OBITUARY OF JUSTIN S. CLICK
Contributed by Mrs. Timothy "Timmy" Graham Montgomery of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
FUNERAL AT 3 P.M. TODAY FOR JUSTIN CLICK, BANKER
Funeral services will be conducted at 3 p.m. today from the Wheeler Chapel for Justin S. Click, Portales banker who died Friday morning after a long illness.
His death cut short a career that lacked only a few months of rounding out fifty years with the Portales National Bank, an institution he joined in 1910 as a clerk, and which he had served as president since 1930.
He was born at Commerce in Hunt County, Texas on June 15, 1891, the son of W. B. (Washington Brownlow Click)Click and Isabelle Click. He completed high school in Amarillo, and came to New Mexico with his parents in 1910.
His parents homesteaded a farm near Elida, and young Justin had just taken a test to qualify for a job on a railroad. He often recalled that on the day he received notice from the railroad that he had passed the test, he was offered a job by A. A. Beeman, pioneer Elida banker.
The choice that day thus diverted a potential railroad man into a small town bank, and there he remained for the rest of his life.
The Elida bank was moved to Portales in 1935, and Mr. Click moved here to continue as head of the institution. The only interval in which he was not associated with the bank was during World War I when he served in the Army.
He was married to Miss Edith Allen, daughter of another Elida homestead couple on July 6, 1920, and they became the parents of two sons, Justin, Jr., who is now with the bank here, and Alvin, of Albuquerque. The two sons and the widow survive.
Mr. Click was a member of the American Legion, the Portales Rotary Club, for which he served as chairman of the Student Loan committee for nearly 20 years. He was a Past Master of the Elida Masonic Lodge, and was a past high priest of the Royal Arch Masons in Portales. He was also a member of the Eastern Star and the Odd Fellows Lodge of Elida, and served as a Father of the DeMolay chapter when it was organized in Portales.
He became a Christian very early in life, and was a faithful church goer all his life.
His hobbies were hunting and sports, and one facet of his career not usually known in Portales was that he was a high school football star in Amarillo.
The Amarillo Globe of Dec. 5, 1932, carried a feature story about Amarillo High School football team of 1901 which was coached by Bascom Timmons, now a noted Washington correspondent.
Justin Click was one of the teams total membership of 11 for which there were only ----
The yellowing --- date has this to say about the team's halfback:
"The greatest star of the team before Wingbacks was added to the playing list was one halfback named Justin Click. He was the demon ball toter. He comparted with the Justin Enochs of today. But he had no interference to cut players out of his path--they just got behind him and pushed."
The Amarillo halfback of 55 years ago retained his love for football throughout his lifetime, but few of his associates here ever heard of his own brilliant gridiron career.
He also loved baseball, and was a member of the Elida town team for years.
Mr. Click served in many civic capacities in his home towns of Elida and Portales, and in his quiet manner, influenced the course of many community developments. He was a member of the executive board of the Boy Scouts for several years, and served as treasurer or director for a number of civic organizations.
The service today will be conducted by the Rev. Homer Akers, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, and the Rev. Ernest Wheeler. A masonic graveside service will be conducted.
The casket bearers will be Thomas E. Boyd, Joe Wilcox, Walter Partlow, B. F. Cook, Douglas B. Stone, Dr. E. H. Miller, Lewis Cooper and Eldridge Mears. There will be no honorary pallbearers list, with the family asking that all friends and business associates he ---(rest if cut off).
Page 2 THE PORTALES NEWS-TRIBUNE Sunday, October 11, 1959
Editorial - A SOLID ROCK
Justin Click lived quietly in Roosevelt County for nearly 50 years. He was never known to have raised his voice, and he seldom appeared before a public meeting in the role of a speaker.
But his leadership, geared to his quiet and deliberate actions, has been one of the elements in the growth of Roosevelt County.
He was a solid rock in his community, dependable, capable and sincere. He was a self-educated man, who studied banking under a pioneer banker, A. A. Beeman. He will be missed in the communities in which he served so well.
LETTER FROM EDITH ALLEN CLICK (JUSTIN'S WIFE) TO MARY DEZZA NAUGLE KENNEDY
(Justin and Mary Dezza were 1st cousins; their parents being the children of Samuel Click and Martha Elizabeth Broyles of Greene County, Tennessee. Samuel moved his family in the 1880's to Collin Co. Texas from Tennessee)
Envelope postmarked 6 Nov 1959 Portales, New Mexico from Mrs. J. S. Click, Box 98, Portales, N. Mex to Mrs. Robert C. Kennedy, Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
Friday Afternoon, Nov. 6, 1959
My dear Dezza:
Your letter was rec'd and I was very glad to hear from you and appreciate your message of sympathy.
You asked about the nature of Justin's illness. Justin had a heart attack the 18th of May and went to the hospital following the attack. He was confined to his bed almost five months. Most of the time was spent in the hospital. We were home a short time but had to return to the hospital. He tried very hard to get well, and was wanted to do everything the doctor said. He was very ill during this time, but there were days when he felt better, but not for long. He was under oxygen most of the time. He left us the morning of Oct. 9th. I miss him so much, and I find it difficult to settle down and to concentrate on the things I must and need to do. I am enclosing a clipping which our local paper carried in detail of services held for him Sunday the 11th.
Justin was a good man. He was sincere and true. My regrets are that we couldn't do the things we had plan to do together upon his recovery. We talked in terms of coming back home. The loneliness is more than I can endure at times. I miss him in every way.
He spoke of the visit he had with you people and how glad he was to see you. We would love for you to come anytime.
I am very sorry we didn't get word to you, but at the time were so shocked and grieved we couldn't think.
Please let me hear from you again. Make it soon.
My love
Edith Click
Copyright 4 May 2004
All rights reserved
Carolyn Whitaker, Webmaster