Ouida Edmiaston Black, aged 101, passed away on April 25, 2026, in Paris, Texas. Born on August 24, 1924, in Hugo, Oklahoma, Ouida moved with her family to Paris, where she attended Paris High School and Paris Junior College. She graduated from Oklahoma University in 1945 with a B.S. in Finance and a minor in Secretarial Science. She worked for the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce and Westinghouse before her marriage to Clyde S. Black in 1955. The couple lived in Muleshoe, TX, and Temple, TX, where Clyde purchased a grain elevator and feed mill in the little Czech community of Zabcikville, TX, which became Black Farm Service. They bought a small farm near the mill where they raised cattle and hogs. Ouida worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service and later the Farmers Home Administration, where she was a loan examiner.
After retiring from USDA in 1984, she took on a new role as Clyde’s assistant with the Self-Help for Hard of Hearing organization. Their dedication to working to improve the lives of hard of hearing people earned them numerous awards and resulted in them funding four scholarships for students with this disability…two at Texas Tech and two at Paris Junior College. Many young people have completed their degrees as a result of these scholarships. Ouida was a great believer in the benefits of a good education, and was inducted into the Paris Junior College Hall of Honor in 1999 for her long-standing support.
Ouida was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Clyde S. Black and her sister Joy E. Haynes. She is survived by her niece, Holly H. Morgan (Kevin) and nephew Cory J. Haynes (Melissa).
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday April 28, at 11:00 at Fry-Gibbs Funeral Home in Paris, Texas. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery. Ouida’s unselfish contributions and generosity throughout her life left deep impacts on many people and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Online condolences may be sent to the Black family by visiting www.fry-gibbs.com
