Billy Barton
Services: Have been held.
Mr. Billy J. Barton, 73, of Portales, a retired telephone lineman, died Friday, July 25, 2003, at Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales.
He was born Sept. 14, 1929, in Portales to Jewel and W.G. Barton.
He grew up in Portales. As a young man, he worked with his father in the family well drilling business. On Dec. 29, 1948, he married Margie Williams. In 1952, he was drafted into the Army, and served part of his service in Paris. After his discharge from the Army, he returned to Portales and began working for the telephone company. He was a lineman for 32 years, retiring in 1986. He was a member of the Elks Lodge in Clovis, and had served in various offices. He also belonged to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, and was a member of the Portales Country Club. Family members said he enjoyed collecting old coins and building model cars.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Betty Grimes; and by his wife, Margie, who died Nov. 20, 1996.
Survivors include a daughter, Rebecca (Roger) King of Lubbock; and two grandchildren, Brandon and Cameron King.
Honorary pallbearers will be Shorty Southern, Bill Baker, Olen Linton, Jack Dendy, Babe Morgan and Tim Marsh.
Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary of Portales.
M.D. Bass
Services: Have been held.
Mr. M.D. Bass, 73, of Clovis, a test deskman for a telephone company, died Monday, June 30, 2003, at his home.
He was born on Jan. 29, 1930, in Perico, Texas, to Jim and Agnes Sylvester Bass.
He married Billie Greer on May 7, 1954, in Elida. He had been a resident of Clovis since 1965 and retired from Mountain Bell Telephone Company. He was a member of Sandia Baptist Church and Clovis Masonic Lodge No. 40 A. F. & A. M. where he was Past Master and was a 32 degree Mason with Scottish Rite.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Frank and Kenneth; and a sister, Florene Young.
He is survived by his wife; a daughter, Bendetta Plyler (and husband, David) of Lubbock; a son, Mark Bass (and wife, Lynda) of Clovis; a sister, Leah Easter of Albuquerque; a brother, Elmer Bass of Albuquerque; three grandchildren, Chance and Cade Cruger and Dusty Bass; and three great-grandchildren, Evan, Morgan and Madison Cruger.
Masonic rites will be by the Clovis Masonic Lodge No. 40 A.F.&A.M.
Herbert Bergstrom will officiate the services.
Burial will be at Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens in Clovis.
Pallbearers will be Chance and Cade Cruger, Dusty Bass, Jimmy Greer, Alex Romero and Swede Johnson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Arrangements are by Steed-Todd Funeral Home of Clovis.
William Battles
Services: Have been held.
Mr. William “Clyde” Battles, 94, of House, a farmer and rancher, died Saturday, May 17, 2003, at Laurel Ridge Healthcare Center in Clovis.
He was born on April 29, 1909, in Little Rock, Ark., to William J. and Ena Bray Battles.
His family homesteaded 13 miles east of Santa Rosa, where he attended school. The family moved to Hereford in 1921 where they farmed and ranched. He made his home in House in 1949. He married Emma Lestina Williams on Aug. 24, 1946, in Amherst, Texas. He was a veteran of World War II. Family members said he loved horses and cattle and was a loving father and grandfather.
He was preceded in death by his wife; a brother, Homer Battles; and a sister, Hazel Dale.
He is survived by a daughter, Peggy Sue Tivis (and husband, Danny) of House; and three grandchildren, Monty Tivis of House, Robyn Miller (and husband, Kelly) and Trevor Tivis, all of Canyon.
The Rev. Sherman Martin will officiate the services.
Burial will be at House Community Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Monty and Trevor Tivis, Kelly Miller, Charles and Clifford Franklin and Ross Sinclair.
Honorary bearers will be Bob Franklin, Lloyd Morrow, Eldon Blackburn and Henry Jaramillo.
Visitation is scheduled from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday at Chavez Funeral Home in Fort Sumner.
Memorial contributions may be made to the House EMS Service, care of Village of House, NM 88121 or the Baptist Children’s Home.
Arrangements are by Chavez Funeral Home of Fort Sumner.
Beach, Dorothy Reid
Services: Have been held.
Dorothy Reid Beach, 74, of Albuquerque, died Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, at Lovelace Hospital in Albuquerque.
She was born Nov. 21, 1928, in Collingsworth County, Texas, to T.C. And Tommie Boutcher Raper.
She was a former resident of Clovis and had worked for Montgomery Ward as a bookkeeper. She married Raymond Lee Reid on July 20, 1948, in Clovis, and he preceded her in death on Aug. 5, 1973. She married Denzil Beach on Dec. 28, 1973, in Portales. Dorothy and Denzil moved to Phoenix where she worked for Shamrock Dairy as a bookkeeper. Denzil preceded her in death on April 2, 1994. She was of the Baptist faith. She moved from Phoenix to Albuquerque a few months ago to be near her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents; two husbands; four brothers and three sisters.
She is survived by one son, Raymond Reid (and wife Rita) of Woodridge, Ill.; two daughters, Sharon Scott (Ronnie) of Clovis and Geraldine Cress (Tom) of Albuquerque; one brother, Tip Raper of Vernon, Texas; five sisters, Thelma Sutton of Amarillo, Virgie O’Daniel of Childress, Texas, June Tait of San Jose, Calif., Neva Slayton of Balch Springs, Texas, and Joyce Thompson of Wichita Falls, Texas; nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
The Rev. Steve Wheeler will officiate the services.
Burial will be at Mission Garden of Memories in Clovis.
Pallbearers will be Ronnie Scott, Tom Cress, Mike Jouett, Bob Walley, Larry Stapp, Randy Stapp, Bruce Foster, Matthew Reid and Johnny Gomez.
Honorary pallbearers include Sherri Gomez, Ashleigh Jacobs, Amanda Cress, Jackie Jouett, Dironda Walley, Kimberly Reid, Paul Foster and Cara White.
Arrangements are by Steed-Todd Funeral Home in Clovis.
Ira Bedford
Services: Have been held.
Mr. Ira Paul Bedford, 80, of Sacramento, Calif., died Monday, Aug. 25, 2003, at St. Francis Hospital in Shakopee, Minn.
He was born on Aug. 18, 1923, in Weeletka, Okla., to Benjamin Franklin and Nancy Anthony Bedford.
He married Mary Helen Thomas on Dec. 1, 1946. He worked as an inspector in the Vocational Standard field for the state of California. He served in the Army during World War II. He was a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. Family members said he enjoyed traveling and seeing the great outdoors.
He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; four brothers, Jonas, A.T., Troy and L.D. Bedford; and three sisters, Mary Beck, Merill Bedford and Pearl Bedford.
He is survived by his children, Bonnie Williams (and husband, Bruce) of Shakopee, Minn., and Daniel Bedford of Sacramento, Calif.; four grandchildren, David and Andrew St. John and Crystal and Donald Williams; three great-grandchildren, Michael, Rachel and William St. John; a brother, Benjamin Bedford (LaNell) of Albuquerque; two sisters, Billie Alexander of Clovis and Jewel Hanks of Odessa, Texas; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation is schduled from 2 p.m. (CDT) until 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home of Shakopee, Minn.
Benjamin Bedford will officiate the services.
Arrangements are by Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home of Shakopee, Minn.
Patsy Bell
Services: Have been held.
Patsy Bell, 57, of Lubbock died Monday, Jan. 12, 2004.
She was born on June 20, 1946, in Borger, Texas, to Paul B. and Lena B. Scroggins.
She graduated from Tascosa High School and attended Amarillo Community College. She married Willie A. Bell on Dec. 8, 1966, in Vega, Texas. She lived in Van Buren, Ark., before moving to Lubbock.
She was preceded in death by her father.
Survivors include her husband; three children, Phillip P. Bell (and wife, Kim) of Van Buren, Ark., Bethany M. Sours (Del) of Clovis and Robin A. Stehl (Todd D.) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; her grandchildren, Kristen, Jonathan, Samantha, Stephanie, Hannah, Hunter, Shale and Bayle; her mother; her siblings, Sharon Hendricks of Bedford, Texas, and Mark Scroggins of California.
Arrangements are by W.W. Rix Funeral Directors of Lubbock.
Tommy O. Bell
Services: Will be held at a later date.
Tommy O’Neal Bell, 68, of Lake Sumner, died Tuesday, July 13, 2004, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.
He was born on Aug. 15, 1935, in Portales, to George Clark and Freda Olive Blevins Bell.
He was raised in Arch and attended school at Portales. He served in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. In 1961, he started working in law enforcement in Texas and New Mexico. He served the New Mexico communities of Clovis, Portales and Melrose. He made his home at Lake Sumner from the early 1980s until he moved to Clovis in 2003. He married Betty Bell on April 20, 1978. He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and a U.S. veteran.
He was preceded in death by his wife; a grandson, Michael Thomas; a brother, Hector; and two sisters, Eunice and Betty.
Survivors include three daughters Desiree Hodges of Clovis, Kimberly Ann Longhurst (and husband, Marcos) of Clovis and Lisa McGinnis (Billy) of Melrose; a son, Tommy Bell Jr. of Flagstaff, Ariz..; two sisters, Wyvion Ware of Portales and Mary Jean Johnson of Phoenix; two brothers, Junior Bell (Essie) of Farmington and Buddy Bell (Peggy) of Lake Sumner; numerous grandchildren, including Brittany and Raven Padilla, Justin Hodges, Leighton Finney and Ashley Cash; and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives.
Cremation has taken place.
Arrangements are by Chavez Funeral Home of Fort Sumner.
Nan Louise Bennett
Service: Have been held.
Nan Louise Bennett, 85, died Friday, Jan. 9, 2004, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.
Mrs. Bennett was born March 29, 1918, in Muleshoe to James and Julia Clarke Smith. She married William R. Bennett Jr. in 1956 in Clovis. During WWII she ran the printing press in the government printing office in Washington, D.C. After returning to Clovis she was a bookkeeper for the State Theatre. She was of the Baptist faith. According to family members, Nan loved to play bridge, sew and travel, especially to Las Vegas, Nev.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Chief Master Sgt. (ret’d.) William Bennett Jr.; three brothers, 1st Sgt. J.M. Smith, Capt. Burney H. Smith and Clark G. Smith; and a sister, May S. Walters.
Survivors include four nieces, Judy Gambill, Terri Bodine and Nicole Gurnsey, all of Clovis, and Michelle N. Streeter of Alta Vista, Calif.
The Rev. Mike Eberhardt will officiate.
Honorary pallbearers are Dick Ainsworth, Dan Abele, Marvin Whatley, Alice Ainsworth, Josefa Abele and Judy Whatley.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Baptist
Childrens Home in Portales.
Jerry Betts
Services: Have been held.
Mr. Jerry Betts, 47, of Portales, a former truck driver, died Saturday, May 3, 2003, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.
He was born on Oct. 27, 1955, in Smyrna, Tenn., to Kathleen and Charles W. Betts.
He moved to Portales from Fairfield, Calif., in 1972, when his father retired from the Air Force. He was a 1974 graduate of Portales High School. He went to truck driving school. He first drove for a grain company and then for a carbon dioxide company. In February of 1996, he was involved in a trucking accident that left him paralyzed. For the past year, he had been living at Buena Vista Nursing Home in Clovis. Family members said he liked to ride his motorcycle before he became disabled. He also loved putting together models and playing dominoes.
He was preceded in death by his father.
He is survived by a son, Chad Betts of Hereford; two daughters, Carla Whitehorn (and husband, Coy) of Hereford and Kimberly Darnell (and husband, Justin) of Amarillo; three grandchildren; his mother; a brother, Charles Betts of Las Vegas, Nev.; and two sisters, Sharon Warren of Portales and Carmen White of Friona.
Scott P. Reeves will officiate the graveside service.
Honorary pallbearers will be all of his family.
Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary of Portales.
KANDILADIA BIBBS
Services: Have been held.
Kandiladia Moeneek Bibbs, infant, of Clovis, died Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.
She was born on Oct. 22, 2003, in Clovis, to Kristina Lopez and Isaac Bibbs.
She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Kara Bibbs.
Survivors include her parents, both of Clovis; her grandparents, Inez Tucker, Clyde Bibbs and LaTisha Bibbs, all of Clovis; her great grandparents, Antoina Lucero and Manuel Lopez, of Clovis; Travis and Lois Bibbs, of Texico, and Mauden Potts of Ruidoso.
Burial will be at Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens in Clovis.
Arrangements are by Steed-Todd Funeral Home of Clovis.
Trey Bilberry
Services: Have been held.
Trey Bilberry, 3, of Kenna, died Saturday, April 26, 2003, at Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales.
He was born on June 5, 1999, in Roswell, to Cheree and Jeff Bilberry.
Family members said he loved life and people. He was an outgoing little boy, and independent. He was fascinated with trains and tractors and other big machinery. He often called himself “Super Cowboy,” and liked riding his horse fast. One of his favorite foods was a burrito with hot sauce. He attended worship services with his family at the Kenna Community Church.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Taylor Bilberry.
He is survived by his parents; his paternal grandparents, Alma Lyle and Bud Bilberry of Kenna; his maternal grandparents, Lavon and Johnny Chase of Clovis; a great-grandmother, Susie Tivis of Portales; a brother, Trent Bilberry; a sister, Tori Bilberry; aunts and uncles, Jana and Kendall Terry of Portales and Duane and Lisa Chase of Clovis; and five cousins.
The Rev. Lyman Ray Graham will officiate the services, assisted by Rev. Galen Isaacs.
Burial will be at Kenna Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Payton and Kendall Terry, Trent Bilberry, Smiley Wooten, Mike Thompson and Dan Howard.
Memorial contributions may be made to Portales Wells Fargo Bank to be used for college expenses for his brother and sister.
Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary of Portales.
Mary Bishop
Services: Have been held.
Mary Ruth Bishop, 76, of Tucumcari, died Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2003.
She was born in 1927 in McNairy County, Tenn.
Survivors include a daughter, Debra Cotham of Artesia; three sons, Ronald Bishop of Anchorage, Alaska, David Bishop of Ruidoso and Timothy Bishop of Tucumcari; five sisters, Louise Bishop and Maggie Webb, both of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Jo Rickman, Linda Hurley and Sue Pickins, all of Selmer, Tenn.; six brothers, Dubert Comer and Lee Comer, both Selmer, Tenn., Bill Comer of Michie, Tenn, George Comer of Guys, Tenn., Charles Comer of Corinth, Miss. and Harold comer of Adamsville, Tenn.; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Burial was at Tucumcari Memorial Park cemetery.
The Rev. David England officiated the services.
Arrangements were by Dunn Funeral Home of Tucumcari.
Juanita Black
Services: Have been held.
Mrs. Juanita Faye Black, 76, of Melrose, a U.S. Postal Service clerk, died Friday, Aug. 1, 2003, at Heartland Continuing Care Center in Portales.
She was born Jan. 21, 1927, in Melrose, to Walter and Edna O’Donald Swopes.
She was a lifetime resident of Melrose.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Survivors include two daughters, Junea Hickman (and husband, Gary) of Melrose and Elisa Spivey (Craig) of Keiser, Ore.; two sons, Kip Black (Becky) and D.A. Black, all of Melrose; a brother, Durwood Swopes of Roswell; a sister, Lorene Anderson of Alvin, Texas; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
The Rev. Elvyn Lambright will officiate the services.
Burial will be at Melrose Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Kip Black, D.A. Black, Shaston Black, Jennifer Black, Jeremy Black, Jared Hill, Chris Harrison, Gary Hickman, Craig Spivey, Christopher Spivey, Aaron Spivey and Bobbie Smith.
Memorial contributions may be made to the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home in Portales.
Steed-Todd Funeral Home of Clovis is handling arrangements.
Frances Blair
Services: Have been held.
Ms. Frances Opal Blair, 95, of Clovis, a bookkeeper, died Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.
She was born on Oct. 5, 1907, in Portales, to Nathan B. and Mabel E. Daniels Lea.
She lived in Clovis most of her life where she worked as a bookkeeper for different department stores.
She was preceded in death by a son, Dr. Jerry Blair; a brother, William Lea; and by her parents.
She is survived by a daughter, Jane Mount of Las Cruces; three grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Father John Rollinson will officiate the services.
Cremation has taken place.
Memorial contributions may be made to Laurel Ridge Nursing Center 1201 Norris in Clovis 88101
Arrangements are by Muffley Funeral Home of Clovis.
Dale Blandford
Services: Have been held.
Mr. Dale Blandford, 70, of Gisela, Ariz., died Friday, July 4, 2003, at the Hospice of the Valley in Mesa, Ariz.
He was born Sept. 23, 1932, in Shamrock, Texas, to Raymond and Marie Blandford.
He grew up in Portales. After high school he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, receiving numerous honors. He received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University. After college he moved to Clovis where he taught mathematics at Gattis Junior High School. He moved to Mesa in 1966 where he taught higher mathematics at Kino Junior High School, Westwood High School and Mesa Community College. He spent the last 17 years building homes alongside his son at Blandford Homes.
He is survived by his wife, Marie Blandford; his former wife and mother of his children, Bonnie Blandford; a daughter, Cheryl Skornik; three sons, Rick, Jeff and Evan Blandford; stepchildren Valerie Davis, Susan Rahlf and Rich Kubat; three sisters; five brothers; and 16 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Foundation for Cancer Research and Education, 300 W. Clarendon Suite 350, Phoenix, AZ 85013.
Arrangements are by Mountain View Memorial Gardens of Mesa.
