Claud Henry Markham

Claud H. Markham, age 92, of Mount Pleasant, Texas, passed from this earth on March 1, 2025. He was born on May 30, 1932, in Denison, Texas, to Crit Markham and Ima Irene (Cox) Markham.

Claud was ultimately known as a cowboy, starting as a calf roper in his younger years, and then as a team roper later in life.  He loved horses and his family, teaching his two daughters to ride and rope. He was an avid welder, and taught welding with Fluor Daniel at the Monticello Power Plant before retirement. If you wanted to converse with him, it needed to be about horses, roping, or welding because he loved those things.

Claud was drafted during the Korean War and spent two years in the Army, stationed mostly in Washington State. Eventually, he traveled most of the United States rodeoing after being honorably discharged from the Army. One of his favorite stories was traveling through the Rockies, pulling a horse trailer in the 1950’s. The truck he was driving couldn’t pull the horse up the mountain, so he had to unload the horse, drive to the top of the mountain, go back down to get the horse and lead it up the mountain, reload and then down the mountain they’d go!

In 1955, he married Melba Evans, and they had two daughters, Pam and Kim. They were married until her death in 2001. In 2008, he married Barbara Tolleson Thornell, and they shared many happy days until his passing. In 2019, through DNA testing, Claud discovered a daughter (Charlotte) in Ohio. He was able to meet Charlotte in person when she came to Texas in February 2020.

Claud was preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Melba, his parents, Crit and Ima.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara Tolleson Thornell; three daughters and sons-in-law, Pam and Craig Danner, Kim and Steve Forrest, Charlotte and Ron Elson; grandson, Cody and Nicole Danner, great grandson, Kolten.

Visitation will be Friday, March 7, 2025, at 1 pm at North Ridge Church of Christ with the Celebration of Life service at 2 pm.

Services entrusted to Sam B. Harvey Funeral Home and online condolences may be made at www.samharveyfuneralhome.com

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