Bobbie Menefee

Bobbie "Beth" Ballard was born on October 13, 1934 in Knox City, Texas. She is the only child of Robert Hollis Ballard and Frances Havens Ballard.

As an infant she lived in Rochester, Texas and later moved to Spur, Texas in her youth. In 1947, at the age of 9, she moved with her parents to Hagerman, NM. She lived in Hagerman until graduating high school.

After graduating high school she moved to White's City, NM with her parents where she had the opportunity to learn bookkeeping and to operate business machines.

She married Wesley Menefee on June 27, 1954 at the First Baptist Church in Hagerman, NM. They soon moved to Las Cruces, NM for Wesley to complete his degree in animal husbandry.

Beth served as the head bookkeeper at New Mexico A&M (now New Mexico State University) for three years while Wesley finished his degree. She then served as the bookkeeper for the Roswell Country Club while Wesley went through basic training. Wesley was soon stationed at Augsburg, Germany and Bobbie Beth spent ten days aboard the ship "Berlin" to join him in Germany. They got to experience living in German economy for a year together.

After returning from Germany, Wesley and Beth returned to Dexter, NM where they started farming and had Dwight Wesley and Paula Gail. They later relocated to the Cottonwood area to farm where Ross Wade was born. Beth worked as a homemaker and bookkeeper for their farming operation.

When Dwight, Paula and Ross went to school in Artesia, Beth served as the leader for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Story League and Rainbow for Girls. She was a member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha and Beta Sigma Phi sororities, Community Bible Study, and served for many years in PEO Chapter J. She and her family attended First Methodist Church Artesia, where she later served as a bookkeeper and secretary for five years.

Beth spent many years enjoying gardening, sewing, scrapbooking, bowling, Bible study, playing 42, traveling, camping, studying genealogy and putting together puzzles. Wesley and Beth also enjoyed eating at La Fonda every Friday night with the Conklins and Mayberrys before attending the Bulldog Football games.

Beth spent her life building her family, and will be missed by her husband of 70 years, Wesley. She is survived by son Dwight and his wife Terri of Cottonwood, New Mexico; daughter Paula and her husband Mike Nuanes of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; and son Ross and fiancee Lisa Anglin-Burris, of Cottonwood, New Mexico.

Her legacy will continue to live on in her six grandchildren: Seth Dwight Menefee and his wife Johnna of Cottonwood, New Mexico; Owen Wesley Densford of Orange County, California; Tad Hollis Menefee of Cottonwood, New Mexico; Joy Treva Hendrix and her husband Cody of Cottonwood, New Mexico; Logan Rae Menefee and her fiancee Tucker Smothermon of Lubbock, Texas; and Kandace Lea Menefee of Lubbock, Texas; as well as her three great-

grandsons, Haven McCoy Hendrix, Harvey Chisum Hendrix, and Rush Everett Menefee all of Cottonwood, New Mexico.

She is also survived by sister-in-laws Sharla Hamilton and husband Don, and Linda Kay Jones and husband Barry, as well as a host of Ballard and Havens' cousins in west Texas.

Wesley has always said "They took the girl out of Texas but they could never take Texas out of the girl," but Beth always loved New Mexico. Especially the mountains, the skies, and the family she built along the way.

Beth passed away peacefully on Friday, May 31, 2024. Memorial services will be held at 11 am Thursday, June 6 at First Methodist Church, Artesia, New Mexico. Donations can be made in her honor to First Methodist Church Artesia, PEO Chapter J or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

First Methodist Church Artesia

500 W Grand.

Artesia, NM 88210

www.fmcartesia.com/give

PEO Chapter J

8395 Cherokee Rd.

Lake Arthur, NM 88253

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

4550 Montgomery Ave.

Suite 1100 N

Bethesda, MD 20814

www.cff.org/donate