LaVerba Blandford, 78, died Friday, May 23, 2003, in Amarillo.
She was born Oct. 23, 1924, in Portales, to Alice and A.K. Scott.
She grew up in Portales and graduated from Portales High School in 1942. On May 28, 1942, she married Buck Blandford. During World War II she was employed at B&J Drug. In 1956, she moved to the Riverside/San Bernardino area in California. Shortly after moving to the area, she worked at the first Taco Bell restaurant. She and her husband owned a coffee and donut shop in Riverside. After studying art, she worked for Cabin Craft, a mail order company, painting household items. In 1986, she retired and moved to Conchas Dam. She was active in the homemakers club there, and belonged to a craft club in Tucumcari. She often worked at the Book Exchange in Conchas. She was a member of the Conchas Lake Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, L.A. Scott and Charlie W. Scott; and three sisters, Rachel Gilbhar, Nadine Franks and Lucille Hambleton.
Survivors include her husband, Buck Blandford, of the home; two daughters, Sharon Arnett of Deming and Pam Crum of Yucaipa, Calif.; a brother, O.D. Scott of Artesia; a sister, LaVerne Johnson of Roswell; and five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Wheeler Mortuary Chapel. The Rev. Leon Bruce will officiate, assisted by Sean Arnette and Darwin Thompson.
Burial will follow at Portales Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Tim Hodges, Heath Hodges, Bryan Johnston, Tye Bell, Mark Dillard, Saul Arnette, Sean Arnette, Scott Crum, K.C. Fitzwater and J.R. Fitzwater.
Honorary bearers will be all other family and friends.
Memorial contributions be made to the Conchas Dam Ambulance Fund, Conchas, N.M. 88416.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
S.L. Jackson, 75
S.L. “Tuney” Jackson Jr., 75, of Floyd, died Tuesday, May 20, 2003, at his home.
He was born on March 24, 1928, in Olton, Texas, to Betty and S.L. Jackson.
He attended school in Olton for several years. He graduated from high school in Carisa Springs, Texas, in 1945. He worked as a truck driver before enlisting in the Navy in 1946. After his discharge he worked as a cowboy for E.K. Warren and Son on the U Bar Ranches in West Texas and eastern New Mexico. He married Janell Slack on Feb. 10, 1951, in Elida. In 1956 they moved to Rogers where he was employed by Olin and Chleo Ainsworth until 1961. He served more than 20 years on the Rural Telephone Co-op Board and was a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9515.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Lester Jackson; and a sister, Velma Goyne.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Rex Jackson of Milnesand; two daughters, Sandra Long and Sherrie Jackson, both of Albuquerque; two brothers, Joe Don Jackson of Amarillo and Woody Jackson of Plano, Texas; three sisters, Wilma Gallaway of Plainview, Texas, Sybol Henry of Amarillo and Betty Colletti of Enterprise, Fla.; and two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at Inez Cemetery in southern Roosevelt County. Woody Jackson will officiate.
Pallbearers will be Rex Jackson, Malcolm Long, Scott Long, Matthew Long, Jim Beggs and Bill Greenlees.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Plains Regional Medical Center Hospice and Home Health, 1701 S. Ave P, Portales, NM 81830 or VFW Post 9515.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
Edith McGuffin, 89
Edith Wheeler McGuffin, 89, of Albuquerque, died Monday, May 19, 2003, at Stardust Place in Albuquerque.
She was born on May 13, 1914, in Bethel, to Nina and Ernest N. Wheeler.
She graduated from Portales High School in 1933. She attended Eastern New Mexico Junior College in Portales and was a member of the first graduating class in 1935. She went on to complete a degree in music and art at Kansas State Teacher’s College in 1937. She taught vocal music and art at Lovington High School until 1940. She married L.W. McGuffin on Sept. 1, 1940, and because of school rules prohibiting marriage, she had to resign from teaching. She taught third grade at L.L. Brown, Steiner and James Schools from 1966 until 1978. She was a member of the Methodist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, E.N. Wheeler Jr.; and two sisters, Vera Audeen Wheeler and Ruth Ann Wheeler.
Survivors include her husband; three daughters, Nina Harper of Seal Beach, Calif., Anne MacFie of Stanton, Ky., and Deana McGuffin of Albuquerque; and one grandchild and one great-grandchild.
Services will be held 2 p.m. Friday at Wheeler Mortuary Chapel in Portales. The Rev. Harry Riser will officiate.
Burial wil be at Portales Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Eldin Cooper, Scott Reeves, Otis Davis, Marlin Poynor, Howard Overby and Dewey Langston.
Honorary bearers will be C.H. Justus, Jack Carr, Dr. Jack Williamson, Melvin Lovorn, Preston and Robert Dunn, Cecil Cook, Buck Bigler, Hugh Coslett, Leo Dement, Ernest Leach and James Woodall.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
Loren Ward, 29
Loren Ward, 28, of Tyler, Texas, formerly of Portales, died Sunday, May 18, 2003, in East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, Texas.
He was born on Sept. 2, 1974, in Portales, to Teresa and James P. Ward.
He graduated from Clovis High School in 1993. He served for a short time in the U.S. Marine Corps. After receiving his discharge he was employed at Teague Strebeck Auto Dealership and later worked at Plains Regional Medical Center as a respiratory therapy technician. He married Angelica Salazar on Oct. 9, 1998. In August 2002 he and his family moved to Chandler, Texas, where he was attending Tyler Junior College to become a registered respiratory therapist. He was a member of the Christian Church of God in Amarillo.
He was preceded in death by his grandfathers, John Casaus and Russell Ward.
Survivors include his wife, Angelica Ward of Chandler; two sons, Christian and Julian Ward, both of Portales; two daughters, Sophia Ward of Portales and Lisa Marie Ward of Amarillo; his parents; and his grandparents, Virginia Casaus of Clovis and Ann Ward of Illinois; two sisters, Kim Barela and Regina Delgado, both of Chandler.
A prayer service is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Wheeler Mortuary Chapel.
Services will be held 10 a.m. Friday at Wheeler Mortuary Chapel in Portales. Joe Kirkpatrick will officiate.
Burial will be at Mission Garden of Memories Cemetery in Clovis.
Pallbearers will be Eric and Brian Oaklief, Joe Delgado, Rick Barela, Robert Romero and James Casaus.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
Geneva Hawks-Perry, 87
Geneva Juanita Hawks-Perry, 87, a lifelong resident of Portales, died Friday, May 16, 2003, in the Sienna Health Care Center in Odessa, Texas.
She was born Oct. 30, 1915, to William and Katherine Hipp.
She was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Odell “Hoot” Hawks; her second husband of 11 years, Raymond Perry; her son-in-law, Jack James; and her grandson, Scott Odell Skinner.
Survivors include three daughters: Geraldine Skinner of Clarendon, Texas, Jeanne James of Odessa and Norma Schoelkopf of Sunbury, Ohio; a stepdaughter, Judy Edwards of Rio Rancho; and six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. (CDT) Monday at Llano Cemetery in Amarillo.
Memorial contributions may be made to Home Hospice, 903 N. Sam Houston St., Odessa, TX 79761.
Odessa Funeral Home of Odessa is handling arrangements.
Maxine Johnston, 73
Maxine F. Johnston, 73, died Friday, May 16, 2003, at her home in Portales.
She was born Sept. 4, 1929, in Dora to Ruby and Frank Morrison.
She attended school in both Dora and Floyd before moving to Portales. She was a 1948 graduate of Portales High School. She married Bernie Johnston on Jan. 14, 1950, in the parsonage of the First Methodist Church. They moved to Upland, Calif., and lived there until 1986, when they moved to Roseburg, Ore.
In 1997, they moved back to Portales. For about 17 years, she and her husband spent their winters in Quartzite, Ariz. Family members said she and her husband enjoyed hunting and fishing, collecting artifacts and playing golf, and that she was quite a good golfer and had won a number of trophies. She was a member of the Methodist Church, being active at Floyd Methodist Church at the time of her death.
She was preceded in death by her parents, as well as three brothers, H.A. “Bud” Morrison, Elton “Chuck” Morrison and Dalton “Bill” Morrison; and a sister, Hildreth Gwin.
She is survived by her husband; one son, Gary Johnston of Portales; two brothers, Derrell Morrison of Riverside, Calif., and Dwayne Morrison of Yucca Valley, Calif.; and two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Wheeler Mortuary Chapel in Portales. The Rev. Mary Sue Hull will officiate, assisted by Keith McCrary.
Burial will be at Mt. Zion Cemetery near Dora.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
William Block, 86
William Arthur “Bill” Block, 86, of Portales, died April 11, 2003, at a Temple, Texas, hospital.
He was born on June 25, 1916, in at Gotebo, Okla., to Abraham and Agnes Martens Block.
He married M. Lavada Mitchell on Dec. 28, 1935, in Hobart, Okla. He farmed his father’s homestead until 1947, when he moved to Bethel. He retired after many years of service for the Santa Fe Railway. He loved boating, fishing and entertaining his friends and family with tunes that he played on his harmonica that was always in his pocket.
He was preceded in death by his wife; three brothers, Rudolph, Samuel and Walter; and a grandchild, Bucky Block.
Survivors include three children, Dr. Burel Block of Brownsville, Texas, Larry Block of Belton, Texas, and Carol Curtis of Orange, Calif.; and six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Portales Cemetery.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
Maurene Ribble, 95
Maurene Ribble, 95, of Portales, died Wednesday, May 14, 2003, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.
She was born on June 15, 1907, on Vernon, Texas, to “Dick” and R.R. Brooks.
She graduated from Vernon High School in 1926 and attended two years at West Texas University. She married Abe Ribble on Nov. 9, 1929, in Vernon. She moved to Portales in 1936. She was a member of the Methodist Church, United Methodist Women and the Parsonage Committee. She was a member of Chapter R PEO Sisterhood, Portales Altrusa Club, Leader for Campfire Girls and the Horizon Club. She first was employed at the County Clerk’s Office and later at Graham Abstract in Portales.
She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Homer, who was killed in action during World War I, Rester, D.L. and C.H. Brooks; two sisters, Una Brooks and Monette Wilson; and by her husband, Abe Ribble.
Survivors include a daughter, Jim Elyce Wade of Clovis; and two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Wheeler Mortuary Chapel. Steve McElroy will officiate.
Burial will be at Portales Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Earl Robinson, David Bonner, Devin Carpenter, Clay Bracken, Dick Ribble and Jesse Porter.
Honorary bearers will be Otis and Eldon Brooks, Ken Bedinger, Tristan Carpenter, Brianne Bracken, Robert Dunn, Ned Wright and Richard Garcia.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church Building Fund in Portales.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
Eula Marley, 95
Eula Mae Marley, 95, formerly of Portales, a retired schoolteacher, died Saturday, May 3, 2003, in Carlsbad, Calif.
She was born on May 10, 1907, in Morgan Mill, Texas, to Frank and Daisy Bass.
Her family moved to the New Mexico Territory by covered wagon and homesteaded north of Tatum in 1911. After graduating from Tatum High School in 1925, she began her 30 years of teaching in a one-room school in Pitchfork. In 1928, she married David Marley, a classmate since the eighth grade. She moved to Portales in 1944, and taught elementary grades for 32 years in Dora, retiring in 1969. After celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1978, the Marleys followed their four children to California.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Florence Dean Chansler, in 2000.
Survivors include her husband, David, of Carlsbad, Calif.; three sons, Dr. Albert D. “Buddy” Marley of Agoura Hills, Calif., Donovan Marley of Denver and Dr. Gerald Marley of Santa Ana, Calif.; one sister, Yuneva Kirk; and eight grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Services were held Saturday in San Diego.
Arrangements were handled by Featheringill Mortuary of San Diego.
Richard Morgan, 80
Richard C. Morgan, 80, of Raton, died Thursday, May 8, 2003, at Sunbridge Retirement Center in Raton.
He was born Aug. 12, 1922, in Mundy, Texas, to Alma and Chesley Morgan.
He and his family moved from Lubbock in 1934 and settled in Portales. He married Doris Rhodes on Feb. 14, 1942, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps later that year. For much of World War II, he was stationed in England serving as an aerial engineer. After his discharge in December 1945, he returned home and began farming. Except for brief periods during his life when he worked as a finish carpenter, he lived and farmed in the Portales area. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Primitive Baptist Church. Due to failing health, he lived the last few years in Raton. Family members said he will be remembered for his loving kindness, his ready smile and his sense of humor.
He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant sister, Marie; three brothers, Herschel, Hillery and Vaughnie Morgan; and his wife, Doris, who died Jan. 20, 2001.
Survivors include a son, Jimmy Morgan of Portales; a daughter, Sue McGowen of Raton; a brother, Robert Morgan of Clovis; a sister, Lois Fox of Portales; and eight grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Services will follow at 10 a.m. Monday at Wheeler Mortuary Chapel. Wayne Venable will officiate.
Burial will follow at Portales Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Bradley Morgan, Dustin Morgan, Don Morgan, Barry Wilhoit, Ronald Fox and Don Pemberton.
Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.
