Ed Chamblin

Howard Edwin (Ed) Chamblin, 84, died of health complications from pneumonia and Myasthenia Gravis on Tuesday April 29, 2025 at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM.

Services will be at 11:00 AM on Monday May 12, 2025, at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Amarillo, TX. Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 S. Georgia St, Amarillo, TX.

Ed was born July 7, 1940, in Shawnee OK, to James Haskell Chamblin and Lucy Alyce Cummings. Ed spent his early childhood years in Shawnee and St Louis OK, with many unique experiences that included riding his horse Tony to his one room elementary school, leaving the horse to graze in the field next to the building while he studied inside. Ed was raised with close attention and love from his older sister JoAn and the siblings remained very close through the end of his life.

After Shawnee, Ed’s family moved with his father’s oil and gas work to Dumas TX, Amarillo Helium Plant, Cunningham KS, Rifle CO, Drumright and Healdton OK, and Brownsville and Brownfield TX. Ed graduated from Brownfield High School in 1959. While at Brownfield High School, Ed first met the love of his life, Caroline. Seeing her walk down the stairs in the school left an indelible memory that Ed kept in his mind throughout his life, into his last few hours. After dating for several years, Ed summoned the courage in Raton, NM and asked Reverend A.W. Stowe for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Ed and Caroline were married January 24,1964, and enjoyed 60 years of a loving partnership.

Ed graduated from North Texas State University in May 1964, with a BS in Education, emphasis in Business and Psychology. After college, Ed had a diverse working career, working briefly in the oil field, then delivering trucks for International Harvester and cans of soup for Campbell Soup Company while living in Lubbock with his wife Caroline. In May 1969, the couple welcomed their first son, Howard Andrew in Lubbock, who later graduated from Oxford and Cambridge Universities on Physics scholarships, as a student, then colleague and friend of Professor Stephen Hawking.

In 1970, Ed and Caroline moved to Amarillo where Ed went to work for Levi Strauss. In the late 1970s through the mid 1980’s Ed started his own real estate and land development businesses, developing several key properties in Amarillo including, Amarillo Value Mall (now 3501 MedCenter), the Quail Creek neighborhood, and Steeplechase Townhomes. In 1975, the couple welcomed their second son, Jonathan Christopher in Amarillo, who is currently working as an architect and program manager at Los Alamos National Lab. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Ed and Caroline were active in numerous civic organizations in Amarillo, such as Rotary, Amarillo Symphony and League of Women Voters.

In 1987, Ed and Caroline moved to Hinsdale, IL. While in the Chicago area, Ed worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In 1997, the couple returned to Amarillo to be near Caroline’s parents. While in Amarillo for the second time, Ed worked as HR Director for Levi Strauss, Amarillo Globe News, and Bell Helicopter.

In 2008, Ed and Caroline moved to Albuquerque, NM to be close to their son Jonathan, his wife Alicia and their two boys, Aiden and Finn. The proud grandparents helped raise and nurture Aiden and Finn from birth into high school, sharing family stories, instilling a love of music in them, traveling with them, taking them to school, and having them over to their house nearly everyday. From very humble beginnings in Oklahoma to becoming a business and community leader in Amarillo, Ed led a long and unique life that was full of love for his family and friends, especially his older sister JoAn and his grandsons. He will be dearly missed.

Ed was preceded in death by his wife Caroline, son Howard Andrew, father James Haskell, mother Lucy Alyce, step-mother Velma Williamson, and nephew Jim Serrata. Survivors include his son Jonathan, daughter-n-law Alicia, and grandsons Aiden and Finn of Albuquerque; sister JoAn and brother-in-law Jesus (Chuy) Serrata of South San Francisco; numerous nieces and nephews including Kim Galloway Holston and Mark Galloway, both of Amarillo; Rhonda Galloway Boyce of Austin; Lucinda Serrata of South San Francisco, Janine Serrata of Brentwood, and Ed Serrata of San Mateo.

The family suggests memorials be to Albuquerque Youth Symphony or the Andrew Chamblin Scholarship Fund at West Texas A&M University.

https://www.aysmusic.org/support/

https://www.wtamu.edu/academics/college-agriculture-natural-sciences/inspired-generosity/honoring-endowed-scholarships.html