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Obituaries published in the February 2021 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

Lawrence Anthony (Larry) Reynolds
MEXIA – Former Texas Press Association President Lawrence Anthony “Larry” Reynolds, 70, of Mexia died Jan. 5.
Reynolds was publisher of The Canyon News when he took the gavel as TPA’s 124th president. Later in his term, he joined the Amarillo Globe-News as retail advertising manager.
A native of San Antonio, Reynolds graduated from McCollum High School. He attended San Antonio College and moved to Austin, where he began his newspaper career in 1972. He started as a classified outside sales representative with the Austin American-Statesman.
He was a major accounts representative for the Houston Chronicle and a major accounts representative and retail advertising branch manager for The Houston Post. He was classified advertising manager at the Temple Daily Telegram and the Globe-News.
He worked six and a half years for Southern Newspapers Inc., as advertising director at The Paris News and publisher of the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise.
He also served as publisher of the Moore County News Press and the Liberal Times in Liberal, Kan.
Reynolds has served on the Texas Daily Newspaper Association/TPA Legislative Advisory Committee and as secretary of the Southwest Classified Ad Managers Association.
At the age of 10, Reynolds joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a lifelong faithful member. He loved to serve the communities in which he lived by actively participating in Rotary and Lions Clubs, as well as holding various volunteer positions within the Church.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret, five children, eight grandchildren, five great grandchildren and other relatives. Graveside services were held Jan. 8 in the North Belton Cemetery in Belton.

Fritz Wade Wirt
MONTGOMERY – Veteran newspaper journalist and educator Fritz Wade Wirt died Jan. 6, in Montgomery. He was 85.
A former newspaper reporter, editor, publisher and journalism educator, he worked at several newspapers in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
While working in the private sector, he taught journalism classes part-time at various universities in Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas.
In 2006, Fritz was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and the Midwest City (Oklahoma) High School Wall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife Karen, five children and step-children and other relatives.
A memorial service will be held in Stillwater, Oklahoma, at a later date.
Memorials can be made to the Wirt Family Scholarship for Agricultural Communications at the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership of Oklahoma State University, 136 Agricultural Hall, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078.

Joe Bennett
GORMAN – Former newspaper publisher Joe Bennett, 89, of Gorman, died Jan. 2.
A lifelong resident of Gorman, he was the owner and operator of The Gorman Progress for over 40 years until he sold it to his son Lonnie.
In retirement, he continued to be active in his hometown and loved to watch football. He was a member of the Methodist church in Gorman but more recently was attending the Bethel Baptist Church in Eastland.
He was preceded in death by his wife Maxine Rhyne Bennett, who died in 1991. Survivors include two children, two grandchildren, one great grandchild and other relatives.
Services were held Jan. 5 at Higginbotham Funeral Home Chapel in Gorman.

Roger Jones
WACO – Roger Jones, a longtime Hewitt resident, Waco businessman and former owner of the Riesel Rustler, died Nov. 20. He was 84.
A native of Snyder, he started a six-year apprenticeship as a printer at the Waco News Tribune while a student at Midway High School and worked at The Dallas Morning News until 1961.
In August 1961, he started Jones Printing Co., which after 59 years is still in business. In 1962, he purchased Pitillo Printing Co. and the Waco Farm and Labor Journal, the start of his weekly newspaper publications. In 1985, he bought the Riesel Rustler and started Hometown News, which was sold in April 2015.
He was a respected civic leader. He served as a coach, umpire and team sponsor for local sports teams and served as president of the Midway Booster Club for three years. In 2006, he was inducted into the Midway High School Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1988, he was named Hewitt Hero by the Hewitt Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Woodway.
He is survived by his wife Barbara Rutledge Jones, six children, nine grandchildren, four great grandchildren and other relatives.
Memorials may be made to First Woodway’s Food Pantry (Given in Jesus’ Name), Parkinson’s Foundation at www.parkinson.org or the charity of choice.

Albert Timothy Ward
AUSTIN – Albert Timothy Ward, a former Texas sportswriter who later had a 27-year career with the National Football League, died Jan. 3. He was 93.
Ward grew up in Brownsville. After high school graduation and military service, he attended the University of
Texas in Austin, earning a journalism degree. He discovered his passion for sports writing during his college years in Austin, where he was an award-winning sports editor for the Daily Texan. He began his career as a Texas sports reporter before launching his 27-year career with the NFL.
Starting as the director of public relations for the American Football League in 1960, he moved on to join the Dallas Cowboys, eventually becoming the vice president in 1972. He served as general manager of the New York Jets during the last of the Joe Namath years, 1975-1977; as AFC assistant to the president, 1977-1988; and as NFL Alumni chief operating officer, 1988-1990.
In 1990 Ward moved to Austin and enjoyed retirement with his wife LaRue until her death in 1998. In 2005, he married Nancy J. Howard, who survives him. He also is survived by two daughters, five grandchildren and other relatives.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Jacqueline Jourdan Clark
DALLAS - Fashion illustrator Jacqueline Jourdan Clark, 95, died Dec. 23.
A gradate of Southern Methodist University, she was a fashion illustrator for both The Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times Herald. She also worked for Sanger Harris and Neiman Marcus.
She was predeceased by her husband, John Clark.
Survivors include three daughters, four grandchildren and other relatives. Memorials may be made to the Trinity River Audubon Center, trinityriver.audubon.org.

Cynthia Harlan Falco
LEAGUE CITY - Cynthia Harlan Falco, 64, of League City, died Dec. 23.
A native of San Antonio, she moved with her family to Marlin, where she graduated high school. 
She and her high school sweetheart Nunzio Falco married and moved to League City in 1975, where she began a career as a graphic designer, first working at a local newspaper, then spending 17 years in the advertising department at Foley’s department store. 
For the past seven years she was employed by Apple, Inc. as a level two advisor.
She is survived by her husband, four children, eight grandchildren and other relatives.
Funeral Mass was held Dec. 30 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in League City, followed by burial in the Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery.