L. J. Schlaepfer

"Red" was the son of Louis James and Mittie Mae Turknett Schlaepfer. He served in the Merchant Marines during World War II, and enlisted in the U. S. Army on September 3, 1946. He completed his military service and received his honorable discharge on March 2, 1948. It was only a little more than a month before he married Alta Kilpatrick on April 10, 1948. He was the owner and operator of Red's Boot Shop in Kermit, Texas. A devoted family man, "Red" loved his grandchildren, children, and wife very much. He enjoyed fishing and hunting and being in the great outdoors. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Cisco, as well as a lifetime member of the VFW and American Legion organizations. Preceding him in death were his parents and one grandson, Matthew Thornton. Survivors include: his wife, Alta Schlaepfer of Whitney; 5 children - Pamela Thornton of Keene; Patricia Ann Davis and husband, Gene, of Neeville; Corine Davis and husband, Mike, of Huntsville; Peggy L. West and husband, J. L. "Mack", of Weatherford; and Penny Jo Batey and husband, Willie, of Whitney; one brother - Robert Frank Schlaepfer and wife, Donna, of Zapata; one sister, Dorothy Starling of Robert Lee; 12 grandchildren - Jacob Olin West, John Keith West, Rachel West, Phyllis Goodman, Alta Goodman, Rooster Davis, Louis James Davis, E. E. Hawthorne, James Hawthorne, Lisa Hawthorne, Rebecca Teel, Jennifer Ellis; and numerous great-grandchildren.