Vickie Lynn (Bryant) Whitten

TUSCOLA: Vickie Lynn Bryant, 61, suddenly passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at her store in Tuscola. She was a pillar in the Tuscola community, who daily brought the residents together at Vickie’s. She was a loving daughter, sister, grandmother, and mother to her family, her morning coffee drinkers, lunch customers, and thousands of Jim Ned Indians that made her home their home each day after school.

Vickie was born on September 27, 1958 in Littlefield Texas to Thomas Jefferson and Deloris Ann (Armour) Bryant. She was the oldest of seven. She attended school in Littlefield. She graduated from high school in 1977. With the encouragement of her teacher, Mr. Lowrance, and Vickie being Vickie, who was strong willed and very independent, became the first female member of the Littlefield FFA and then the first female FFA officer in Littlefield.

While in Littlefield, Vickie went to work at the Tasty Cream and Curly Top drive-ins. This was her first education in the restaurant business that would later allow her to become a success with her own restaurant.

She later married Donald Whitten and they welcomed their son Tommy. Vickie and Donald moved to Longview, then they later moved to West Texas in the early nineties for Donald’s work as a truck driver and where she became the manager of Lantrip’s in Tuscola. Even with her time-consuming work at the store, Vickie never lost sight of the importance of family as she made time for Tommy and her stepchildren Wayne and Lisa.

In 2006 Vickie bought Lantrip’s and renamed it Vickie’s. Vickie’s independence came from life’s struggles and the hard life she was delt, but these are what made her so successful. Vickie’s became a household name in the Jim Ned Valley, known for great hamburgers, drinks, and Thursday’s Chicken Spaghetti. The good people of southern Taylor county had their gathering place. It always started with the early morning rush of people stopping for a quick hot breakfast before going to work or school, then a little later her regular coffee drinkers solved the world’s problems and might have gossiped a little. The lunch rush brought in more regulars and new faces of people working in the area. When the end of the day school bell rang, Vickie’s became the local hangout for the kids of Jim Ned. The evening brought families that were tired from long days at the sports field and husbands that decided to “cook” that night for their wife.  Game nights saw sack dinners for the teams that had come to play Vickie’s beloved Indians. It was Vickie that brought so many together and provided a safe spot for the kids of Jim Ned and for everyone else.

Vickie’s soft side was all dedicated to her family. She loved her son Tommy, and his wife Michelle. She cheered hard for each grandchild, and she rejoiced with each milestone that they made. The one thing she shared from the store to the family was simple, it was always her way. This often would mean someone would get a candy bar when they were not supposed too.

She was preceded in death by her husband Donald Whitten, father, Tommy Bryant and her grandparents.

She is survived by her son, Tommy Bryant and wife, Michelle of Tuscola; mother, Deloris Bryant of Lubbock; brothers, Ricky Bryant of Gardendale, Jeff Bryant and wife, Kelly of Gardendale, Donald Bryant of Big Springs, Mark Bryant of Oklahoma; sisters, Patti Bennett of Shallowater, Kayla Miller and husband, Greg of Odessa. Vickie is also survived by her grandchildren, Dylan, Kate, and Cy. She is also survived by her stepchildren Wayne Whitten and wife Tommie of Tennessee Colony, Lisa Polmounter husband Ken of Staley, NC, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held on Monday, September 28, 2020 at 1:00pm in the Tuscola Cemetery, Mark Moore of Lawn Baptist Church officiating, services have been entrusted to Fry~Smith Funeral Home, Tuscola. Visitations for Vickie will be held on Sunday September 27, from 1 to 3pm and from 5 to 7pm at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to, On the Way Home Ministries, 240 Ballpark Rd., Lawn, Texas, 79530.