Weldon Headley Chaney was born on August 27, 1931, to Virgie Alice Parsons Chaney and William G. Chaney in Midland, TX, and was called to his eternal home with the Lord on September 3, 2026, in Odessa, TX.

The Celebration of Life service to honor the life of Weldon Chaney will be held on Saturday September 19, 2026, at 2:00pm at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Odessa, TX, with graveside military and burial services to follow. Visitation services will be Friday September 18, 2026, from 5-7pm at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Growing up during the Great Depression, Weldon was determined to make a better life for himself and his family from a very young age. His lifelong entrepreneurial journey began during his elementary years, where he would buy watches at a small cost and sell them at school to help earn extra money for his family. Weldon’s highest primary school education level was the 9th grade, due to him deciding to leave school to go to work to help his family. He was a highly intelligent man and educated himself throughout his entire life from that point forward, he never stopped seeking knowledge and learning despite his lack of formal high school education. Upon leaving school in his early teenage years, he took a job at a local ice store to help make ends meet. In 1947, when he was just 16 years old, he left the ice store to begin working at Athletic Supply with Tex Carleton and Mike Brumbelow. He worked there until 1952, managing and growing the retail store in its early years until he was drafted to the Army to serve in the Korean War. During his time in the Army, his primary duties consisted of managing the retail warehouse at Fort Bliss, where he was stationed. He worked his way up in the ranks quickly, moving from private to sergeant within a year of being enlisted when he was only 22 years old. While in the army, he still worked on the side to make extra money by using his Model 95 Polaroid camera to take pictures of the soldiers he was stationed with so they could send the pictures back home to their families. He was honorably discharged in 1954 when the war ended. After living in El Paso, Texas for a short time, he and his wife moved back to Midland, Texas. Upon returning to Midland, he temporary worked at Sears Roebuck & Co., where he was a highly successful salesman in his short time there before leaving to start a photofinishing business in late 1955. He was able to grow the business to be profitable in just one year to be sold to another established photofinishing company to move on to his next venture. In the late 1950s, he attended schooling at the Callier Hearing Center in Dallas to learn how to treat people with hearing loss and install hearing aids. He later furthered his schooling at the University of Texas at Austin. He installed many hearing aids for the people of Midland, Odessa and surrounding cities during this time. This aspect of his career spanned from 1956 until the mid-1970s when he left the hearing aid business to start The Chaney Corporation. His first venture within the corporation was West Texas Finance, a signature loan company. From here, he expanded to multiple loan stores before beginning his second corporation, RNO Finance, in Dallas, Texas. He grew the corporation to multiple stores throughout the DFW area. After the success of RNO Finance, he opened Permian Pawn and Jewelry in the late 1970s in downtown Odessa, Texas. He grew the corporation to just under 20 locations throughout the Midland/Odessa area and DFW Metroplex. He also served on the board of directors for the Texas Consumer Finance Association for several decades and was one of the primary individuals responsible for ensuring that Texans were able to receive fair and reasonable loans of proper amounts at a time when loans were not easily accessible to people. His entire career, regardless of what journey he was on at the time, was catered to making sure that other people were taken care of fairly.

Weldon was a man of high honor and integrity, putting his family and others always before himself. His work was his pride, as it was his way of ensuring that others were taken care of. He called his businesses “God’s Vinyards”, as they were provided by God and were there to ensure others were taken care of first – and he took care of them as such. In his personal life, he was a child at heart. There was never an adventure too adventurous for him, and he always brought his family and friends along for the journey – and many surprises along the way. He loved to travel in his 40ft Bluebird motorhome with his family and close friends, Bud and Pat Evans, and would spend one to two months every summer taking his family on vacations in it across the United States. It was some of his most cherished memories. He loved the mountains and nature and taking his family to Disneyland. He also enjoyed spending time in Las Vegas and playing craps. His love of photography continued throughout the rest of his life, and he documented every family moment that he could on his video camera and through many pictures. He was an excellent poet. Chess with his friend Jim in the summers at their joint properties at Lake Brownwood in his younger years was one of his favorite pastimes. For three decades, he ate lunch with his closest friends daily at the Market Bar and Grill, it was one of his highest held priorities. In his later years, he enjoyed daily coffee at Pojo’s. He was a man that found joy in all the areas of life that were most important and he instilled that same joy in his family, friends and people that he would meet. He was a rare soul that held a special place in so many people’s hearts. It was a blessing and an honor to know and have him in your life. He was a man that truly lived life to it’s fullest potential and loved with his whole heart. From countless priceless memories, lessons, guidance and love, he will forever be cherished in our hearts, and his legacy will continue to live on.

Weldon is preceded in death by his parents Virgie and William Chaney, sister Leota Lanthron, brother WG Chaney, daughter Debbie Smith, son Mike Chaney, and son-in-law Mike Smith.

Weldon is survived by his loving wife of 76 years Betty Chaney, his daughter Cathy Smith, his granddaughters Megan and Katie Smith, his niece Teena Richardson and Husband Richie, nephew Jesse Musick and wife Toni, among many other cousins, nieces and nephews.

Weldon’s pallbearers will be David Pryor, Joe Don George, Omar Barnes and Ronnie Rains.

If you would like to send flowers or memorials for Weldon, please send them to Sunset Memorial Gardens in Odessa, TX. The family wishes to extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who loved and cherished Weldon throughout his life.