Arla Adams

The family of Arla Adams will celebrate her life of 83 years at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2021, at Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers.  We invite you to view the live-streamed service on this page, sign her virtual guestbook, and download her memorial keepsake folder on your device for printing.Arla Jean Izzard Adams, loving wife of James G. (Jim) Adams, Jr., was born at home near Pickford, Michigan, and passed from this life to Heaven on November 23, 2020.  She was predeceased by her husband of almost sixty years, her only son James (Jimmy) Arlan Adams, and her parents Orville & Ethel Wilson Izzard.  She was also predeceased by mother-in-law Margaret Whatley Adams Darr and sister-in-law Dolores Keith.Arla grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  She attended school in Springfield, Illinois, and later moved with her family to Lubbock, Texas.  Arla graduated from Lubbock High School and attended Draughn’s Business College, studying bookkeeping and general business.  She started working as a checker for a grocery store in the 1950s.  Arla also worked for finance companies, bail bond businesses and then went on to work for Becknell Wholesale as their Bookkeeper.  She retired from Becknell’s on December 31, 2007, after several decades.Since the early 1970s, she has been a member of the American Business Women’s Association.  She was recognized for her countless contributions to this organization, having served in many capacities.  She was elected Woman of the Year twice to represent her local chapter.  Arla was also a member of the Doe’s Club and recently met with these women several times a year for lunch.While Jimmy was in school, Arla sponsored several 4-H special events in which Jimmy participated. We think she enjoyed that as much as Jimmy did. Arla was very supportive of her son, Jimmy, while he was competing in skeet shooting in many locations throughout Texas.She was active as a sponsor of the Junior Miss beauty contests each year and traveled with contestants for the competitions.  The winners would receive college scholarships.Arla and Jim’s home for close to sixty years was always open to family and friends.  Everyone loved being with them.  During the holidays, she and Jim would always keep busy in the kitchen baking strawberry bread and banana nut bread, and oatmeal cookies. She and Jim hosted, too many to count, meals when out-of-town family would come to visit.Arla attended Westmont Christian Church for many years and loved her friends there.Arla thoroughly enjoyed listening to her husband, Jim, play many musical instruments (primarily the double-neck steel guitar).  She would travel with him to different concerts and events, and many times the last song that would be played each night would be “Waltz Across Texas With You,” and Jim would come down from the stage and ask his beautiful wife for the dance.  She never turned him down.  She will be missed dearly by all who knew her and loved her giving spirit.  Arla and Jim are now dancing together across the streets of Heaven.Arla is survived by sisters, Carol (Jerry) Knott, and Fleda (Tommy) Key, and brother George (Floretta) Izzard; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews; and several loving cousins.  She so enjoyed our last cousin’s get-together in Denton.Thank you to all her dear friends who stayed in touch with her during these past few years when she became more housebound because of her partial vision loss.  She loved those lunches and phone calls.  Thank you to all who took her to so many doctors’ visits over the past couple of years.  The family will be eternally grateful.