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Gloria Rickabaugh

Female Abt 1921 - 2018  (~ 97 years)


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  • Name Gloria Rickabaugh  [1, 2
    Birth Abt 1921  Kelseyville, Lake County, California Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Gender Female 
    Death 24 Jan 2018  Austin, Travis County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Notes 
    • Obituary

      On Wednesday, January 24, 2018, Gloria Jean Arnold passed away in her home in Austin, Texas, at the age of 96.

      Gloria was born in Kelseyville, California, the fourth daughter of Reuben B. Rickabaugh, an entrepreneur and fruit orchard farmer, and Emma Priscilla Harper Rickabaugh. When Gloria was only 13, Reuben died, leaving Emma to shepherd Gloria and her four sisters, Joyce, Jane, June, and Jasmine, through Depression Era life. Gloria enjoyed her school years. In 1939 she was elected Attendant to the Queen at the area Almond Blossom Festival. Though the family saw years of struggle, Gloria remembered fondly her small-town childhood in Northern California with her mother and sisters.

      After graduating from high school, Gloria and a girlfriend traveled by Greyhound bus across the southwest to Houston, where she enrolled in the Hermann Hospital School of Nursing. In nursing school, Gloria was number one in her class for three years, and she graduated with highest honors. After graduation, Gloria worked as a surgical nurse for well-known Houston physician Dr. E. W. Bertner.

      While a student at Hermann, she met Dr. Hiram Arnold, who was the instructor for her nursing class in pharmacology. Their developing relationship was interrupted by World War II when Hiram was deployed overseas as a Captain with the Army's 127th General Hospital Unit. At the end of the war, within days of his return from Europe, Hiram and Gloria were married, a union that was to continue for 62 years.

      The newly married couple lived in Galveston, where Gloria worked as a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital, then moved to Houston, where Hiram entered private practice. They soon started a family with sons Frank Rickabaugh born in 1947 and Forrest Douglas in 1950.

      Settling in southwest Houston, Hiram and Gloria raised their sons and participated for three decades in a large, close-knit extended family and in a large group of what would prove to be lifelong friends. They were for many years active members of Bethany Methodist Church.

      Gloria was an untiring volunteer and devoted time to, among other organizations, the Harris County Medical Society Auxiliary, the Methodist Hospital Chaplain's Office, and the American Cancer Society.

      When she was already 50, Gloria became an avid tennis player; she played tennis for 25 years.

      Retiring to East Texas in the mid-1970s, Hiram and Gloria built a home on the Toledo Bend Reservoir near Hemphill, the small town where Hiram had grown up. Hiram and Gloria were principals in developing the J. R. Huffman Library in Hemphill. After the library opened in 1994, they served for years on its board of directors.

      After their years of living on the lake, Hiram and Gloria moved to Lufkin, where they extended their circle of friends and were members of First United Methodist Church. Gloria volunteered as a literacy teacher and a mentor to young people. She was a member of Lufkin's History Club and the Literary Club.

      After Hiram passed away, Gloria continued living in Lufkin, then moved to Austin where her sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were living.

      Gloria Jean Rickabaugh Arnold is survived by, and will be greatly missed by, her sister Jasmine Jorgenson; her sons Rick and his wife Linda and Forrest and his wife Cindy; her grandsons Sam and Mason; and her great grandchildren Daxton and Cecily.

      A memorial service honoring the life of Gloria Arnold will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Lufkin on Saturday, March 24th, 2018, at 11 AM.
      Those wishing to make a memorial donation should contact the J. R. Huffman Library at 375 Sabine St., Hemphill, Texas, 75948.

      Downloaded from Legacy.com,
      Published in Houston Chronicle on Feb. 11, 2018
      Published in The Sabine County Reporter on February 21, 2018, Page 5
    Person ID I7091  Strong Family Tree
    Last Modified 17 Jun 2019 

    Family Hiram Pickney Arnold, M. D.,   b. 17 Aug 1917, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 28 Nov 2008, Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 91 years) 
    Marriage 28 Jan 1946  Texas Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    • Ann Ussery posted to the facebook group, "Farm Road 1 - From one end to the other" that the organic food "Cece's Veggie Co." of Austin, Texas was started by Mason Arnold, a grandson of Dr. Hiram Arnold of Sabine County.

      Mason has founded several companies with Sustainability at the core, including EarthAction Landscaping, environmentally-responsible land care, which grew for 2 years and sold; Greenling.com, the first and largest Local/Organic grocery delivery service in Texas serving all major metros that sold in 2015; and his current venture, Veggie Noodle Co., a pioneer brand in making delicious pasta out of fresh vegetables. A longtime Organic activist, Mason drafted legislation and created the Organic Advisory Board to the Texas Department of Agriculture and formed the Organic Association of Texas, a legislative action and lobbying group for the Organic industry in Texas. He was crowned 'Eco Leader of the Year' by the Austin Business Journal in 2010. In fact, Mason and his businesses have received 25 different awards such as 'Best Local Food Company' 9 years in a row in the Austin Chronicle, and business innovation awards by PC Magazine, Dell, and more. Mason has received national attention for his companies including feature stories in New York Times, Business Week, Entrepreneur magazine, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, radio appearances on NPR's On Point, and others. Mason is also an avid mentor and has served on numerous non-profit boards.

      https://cecesveggieco.com/

      https://www.andnowuknow.com/shop-talk/cecesr-veggie-co-unveils-first-fresh-organic-veggie-shells-cheese-Mason-Arnold/jessica-donnel/59769

      http://www.foundingaustin.com/home/2016/10/4/oodles-of-business-insight-with-veggie-noodle-company-ceo-mason-arnolds
    Children 
     1. Living
     2. Living
    Family ID F112  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 17 Jun 2019 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 28 Jan 1946 - Texas Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 24 Jan 2018 - Austin, Travis County, Texas Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S372] Carr, Sandra Arnold-Family Researcher (smoochnhugn@yahoo.com).

    2. [S336] The Sabine County Reporter, P.O. Box 700, Hemphill, Texas (Published Weekly), (Founded in 1883, The Sabine County Reporter (USPS 474-660) is published once a week on Wednesday. The Reporter is Published by Sabine County Reporter, Inc. Postmaster: Send change of address to P.O. Box 700, Hemphill, Texas 75948-0700. The Sabine County Reporter and The Rambler merged March 1, 1988. Member National Newspaper Association and Texas Press Association.), February 21, 2018, Page 5 (Reliability: 3).