Elvis "Buck" VanWinkle, 73 memorial services for Elvis "Buck" VanWinkle will be conducted at 2:00 p.m., Friday, May 3, 2013, at the Wheeler Mortuary Chapel.
Elvis VanWinkle, known to many as Buck, was born August 10, 1939, in Portales to Sybil (Horn) and A. P. "Pike" VanWinkle, and died April 27, 2013, in Amarillo, TX. Mr. VanWinkle lived with his family in the Rogers community until his teenage years, when they moved to Portales. He worked as a shoeshine boy at Babe Morgan's Barber shop and delivered papers on his bicycle. Buck was very proud of the fact that he began working in a meat market at the age of 13, and had to stand on a coke lug in order to read the meat scale. Mr. VanWinkle graduated from Portales High School in 1957.
On May 20, 1961, in Elida, he was married to Marsha Danning. For many years, Buck was a meat cutter at Grady's Market in Portales, where he prepared meats for many special occasions, as well as for everyday needs. Buck helped three of his brothers get their start in the grocery business. He retired in 1982.
Buck loved to go to auctions, where he visited with his many friends, and added to his collections. He was particularly fond of antiques. He was extremely devoted to his family, and always had one or more of his grandchildren with him from the time they were able to be away from their mothers. He also was a great animal lover.
He is survived by Marsha, his wife of nearly 52 years of their home; a son and daughter-in-law, Ed and Alicia VanWinkle of Portales; two daughters and sons-in-law, Millie and John Brooks of Portales and Debbie and Rickey Bryant of Amarillo, TX; seven grandchildren, Cassie Brooks of Carlsbad, NM, Jessica (Quentin) Kennedy of Portales, Brittany (Jeremy) Kessler of Wichita, KS, Allie Brooks of Amarillo, TX, Jennifer (Kevin) Cheatham of Fort Riley, KS, Kaitlin Duckett of Wichita, KS and Travis Duckett of Wichita, KS; 7 great-grandchildren; four brothers, Pete (Earlene) VanWinkle of Carlsbad, NM, Fred VanWinkle of Ruidoso, NM, Bill (Judy) VanWinkle of Lubbock, TX and Jim (Darlene) VanWinkle of Ruidoso, NM; and four sisters, Vera (Mill) Arnold of Portales, Helen (Pete) Hester of Albuquerque, NM, Cookie McGee of Portales and Janice Turner of Lovington, NM. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Gerald and Albert VanWinkle, three sisters, Joy McGaha, Wanda Hankins and Joann Ussrey, and twin great-granddaughters.
Arrangements are under the direction of Wheeler Mortuary of Portales. 575-356-4455, wheelermortuary.net

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