Johnnie Lois Tucker Chambers

Johnnie Lois Tucker Chambers completed her journey through this life on December 19, 2024, in San Angelo, Texas. Johnnie was born September 28, 1929, on a ranch near Iraan in Crockett County, Texas—about a month before the stock market crash in 1929 that started the Great Depression. While her family was of modest means, they were ranchers and consequently never went hungry like so many did in that era. Her early life was full of adventure. When she was three years old, her family moved to what is now Big Bend National Park, first to the Mariscal mine and later to San Vicente. While they only lived in the Big Bend for about three years, that time of her life was precious to her. Her parents allowed her to roam freely, as long as she came home in time for supper. After leaving the Big Bend, Johnnie’s family moved around to Alpine, Fort Stockton, Ozona, Sheffield, and Presidio – wherever her father could find work. This nomadic lifestyle wasn’t by choice, but it suited Johnnie just fine.

In her late teens, Johnnie ventured out on her own and had even more adventures. Once, she took a bus to El Paso to visit her grandfather. When she got to the bus station in El Paso to come home, she decided to go West instead since she hadn’t ever seen California. By the time she got to San Diego, she had run out of money and had to get a job and save up money to get home. Later she moved to Dallas and worked for a law firm during the day and waitressed at a night club owned by the infamous Jack Ruby at night. She said she didn’t have anything else to do so she thought she might as well be working and making money.

A few years later, after marrying her first husband, Raymond, Johnnie went to work for Sinclair Oil Company as a “computer” and lived in Montana and Oklahoma while she was following the drilling rigs. Her daughter, Theresa, was born in Montana and her first son, Robert, was born in Oklahoma while she was working for Sinclair.

In the 1950’s Johnnie moved to Presidio to run a drugstore and help her mother with her hotel and restaurant. It was there that she met and married Boyd Chambers, an area rancher. After marrying Boyd, she moved to the ranch in the Sierra Vieja mountains northwest of Presidio near Candelaria. Johnnie and Boyd had two sons together, Jimmy and John. Johnnie and her four children lived in Valentine when school was in session and spent the summers at the ranch. Once a month or so, Boyd would ride his horse to a ranch near Valentine and Johnnie would drive out and pick him up so he could spend a few days with his family.

In her late 30’s, Johnnie decided to go to college and get a degree so she could teach school in one of the border schools and be closer to the ranch. In 1967 she and the kids moved to Alpine so she could attend Sul Ross State University. Even though she had not finished high school, she cruised through four years of college while raising four kids and got her teaching degree. One of her first teaching jobs was in a one-room schoolhouse in Ruidosa, Texas where she taught nine grades (K-8) by herself. When the Ruidosa school was closed and consolidated with the Candelaria school a couple of years later, she moved to Candelaria and taught there until she retired in 1998 after teaching for 27 years. She came out of retirement a year later to teach in Redford for a couple of years then retired for good when the Redford school was closed.

While teaching on the border, Johnnie enjoyed spending weekends and summers at the ranch. Her favorite pastime at the ranch was hunting arrowheads and she accumulated quite a collection of them over the years. Johnnie loved having her grandchildren and various other kids at the ranch during the summers. They would hike, swim, ride horses, play cards, and learn to cook under Johnnie and Boyd’s loose supervision. Those times were treasured by Johnnie and the children.

As you can tell from this very high overview of Johnnie’s life, it was certainly an adventure. And she would have told you that she loved all of it. Of all the things she did in her life, her career as an educator was what gave her the most happiness. If you wanted to see her eyes sparkle, all you had to do was ask her about her teaching career.

Johnnie is predeceased by her parents, Lois Katherine Wyatt and Robert Leo Tucker, her husband, Ronald Boyd Chambers, and a sister, Oma Leo Kiser.

She is survived by a brother, Robert Tucker, a daughter, Theresa Chambers Stolte, three sons, Glyn Robert Chambers, Jimmy Chambers (Lynda), and John Trox Chambers, seven grandchildren, Brent Waldrep, Brandy Chase, Amanda McDermott (Remington), Carissa Chambers, Trox Chambers (Jana), Paul Chambers (Erin), and Levi Chambers, and six great grandchildren, Tyler Waldrep, Natalie Chase, Harmon Boyd McDermott, Griggs Lee McDermott, Emily Rose and Boyd Trox Chambers, each of whom brought her immeasurable joy.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of Baycrest Assisted Living and Concho Hearts Hospice for making Johnnie’s final days more comfortable.

Visitation will be from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Friday, January 3, 2025, at Alpine Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Alpine, Texas. Graveside services will be held at the Candelaria Texas cemetery the following day at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 4, 2025.

Please be aware that restroom facilities and services in the Candelaria area are extremely limited.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Presidio Education Foundation or any charitable organization that is focused on educational opportunities for the underprivileged.