, Jack worked on a farm for several years until finally landing a job at the ASARCO zinc smelter north of town. He worked in the furnace as a metal drawer for more than 25 years until his retirement. Jack Stephens (we called him Paw-Paw) was quite a character. His sense of humor was what I remember most about him. He was always laughing and joking around. There was always a lot of love in the Stephens household and it shaped their children. I see it in my mom, in my uncle and in both my aunts. The church played a big part in their lives, they were long time members of The Fairlane Church of Christ. Some of my earliest memories are of Grandmother and Paw-Paw singing hymns in church. All the years in the furnace took their toll on Jack in 1996 when he died from emphysema at the age of 82. I never had a chance to meet my great grandparents, Wiley Morgan Stephens and Oda "Dee" Street Stephens. Both died before I was born. Dee died in 1954 and Wiley followed in 1957. I know that Wiley was born in Kentucky in 1871, but I have no idea when he moved to Texas. Dee was born in 1877 in Johnson county, Texas. Both ended up in Dickens where they raised their family.