Harold Verden Childs

Harold Verden Childs (Bo) passed peacefully on the morning of February 12, 2017. Born on November 30, 1928 to Sidney and Lois Childs in Teneha, TX, he was the eldest of six children. He grew up in various small towns of the Piney Woods of east Texas as Sidney sought work in the sawmills in the aftermath of the Great Depression.

After graduating from Nacogdoches High School in 1947, he went to Houston for telegraphy school. He was offered a job with Southwestern Bell Telephone in Amarillo so he travelled by bus to Amarillo to accept the position. There he met and married Mary Elizabeth Talley in March 1949. That union produced two children, a son, Gary and daughter, Vicki. He joined the National Guard in 1950 and received an honorable discharge. He was involved in various projects at Lake Greenbelt in Clarendon, TX, where the family moved in 1971. He retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone in 1978.

In February 1996, he married Betty Jean Price of Amarillo. They had a happy and loving union for 21 years and enjoyed travelling, working and building a life together. In early 2017 they moved to Allen, TX to be closer to both of their families.

Harold was a vibrant man who loved life, family and his many friends. He was a builder, a craftsman, an awarded Texas fiddler. Words cannot express the impact his love and life has had on his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, nor can they express the depth of loss felt by his passing. He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife, Betty Childs of Allen; brother Clayton Childs of Port Neches; sister, Doris Lunsford of Nacogdoches; son, Gary Childs and wife Barbra, of Allen; daughter Vicki Childs and son-in-law Richard Battley of Amarillo; stepsons, Cary Price and wife Chika of Quantico, VA and Todd Price of Denver; grandsons Stephen Childs and wife Raja of Plano; Andrew Childs and wife, Allison of McKinney; Aisha, Kaia ,Taylor, Bethany and Jeanine Price; Jarod, Mathew and Kyle Einsohn; five great grandchildren; and his loving dog, Milton.

Services will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 2:00 pm at the Charles W. Smith Funeral Home, 601 S. Tennessee, McKinney, TX 75069. He will be laid to rest at a later date at Pecan Grove cemetery in McKinney, TX.