On February 14, 2025, Ruth Laverne "Ponchie" Deen went home to be with the Lord, her parents, and brothers. Ponchie was born on March 17, 1946, to the late Obie William Deen and Gussie Burks Deen of Archer City.

Services will be held at 10:00 a.m.  Thursday, February 20, 2025, at First Baptist Church with Roger Deerinwater of Archer City officiating. Interment will follow at Archer City Cemetery under the direction of Aulds Funeral Home.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at Aulds Funeral Home of Archer City.

Ponchie grew up in Archer City developing a love for animals that followed her throughout her life. After graduating from Archer City High School in May 1964, she briefly attended junior college to rodeo and quickly realized she did not need to be there to spend time with horses. She then spent time in Kentucky, Indiana, and Oklahoma training horses on several horse farms.

After eventually returning to Archer City, she married Tommy Miles Gillispie in 1977 and they had two children, Obie William and Cindy Michelle.

Ponchie's guiding principles in life were instilled in her by her father, Obie, while growing up and then helping him check leases in the oil field in his later years. Many stories started out well Daddy said or Daddy did it this way. Arguing was pointless because there was no other right way than the way Daddy did it or said it should be.

Ponchie and her family eventually moved to New Mexico in 1992 where she worked on a ranch with an eventual transition to working for the Lea Country Agricultural Extension Office where she spent years organizing 4-H programs and helping organize the annual Lea Country Fair and Rodeo while still halter breaking colts into her early sixties. After retirement she moved to Vernon, Texas where she quickly started volunteering and then working at the Red River Valley Museum. Those that visited the museum received a detailed history on the ranching legacy of the area and those that visited the animal room were also warned once not to "pet" the animal displays and those failing to heed that warning were escorted out of the museum by a lady with a cane.

Ponchie is survived by her son, Obie Gillispie of Santa Fe, NM; daughter, Cindy Gillispie Chambles of Archer City; two granddaughters, Cassidy and Tagan Chambles of Archer City; sister-in-law Sue McMurtry Deen; brother-in-law, Larry Gillispie and wife, Karen Gragg; two nephews, Chad Deen and wife, Melanie of Archer City, and Duane Deen and wife, Anne of Mansfield; two nieces, Darci Murfield and Diane Deen of Wichita Falls; and multiple great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Obie and Gussie Deen; older brothers, David and Carlton Deen; and late-husband, Tommy Gillispie.

Serving as pallbearers are; Chad Deen, Conner Deen, Duane Deen, Stephen Huffman, Todd Kinnaman and Shane Wright.