Retired Concho County Judge Allen Amos of Eden passed away Sunday, August 2, 2026 after a brief illness. He was 84. Edgar Allen Amos was born July 27, 1942 in Brady, Texas to Edgar Preston Amos, Jr. and Lucille Nixon Amos. Named for his grandfathers, Edgar Amos, Sr., and Miles Allen Nixon, he was the first of six children for the couple.
Allen grew up mostly in Menard, except when his father’s railroad job took the family to other stations in Rochelle and Novice. By the time Allen entered high school, the family was settled in Menard. At the age of 13, he went to work for the Menard News as a ‘printer’s devil.’ By the time he graduated, Allen was running the press and occasionally made press runs for other small-town newspapers in the area. While always working full time, he took on odd jobs, including serving as an extra cowboy on ranches near Menard. During the summers, he worked for his aunt and uncle, who was a carpenter near San Antonio. His skills at hunting and fishing also helped keep food on the family table.
He graduated from Menard High School in June, 1960. Allen made time to serve the community in several civic positions including volunteer firefighter and Little League coach. Having played on Menard’s first Little League team, he also helped to start the Pee Wee league and coached dozens of young people in the game of baseball.
On Valentine’s Day 1964, Allen received his draft notice. He attended basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, then finished his service at Fort Hood, Texas. He quickly rose to the rank of sergeant in the 2nd Armored Division, where he was an instructor, teaching soldiers to fire mortars and operate personnel carriers. Allen and some other Menard boys at Ft. Hood enjoyed being close enough to Austin to enjoy many good country bands when on leave.
Back home again, he often went dancing at London Hall, where one of his Army buddies from Junction introduced him to a schoolmate. While it took three tries for the introduction to take, Allen soon found himself courting a young woman from the Bear Creek Community of Cleo. He and Kathleen Bishop were married August 20, 1967. The couple made their home in Menard, living in a little rock house at the bottom of the hill. Allen made a living working at the Menard News again, and also at a service station.
Allen and Kathy continued the tradition of naming sons after their grandfathers when Robert Preston Amos was born in May, 1969. When Rob was five weeks old, Allen went to work for W.R. Loveless Propane in Menard, as well as its companion businesses, Luckenbach Hardware, and Mission Funeral Home and Ambulance Service. Allen managed the hardware store, sold and serviced appliances, installed propane tanks and made deliveries, served as funeral director and became an Emergency Care Attendant for Menard’s ambulance service.
The family moved next door to the funeral home, where he and Kathy also raised a garden every summer. They sort of managed to teach their son a little about gardening, but mostly raised vegetables Rob didn’t like. Rob was fond of the neighborhood fruit trees, however, and spent many days playing in the yard, climbing trees and going on propane runs to open gates for his ‘Paw.’ Family vacations were often spontaneously scheduled around long trips related to the funeral business, but that allowed them to take Rob to exotic locations like South Padre Island and Oklahoma City.
Allen continued serving the community, coaching baseball every summer and serving on Menard’s city council, including a term as mayor pro-tempore.
Allen returned to his newspaper roots in March 1979, when they moved to Eden and purchased The Eden Echo. He served as publisher from then until September, 1994. During that time, he served on the Eden City Council and also sponsored and coached a Little League team for several summers. He was one of the founding members of an adult softball league and helped develop a field at Pfluger Park for the community.
In 1994, Allen was elected Concho County Judge. During his campaign, he personally visited every registered voter in the county to ask for their support. He began his first term in January 1995 and served as County Judge for more than 20 years. Kathy continued to edit and publish The Eden Echo every week, with their son Rob joining the staff as a writer.
It was immediately clear that serving as County Judge was Allen’s true calling. In his first term, he and other judges in the area formed the Rural County Judges Association, as well as life-long friendships. Together, more than 20 county judges in central Texas pooled their minds and resources to work with the Texas Legislature for the good of all rural counties. They networked with many legislators and held meetings in Austin during the legislative session. The Committee attracted the attention and support of several Texas government officials, including Governor George W. Bush, who personally attended one of their meetings.
While serving as judge, Allen was asked to testify before the Texas Senate and multiple Congressional committees in Washington, D.C. He also worked with retired State Representative Bob Turner to draft and pass legislation to improve rural county services.
As Judge, he served on 36 different committees, including the Concho Valley Council of Governments, Concho Valley Community Action Council and the Concho Valley Transit District, where he played a role in getting a central transit hub built in San Angelo. He also served on the Texas Association of Counties Judicial Education Board.
As a county administrator, Judge Amos presided over Commissioners Court meetings, participated in budget development and coordinated emergency management planning. He also oversaw renovations to the courthouse, including air conditioning the upstairs and patching the roof, which allowed a rise in local court cases when district judges felt more comfortable holding court there. Allen was very proud to be a part of Concho County courthouse history and enjoyed giving tours of the building.
Judge Amos presided over more than 9,000 civil and criminal proceedings, without having any of his rulings appealed or overturned. He also never held a single person in contempt of court; he resolved all disputes peacefully. He performed hundreds of weddings, many for friends and family. Many of the marriages were for servicemembers stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base. Often, they would ask if he gave military discounts. Allen explained to them that he did not, because the wedding fees financed his annual fishing trips with friends. Nobody ever quibbled over the fee after that; they gladly supported his fishing habit. Allen’s favorite wedding was when he married Rob to his wife, Elisha, whom he wholeheartedly loved as his daughter- in-law, along with her daughter Melinda and son Paul.
Allen retired as county judge in 2015 after 22 years. He continued to serve as a senior judge and heard cases as a visiting judge in 13 counties besides Concho, which is believed to be a record. He continued to be the judge on call in Concho and Menard Counties as needed.
He maintained long friendships with his high school classmates, and helped start the Menard Ex-Students Association, serving as an officer for several years. He helped with reunions and with planning entertainment and dances for the group.
After Kathy passed away in 2014, Allen’s friends insisted that he get out of the house to be around people. On one of those occasions, he met and danced with Melanie Caddell. They were married on May 6, 2017, with Rob serving as his dad’s best man. The family grew to include Melanie’s daughter Angela and her husband Carlos, as well as grandson Ethan. Allen loved them as his own. He greatly enjoyed family gatherings and was especially fond of a little trash talk over the domino table. Allen said he could not remember ever being beaten. Not that it didn’t happen, but if it did, he didn’t care to remember it.
Many of Allen’s fondest memories were of the railroad, hunting, fishing, and his time in the Army. His life experiences provided him with a wealth of stories, some of which were told so often that the family referred to them as ‘the classics.’ He never met a stranger, and formed countless long-lasting friendships. Western writer Elmer Kelton included a passage in his book, “The Good Ol’ Boys,” that perfectly described Allen Amos. When the schoolteacher Spring Renfroe tells the main character, Hewey Calloway, “If wealth were measured in friends, you’d be the richest man in the world,” Hewey replies, “It is. And I am.”
Allen was preceded in death by his parents Edgar Preston Amos and Lucille Nixon Amos, his wife of almost 47 years, Kathy Bishop Amos, brother Lynn Amos, and sisters Marilyn Charles and Toni Amos.
He is survived by his wife Melanie Amos of Eden; his son Rob and daughter-in-law Elisha Amos, their daughter Melinda Parker and son Paul Parker, all of San Angelo; daughter Angela Flores and son-inlaw Carlos Flores, Jr and their son Ethan Flores, of San Angelo; his brother Mike Amos and his wife Priscilla Amos of Menard; sister Janelle Mogford and her husband Billy Mogford of Telegraph, TX; Billy Escobar of Sulphur Springs, whom he loved like a son; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Visitation was at Harper’s Funeral Home in Eden on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:30. Graveside service will be at the Bear Creek Community Cemetery in Kimble County on Thursday, August 6 at 11:00. Pallbearers are his grandsons Paul Parker and Ethan Flores, nephew Collyn Schaefer, and nieces Ashton Mogford, Krista Porter, Zoey Porter and Keysie Wilcox. Honorary pallbearers are Jerry Bearden, Mike Brown, Dwain Wilkinson, David Dillard, Scott Spoonts, Roy Blair, Ralph Sides, Tully Shahan, Randy Young, Bill Graves, Tim Schneider, Jim Schneider, Delbert Roberts, George Bean, and Chester Low.