Sipriano "Sam" Arizola
Sipriano Arizola or "Sam" as most people knew him, departed from this life Novemeber 20, 2015 at his home in Ryan, OK after an extended illness. He was born in Shelby, Michigan, September 16, 1945, to Marcella Arizola. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Ryan.
Sam, his mother, his brothers and sisters,and his grandparents all worked the crop fields of Michigan, Texas, and Oklahoma. Growing up he lived in various Texas communities such as Hereford, Amarillo, Mission, and Grassland, Texas where he attended grade school. His family migrated to Ryan in the early 50s, doing field and crop work for various local farmers and working the pecan crops with Jimmy Don Robinson and John Cattles Pecan Company. He later was employed with the Nocona Belt Company in Nocona, Texas, where he worked for eighteen years as a stitcher. His next venture was working for the Athletic Goods Company in Nocona, where he worked in the baseball glove department making hand-made special order professional big league baseball gloves. He also made special order shoulder pads for NFL teams. His company was quite impressed with his talents and skills so they showcased Sam in a special article in the Dallas Morning News. That feature article made him feel accomplished and proud. He also worked for the Town of Ryan and for a few years he served as town night watchman. He worked in Waurika at Elliots Mobile Homes in the construction department and also for Silvercreek Homes in Henrietta, Texas. He also served for a time as a home health aide for Gentiva.
Sam's favorite pastime was watching professional wrestling. He and his brother Phillip had a weekly ritual of watching their favorite matches. Through the years Sam amassed a huge collection of wrestling tapes and dvds. Music was very dear to Sam. He loved listening to Mexican music but he enjoyed all genres of music, especially Gospel. Sam also played a mean game of Aggravation, a family tradition which included untold years of heated games at family gatherings. He was a simple man by nature and was a true "family" man. As one of the eldest sons he took on the responsibility of helping raise his younger siblings. He had unconditional love for his family and his fellow man. He had a huge sense of humor and was extremely funny to those who knew him well. He was quite reserved yet filled with a goodly amount of patience and will be remembered for his big heart.
Sam was preceded in death by his mother Marcella Arizola, his sister Alice Arizola, brothers Jimmy Arizola and Joe Arizola, nephew Bobby Joe Martin, Jr., and nieces Maria Elena Martin and Rena Victoria Zachary.
Survivors include: his brother Phillip Guillen of Ryan, OK; sisters Margarita and her husband Bobby Joe Martin, Sr. of Nocona, TX, Josie Smith of Iowa Park, TX, and Becky and her husband Jody Zachary of Oklahoma City, OK; nieces Consi Cain, Natasha and her husband Chris Baker, Erika Guillen, and Katelyn Martin; nephews Eddie Earl Grubbs, Jr., and Jerod Guillen and his wife Lacey; and grand nieces and nephews - Calei Cain, Kaitlyn, Keagan, Kyndal, and Kesston Grubbs, and Chase Guillen.
Funeral services for Mr. Arizola will be at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, November 25, at the First Baptist Church in Ryan with Ricky Phillips and Steve Spangler officiating. Burial will be in the Ryan Cemetery under the direction of Dudley Funeral Home of Ryan. Visitation will be from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to service time. The family will be in attendance Tuesday from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Condolence messages may be sent to the family at http://www.dudleyfuneralhomes.com.
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