Anna Monroe

Beth Monroe left Hobbs, New Mexico to be welcomed by her Heavenly Father on Wednesday December 26, 2012 at the age of 95. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 29, 2012 at Terpening Son Mortuary in Artesia, New Mexico, with burial to follow at Woodbine Cemetery in Artesia. Pallbearers will be her grandchildren and Steve Willard, Marvin Thompson, Ken Simons and Chris Simons.

Visitation at Terpening Son Mortuary will begin at 10:00 a.m. Friday. The family will also receive friends at the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall beginning at 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

Anna Elizabeth Bush was born July 4, 1917 in Spokane, Washington to Richard Marion Bush and Nina Mary Hazard Bush. As a child she believed that the flags flying, fireworks and parades every July 4th were in honor of her birthday, because thats what her daddy told her.

After graduating from high school in Spokane, she attended Seattle Pacific College in Seattle, Washington, where her roommates Gen and Renee became her lifelong friends. Gen from Washington and Renee from Ohio reunited with Beth many times and in many places over the years, and they celebrated their 50th college reunion with a trip to Southern California and Disneyland in 1998.

Beth was working as a stewardess for Greyhound bus lines in the western United States when she met and fell in love with handsome redhaired Jimmy James D. Monroe in Roswell, New Mexico in 1941. When he enlisted in the Army in 1942, she signed up for the Womens Army Corp WAC. She was stationed at Marianna Air Field in Marianna, Florida, where she and other WACs trained over 500,000 men to fly using Link Trainers. Beth and many of the women with whom she served became lifelong friends and reunited many times, each serving as a host for the gettogethers. The gatherings were held from Hawaii to New York and lots of places in between. Beth hosted the group in Artesia, where they toured Carlsbad Caverns and a drilling rig.

She and Jimmy married in 1943, and in 1945 she was discharged from the Army. The couple moved to Artesia, New Mexico, where she became a stayathome mom and a professional volunteer. Beth was involved in many community, school and political activities. She found her greatest joy in serving at First Baptist Church, which she joined in 1950. She held many positions from Sunday School teacher to trustee. She traveled on several mission trips to Mexico, making her last journey when she was 75 years old.

After Jimmy retired, the couple especially enjoyed motor home trips to Bush family reunions in Washington, Monroe family reunions in Central Texas and fishing trips to Mexico.

In 2003 Beth moved to Hobbs, New Mexico to live at Desert Gardens Assisted Living Facility and to be near her family.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Jimmy, her parents, her brothers Walter and Buddy, and her sister Marion. She is survived by a daughter Sandra Baxter and husband Rusty of Hobbs, New Mexico a daughter Patricia Baird and husband Paul of McKinney, Texas grandson Mitchell Baxter of Hobbs grandson Adam Baxter and wife Puja Karki of Los Angeles, California grandson Peyton Healey and wife Chrissy of Dallas, Texas and greatgranddaughters Katie Baxter of Wylie, Texas and Lily Healey of Dallas, Texas sisters Vi Pierson of Spokane, Washington and Lois Ottmar of Seattle, Washington and brotherinlaw Norman Monroe of Monahans, Texas.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church, Artesia, New Mexico or a charity of ones choice.

The family thanks the many people who have been her friends, who have loved her and blessed her and cared for her. And special thanks to God for her life and for taking her home when she was ready. She had a great run