Obituaries for May 14, 2006

William L. (Bill) Bradley

Services: None

William L. (Bill) Bradley, 86, of Portales died Friday, May 12, 2006, at his home.

He was born June 2, 1919, near Lake Arthur to Gertrude and Walter Leo Bradley.

He attended school in the early grades in Lake Arthur before the family moved to Portales. He graduated from Portales High School in 1937. He attended Pamona College in Pamona, Calif., and served in the Army during World War II. He married Joy Ruth Kennedy on June 2, 1945. After his discharge from the Army, he returned to Portales and began working for the railroad in 1949. He was a brakeman and conductor on the potash run from Carlsbad to Clovis for many years. He moved to Belen in 1973 and retired from the railroad in 1987 after 38 years. He returned to Portales in 1990.

Family members said he enjoyed gardening, especially raising roses, and loved animals, but had a special spot in his heart for stray cats. They said he was a devoted father and grandfather, and was a sports enthusiast who enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren play on their teams.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Lenora Funk and Gertrude Thompson.

He is survived by a son, Butch Bradley of Irvine, Calif.; two daughters, Joy Scharein of Decatur, Ala., and Terri Bryant (and husband, Larry) of Portales; six grandchildren, Dianne Doak (Don) of Las Cruces, Mike Levacy of Ontario, Calif., Blaire Bradley of Irvine, Calif., Brea Bennett (Chris) of Amarillo, Brad Bryant of Wichita Falls, Texas, and Kim Bryant of Portales; five great-grandchildren, Danielle, Dalton and Dylan Doak of Las Cruces, Sydney Levacy of Ontario, Calif., and Dylan Bryant of Wichita Falls; and a sister, Alma Karlin of Farmington.

Memorials may be made to Vista Care Hospice, 2708 N. Prince St., Clovis, NM 88101.

Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary of Portales.

Ella Rae “Charlie” Carmichael

Services: 10 a.m. Tuesday at Dora Baptist Church

Ella Rae “Charlie” Carmichael, 87, of Portales died Friday, May 12, 2006, at Southwest Regional Hospital in Lubbock.

She was born Feb. 20, 1919, in Roby, Texas, to Hallie and Henry Wilson. She married to J. W. “Dub” Carmichael in Roby on March 31, 1939. They made their home in the area around Lamesa, Texas, until the early 1940s when they came to Roosevelt County. She lived on a farm and ranch in the Causey area from about 1950 until 2000, when she moved to Portales to make her home. For 40 years or more, she wrote The South County News for the Portales News-Tribune. Until earlier this year, she had continued to drive back and forth to Dora each school day to volunteer two to three hours in the lunch room. She also distributed government commodities in Dora for many years.

She was a longtime member of the Dora Baptist Church and an avid Bible student, according to family members.

She liked crossword puzzles and church, they said, and the schools and her family were her life.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Billy Merle Wilson and James Elco Wilson; two sisters, Essie Mae Dunham and Coese Palmer; two sons, Kenneth Ray and Michael Wayne Carmichael, and by her husband, who died Jan. 9, 1980.

She is survived by three sons, J.W. Carmichael Jr. of New Orleans, Bobby J. Carmichael (and wife, Linda) of Commerce, Texas; and R. Keith Carmichael (Nita) of Portales; a daughter, Linda Bittick (Larry) of Portales; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; a brother, Tommy Wilson of Roby, Texas; and three adopted children, David Robinson of Alamogordo, Kristi Ledbetter (Richard) of Alamogordo and Becky Lynn Robinson of Truth or Consequences.

The Rev. Butch Schneider will officiate services.

Burial is at Causey Cemetery.

The family will be available for visiting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Wheeler Mortuary.

Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary of Portales.

Ellen Reese

Services: 10 a.m. (CDT) Wednesday at Sudan Cemetery in Sudan, Texas.

Ellen Reese, 89, of Portales died Friday, May 12, 2006, at Laurel Ridge Nursing Home.

She was born Oct. 30, 1916, to Maude and David L. Fife in Weatherford, Texas, where she grew up. She married W.A. (Bill) Reese on June 23, 1946, in Yuma, Ariz. They made their home in California for a brief time before moving to Sudan, Texas. Shortly after her husband’s death in 1965, she moved to Littlefield, Texas, but soon returned to Sudan. In 1982, she moved to Portales to help care for her brother, David, until his death.

She was a member of the Church of God in Andrews, Texas.

Family members said she enjoyed cooking, sewing, quilting and all types of handwork.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Clarence and David Fife; a sister, Carra Sager; a grandson, Tracy Wood; a great-grandson, Cody Reese, and her husband.

She is survived by a son, William A. Reese Jr. (and wife, Brenda) of Portales; two daughters, Maudie Wood of Nashville, Tenn., and Doris Reese of Portales; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; a brother, Walter Fife of Weatherford; a sister, Minnie Lou Phillips of Springtown, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pastor Sam Kaufman and James Horne, regional overseer of the Church of God, will officiate services.

Memorials may be made to Vista Care, 2708 N. Prince St., Clovis, NM 88101.

Arrangements are by Wheeler Mortuary of Portales.