Archie Ruggles Jr.

A visitation for Archie will be held Thursday, January 5, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Griggs Schooler Gordon Funeral Directors, 5400 Bell St, Amarillo, Texas 79109. A funeral service will occur Friday, January 6, 2023 at 2:00 PM, 5400 Bell St., Amarillo, TX 79109. A graveside service will occur Friday, January 6, 2023 at 3:30 PM at Llano Cemetery East, 2900 S Hayes St, Amarillo, Texas 79103.

Archie was born Nov. 22, 1943, in Amarillo. He was a farm boy most of his life and graduated from Canyon High School in 1962 then completed two years at West Texas State University in Canyon, where he met his first wife, Ola Faye Strickland. On Jan. 22, 1966, they were married in Levelland, Texas. Archie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University in 1967 and later earned a Master’s Certificate in 2000 from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Engineering Management.

Archie attended college while Faye worked at Litton Industries where the microwave oven was invented. He graduated from Texas Tech in 1967, joined the US Air Force in late 1967, received a commission as a second lieutenant in 1968, was stationed in Massachusetts, San Antonio TX, and Dayton OH; recognized as a veteran for service during the Vietnam war, completed 20 years total service in 1988 reserves by serving with the Amarillo chapter of the Cadet Civil Air Patrol, employed by Lubbock Power and Light as a power engineer in 1967, Southwestern Public Service in Lubbock as a distribution engineer from July 1978 – Aug 1981, employed as an electrical engineer, project manager and Senior Electrical Engineer at Pantex Plant from Aug 1981 – Jan 2010 totaling over 28 years.

Archie and Faye had a son, Michael Howard Ruggles, in April 12, 1968, in Weatherford, Texas, and a daughter, Anita Grace Ruggles, on June 9, 1970, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Later he and Faye were blessed with four grandchildren: John Blake Atchison, Aaren Ruggles, Nicole Howard and Ryan Howard.

After retirement from the Pantex Plant, Archie did volunteer work at the Veterans Administration hospital in Amarillo, tutored mathematics at Bonham Middle School in Amarillo, and he conducted Meals on Wheels deliveries to home bound elderly in Amarillo. Archie was also a member of the American Legion.

Archie remarried after Ola Faye Ruggles’ passing in 2013 to Sandra Lynn Elkins of Amarillo on June 27, 2015. They met at a Widowed Person’s meeting in Amarillo Texas on December 2 2014. They resided in Amarillo until Archie’s passing.

Archie accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at age 10 in Amarillo, and was later baptized into a fundamental Baptist church in Levelland, Texas. After moving back to Amarillo in 1981, he became a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and served his church for more than 30 years. Archie served as a deacon, Church treasurer, Sunday School teacher and organizer for music specials, and pastor and pastor wife birthdays.

Archie’s hobbies included reading science fiction novels and watching old science fiction movies, collecting stamps, pennies and baseball cards, amateur astronomy, amateur biologist, and sports with a preference for baseball, family photography and making home videos, collecting music via records, cassette tapes, recording off the radio – country, popular, 1940s and southern gospel. He also enjoyed family birthdays, Thanksgivings and Christmases as these were very special get togethers with the people he loved.

He enjoyed traveling across the United States with his family and trips and visits with relatives in other parts of Texas. He and his family have lived in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, San Antonio Texas, Ohio and Lubbock Texas. He and his family moved to Amarillo Texas in 1981.

In San Antonio TX and Springfield OH, he was an active member of the Gideons International.

Archie was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and a flag will be presented to his surviving spouse. Archie was the youngest of 11 children from other marriages of his parents, however he was their sole offspring.

Archie is preceded in death by his parents Archie Sr and Rachel Nellie Grace Ruggles, his first wife Ola Faye Strickland Ruggles, several half sisters and half brothers. He is survived by his son Michael Howard Ruggles and his wife Marlene of Tyler, Texas, his daughter Anita Grace Howard and her husband Vince of Amarillo, grandsons John Blake Atchison of Amarillo and Ryan Howard of Lubbock, and granddaughters Nicole Howard of Amarillo and Aaren Ruggles of Tyler, also his beloved current wife Sandra Lynn Elkins of Amarillo.

Archie had many favorite hymns including “Anchored in Love Divine” and “Precious Memories”. Favorite secular inspirational songs included “If you get there before I Do Love, Me” and “Holes in the Floor of Heaven”.

The family requests memorials to be sent to the Gideons International and the American Heart Association. Direct links to the respective donation pages can be found below under the 'Donations' category.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.griggsschoolergordon.com for the Ruggles family.