Bobby Joe Carthel

Bobby Joe Carthel, 91, of Amarillo, Texas went to be with his Lord and Savior and join his bride on October 8, 2022.

Services will be held at 2:00 P.M., Thursday, October 13, 2022, at Bell Avenue Church of Christ, 1600 S. Bell Street, Amarillo, Texas, with Minister Carl Dye and Mitch Carthel officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, Amarillo.

Bob was born in the family farmhouse near Arney, Texas on May 9, 1931, to Wayne and Ruth Carthel.

Bob graduated from High School in Eades, Colorado. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from Colorado State University where he was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and a member of the ROTC.

Bob married the love of his life Verla Blevins on June 20, 1954, in Grand Junction, Colorado. Bob and Verla celebrated 65 years of marriage before her passing in January 2020.

Bob dedicated his entire life to serving the Lord, his family, friends and church. His faith was first and foremost in everything he did. He was a fervent reader of the Word, having read the Bible cover to cover many times over. He was always quick to quote scripture and speak life into every situation and conversation with everyone he encountered. The Lord used his physical ailments in the last years of his life to give him the opportunity to share the gospel and his faith with dozens of caregivers. He was an active member of the Church of Christ his entire life. If the doors were open, Bob was always there even on the Lord’s day in the week before he passed. Bob loved his country and was committed to service. Following his graduation from college, he served in the Army during the Korean War and then in the reserve as an Army Artillery Battery Commander until being honorably discharged as a Captain in 1961.

Bob had a love for everything agriculture and prided himself on being a good steward of the land. While serving in the reserve, Bob went to work for John Deere Implement Company as a Territorial Manger and served the green and yellow, his dealers and farmers in the Panhandle of Texas and eastern New Mexico for eighteen years. He would always tell the nursing staff to not be surprised when they took blood to learn that it was “John Deere Green.” His last ride on a motorized vehicle was on his custom-made John Deere scooter presented to him last year by John Deere in honor of his years of service to the company and the industry. From 1972 to 1983, Bob served as the Agricultural Representative for Pioneer Natural Gas traveling the Panhandle and South Plains, advocating for the area farmers in the development of new and more efficient production and irrigation practices using natural gas. In his spare time, Bob was actively involved in farming and livestock production his entire life, managing and operating farms in Gruver, Hereford, Wildorado, Claude, and Center, Colorado. His last trip out of the city limits was to check on his last grain sorghum crop.

Second, only to his love for the Lord, Bob was completely devoted to his family. Bob and Verla never missed an opportunity to travel the country and took many cruises and traveled overseas. Bob regularly took his family camping, boating, and fishing, a tradition passed down to his children and grandchildren. Bob had many other interests. He loved to fly and got his pilot’s license in the 1970s. His most frequent destination was flying his Cessna to his farm in Gruver and landing in the pasture. Bob loved gospel and bluegrass music so much so that he took up guitar lessons at the age of 71. His first solo was by Waylon Jennings to which he changed the lyrics to “I bought my first guitar when I was 71.” Following retirement he would frequently attend and play in jam sessions in Pearl, Texas and at any family gathering where there was an audience willing to listen. His last performance was about a week before he passed. Bob could fix anything and bring it back to life. He loved restoring old cars (especially Model A’s), John Deere Tractors and hit and miss engines. He was a longtime member of Model A and 2-Cylinder Clubs.

One of Bob’s greatest gifts was his humor and storytelling. You never knew if it was a true story until he got to the punchline. He always got a good laugh even if he was the only one laughing. In his final days, he asked a hospice nurse how long he had to live. When she told him that he had less than six months, he told her he couldn’t pay her in that time and wanted to know if he could get another six months. His humor, wisdom, leadership, example and advise will be greatly missed by all of those who had the fortune of rubbing elbows with him.

Bob was preceded in death by his bride, his brother Bill Carthel, sister Margie McLain and son-in-law TW Glosser.

He is survived by his three daughters, Debra Glosser, Bre Saldi, and Jana Soulakis and husband Michael; two sons, Steve Carthel and wife Denise and Mitch Carthel and wife Tamara; sisters, Dorthy Chappell, Patsy McCollum, Beth Gearn, Shirley Smith, sister-in-law Ann Carthel and brother Jim Carthel and wife Dolores, brother-in-law, Bill Blevins and wife Margaret; fourteen grandchildren, Brooke Glosser, John Saldi and wife Danielle, Zac Saldi and wife Katie, Bryce Saldi, Sierra Soulakis, Megan Soulakis, Brynn Soulakis, Abbey Ehle and husband Justin, Austin Carthel, Amy Miller and husband Michael, Cameron Carthel and wife Kaysha, Brant Carthel and wife Kayla, Vaden Carthel, and Madeline Grall; and nine great-grandchildren.

Heartfelt thanks to his family and friends at Park Place Towers, BSA Hospice and BSA Compassion. You served and loved him well. We will be forever grateful.

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you a ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Matt. 25:23

Memorial can be made to High Plains Children’s Home, https://www.hpch.org/giving.