L. Louise Box

L. Louise Pugh Box went to be with her beloved husband and other departed loved ones on Jan 26, 2025. She had recently celebrated her 100th birthday. 

Memorial services will be at First Baptist Church with Dr. Howard K. Batson officiating at 11am on Sat, Feb 8, 2025. Private burial will occur prior to services. Visitation will be on Friday, Feb 7, 2025, at Boxwell Brothers, 2800 Paramount Blvd. from 5pm – 6pm. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors. 

L. Louise was born Sep 5, 1924, on her parents’ farm near Gray, OK. Her parents, Talbot Ott “T.O.” Pugh and Hattie Blanche (Holland) Pugh welcomed L. Louise as the second of 4 children. L. Louise’s forebearers were ‘pioneers’ of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, migrating from Virginia in search of a better life and free land offered in the Homestead Act of 1862, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. Many of her relatives continue to farm and ranch the land homesteaded more than 160 years ago. L. Louise graduated from Perryton High School in 1940 at the age of fifteen. She was the youngest PHS graduate at the time. In addition to her chores on the farm, she lettered in varsity basketball twice and was honored to be selected as PHS Football Queen her senior year. L. Louise attended West Texas State in Canyon and graduated with a degree in Home Economics in 1945. She was selected as a College Beauty and enjoyed singing in church and at special occasions and for many of her friends' weddings. She also had a deep love for sports. Through her love of sports, she would meet her future husband who was attending West Texas State on a sports scholarship.

In 1950, she married Boyce Murrell Box at her parents’ ‘town’ home on Gem Lake Road in Amarillo. Their marriage produced five children - Brenda, Lynette, Blake, Rhonda and Bernay. While Boyce sold insurance and developed real estate, L. Louise felt privileged to be a stay-at-home mother and homemaker for her husband and children. Her kitchen was a favorite room because she loved to cook. Holidays were a particularly special time for her family and her dining table served food as well as a place for family to linger sometimes for hours with friends sharing stories. She took being an influential mother and grandmother seriously. She obtained this sense of responsibility from her Grandmother Holland in Perryton, who was her spiritual mentor. This influence resulted in her profession of faith before leaving for college and later resulted in each of her children and grandchildren making professions of faith, all during her lifetime.

Her activities and interests included: 

- serving as President of the Belmar P.T.A., where her primary goal was to establish a library for this newly-built elementary school. That library is in use now, decades later;

- serving as one of twelve women on the steering committee to form the Auxiliary for High Plains Baptist Hospital (now Baptist St. Anthony’s) and later, serving as President of the Auxiliary; 

- joining Amarillo First Baptist Church and attending as a faithful member for over 70 years, where she attempted to let her life be directed by decisions based on her love for the Lord;

- being elected Director of Women's Missionary Union and other committees;

- playing the card game of bridge taught to her by her mother in up to four bridge clubs. 

However, her first love was missions. One of her greatest joys was going with FBC youth groups to Mexico at Easter. She was instrumental in influencing her children to love missions also, resulting in each of them traveling to foreign countries during their high school years to serve the Lord. She taught Sunday School to high school senior girls for thirty years and served in other capacities for ten more. She made it her mission and believed it to be a privilege to host bridal showers for many of the young ladies who had been in her classes. L. Louise was a member of Amarillo Symphony Guild, Amarillo Opera, President's Council of West Texas A&M University as well as a member of First Women Council, and Amarillo Country Club. She was a member of Baylor Foundation. She had a love for Baylor as four of her five children are Baylor graduates. 

She is preceded in death by her husband, Boyce. Also preceding her in death are her parents, her two brothers - Estel Pugh and Delos Pugh of Boise City OK, her sister Betty Pugh Daniel of Perryton, her oldest daughter, Brenda Lynne Box-Bristol and grandson Blake Kennedy Box II. 

She is survived by her children: Lynette Box Herring of Waco, Blake of Dallas, Rhonda Box Fowles and husband, Jay, of Willis, TX, and Bernay and wife, Robin, of Dallas. She has seven grandchildren: Blayne Bristol Noblin and husband Jim, Heath Herring and wife Sarah, Holland Herring Werry and husband Kevin, Hunter Herring and wife Nikki, Claire Box Carney and husband Curtis; Baxter Box and wife, Amber, and Bailee Box Covert. There are 20 great grandchildren: Katlyn Herring, Vera, Hawk and Zelma Herring; and, Jackson and Jasper Werry and Loreli Werry; and, Hallie and Henslee Herring; and, Bella, Brody and Bea Pacholski and Bevie and Bloom Covert; and, Birdie, Boyce, Bizzy and Boots Box; and, twins Cadence and Camden Carney, plus many loved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Proverbs 31: 30-31 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. 

The family expresses their gratitude to the wonderful caregivers at Moore Assisted Care Facility as well as those at Ruby Slippers Home Care.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Box Scholarship Fund at First Baptist Church; or West Texas A&M University Athletics Dept.