Lloyd Emmett Glidewell

Lloyd Emmett Glidewell was born on Nov 21, 1935, to Fred and Ruby Glidewell in Graham, Texas. He grew up being a steady ranch hand with his other siblings as they took care of the animals and farmed the family land. In those days, you didn’t just go to Home Depot or the hardware store when something broke, you found a way to fix things and be resourceful. This environment was a great proving ground for Emmett’s engineering prowess. He learned quickly that necessity truly was the mother of invention. He graduated from Bryson High School in 1955 and used his engineering skills while working jobs in the oilfield. In Oct of 1958, he went on a first date with Lynda Faye Smith. Emmett and Lynda dated for several months and on a warm summer night in 1959 while sitting on the back of Emmett’s truck looking at the stars, a shooting star went through the sky and Lynda asked Emmett, “What did you wish for?” and Emmett turned to her and said, “I wished I could make you mine”. He didn’t have everything in place like he wanted, he didn’t even have a ring yet, but she said yes. On July 1, 1960, they were married at the First Baptist Church in Newcastle, Texas. Prior to their engagement, Emmett wanted a job that was more suitable for his pursuit of raising a family so he took a job as a helicopter mechanic for Southern Airways on the Ft. Wolters Army Base in Mineral Wells, Texas. During his tenure there, he and Lynda would give birth to 4 children. Phillip Olan was born on Oct 12, 1962 unfortunately he contracted an infection that ended his youth life on May 2, 1964. Robert Paul was born on Jan 30, 1965. Kenneth Alan was born on Sept 29, 1966, but unfortunately for the young couple, they would lose this child after only 4 days on October 3, 1966. Angela Sue was born on April 19, 1970. Emmett and Lynda would raise Paul and Angela in Perrin, Texas, and would regularly attend the First Baptist Church in Perrin. Emmett taught both his children to be independent, hard-working, genuine, kind, giving, and godly people. He raised them according to the principles of God’s word in Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Emmett believed deeply in this command to fathers because he had a deep faith and trust in God. He also loved the local church and could always be called on to fix a broken pipe, replace a chandelier light bulb, fill the baptistry, prepare the elements for the Lord’s Supper, order Sunday School materials, count the money in the offering plate, and mow the church lawn, which, by the way, he did was still doing at the ripe old age of 84. Emmett and Lynda continued to live in Perrin and spent many weekends at Civil War Re-enactments where Emmett put his blacksmithing skills on display. Blacksmithing was a self-taught hobby he had been doing for many years and he enjoyed sharing the history of the craft with anyone who was curious. In 1972, when the Vietnam War was finishing and the demand for helicopters decreased, Emmett got laid off from Southern Airways, he got 2 weeks' severance pay and in the meantime, he applied for a job with Mitchell Energy and Development Corp. He was called and offered the job which he could start in 2 weeks, just when his severance would run out. He would tell you that this was one of the thousands of ways that God took care of his family. In 1995 he retired from Mitchell and he and Lynda loved being in retirement and by this time were also empty-nesters. In 2002, a grandchild entered the scene, his name was Grayson. Emmett loved being a grandad and loved sharing his love of the outdoors and hunting with Grayson. In 2010, Emmett and Lynda would celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. It had been a wonderful, happy, and blessed 50 years and they had so much to be grateful for. In February 2016 Lynda was diagnosed with cancer and this came as quite a shock, but Emmett was by her side all the way. Unfortunately, she lost her battle on Nov 19, 2016. Emmett continued to live in Perrin until the April of 2024 when he suffered an illness that eventually took away his independence. He made one final trip to the hospital in Wichita Falls where God called him home on July 9, 2024. He is survived by his sister Ruby Dean Kinder of Jacksboro, son Paul of Jacksboro, daughter Angela of Houston, daughter-in-law Sheri of Jacksboro, grandson Grayson of Jacksboro, sister-in-law Nancy Thomas of Graham, sister-in-law Nettie Glidewell of Graham and nephew Brian Thomas of Graham. Those wishing to express their condolences and honor Emmett’s memory may do so with flowers or by making a donation in his name to the Concerned Citizen of Jack County at 400 E. Pine St., Jacksboro, TX 76458, (940) 567-2607.

Lloyd Emmett Glidewell

November 21, 1935 - July 9, 2024