Saying farewell to some of our neighbors

CNN called 2016 the year the music died.

Indeed, the year took a large number of icons throughout the entertainment world — people that we all appreciated, even if most of us did not actually know them.

But it was also a tough year for losing people we did know and cared about closer to home.

A few words about a few of our neighbors who passed last year:

Jean Berry: The kindergarten teacher at Brown Early Childhood Center in Portales was known by friends as “the person you could go to.” Her friends also described her as passionate about everything she did, from volunteer work to teaching to folding the flag the proper way. “She was a good role model,” fellow teacher Dawn Hall said.

Richard Burke: A 20-year Air Force veteran, he spent 19 years as a magistrate judge in Clovis. Maybe he was best known for community volunteer work; he was involved in six local service organizations. And he called many people friend. “He enjoyed people, and people enjoyed him,” said Sidney Turner, one of his friends. “He was an individual who, if you met him, you liked him.”

Fred Chandler: Dave Nash, longtime emcee at the Floyd Lions Club Country Music Jamboree, had this to say about his musician friend: “The air around him was just friendly and loving and positive and he never got twisted.”

W. Charles Green: He founded Clovis’ First Church of God and Christ in 1957 and pastored it over the next six decades. “He taught me how to love, in spite of what people do or say,” his nephew David Dawson said. “In the ministry and, as a person, he was a good example of that. He carried on like that.”

Nick Griego Sr.: He built his own business, along with a significant amount of Clovis and Cannon Air Force Base. Susan Griego-Love, his daughter, had this to say about his construction company: “People saw it as big, but we thought it was small because it was family. Our employees felt like family, and my father treated them like family.”

Gretchen Haase: She operated a Portales preschool for 25 years. At 6-feet in height, she was a memorable figure in many ways. “Rather than just missing her,” former student Stephen Hardin said at her funeral, “let’s honor her by showing the world the love, kindness, and compassion she showed us. Let’s love big.”

Don McAlavy: Kim Siewert remembers her dad’s life was consumed with acting, writing and keeping regional history alive. “I remember asking as a kid, ‘Where’s Daddy?’ and he was out counting headstones at a cemetery somewhere,” she said.

Dr. James Moss: He was Clovis’ mayor for 12 years, but he also worked as a farmer, rancher and doctor, of course, and he held multiple titles in his 92 years. His final job was volunteer at the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico, to which he dedicated himself well into his 80s. Every Tuesday and Thursday, he boarded a city bus, and worked from 10 a.m. to noon, sorting beans and rice and more.

Steve Rooney: The bigger-than-life radio personality was the recipient of literally hundreds of tributes posted on social media after his passing. “I’m gonna miss his laugh, his goofy comments and sarcasm and hugs,” one associate wrote. Another referenced him as “big brother, goof ball and all-around great guy.” He left a wife, four children, and a Secret Santa legacy.

Marjorie Watkins: We came to know her in recent years, when she wore multiple hats for the Clovis / Curry County Chamber of Commerce. But she will be best remembered as the organist at First Baptist Church in Farwell. She did that for 53 years.

So long, friends. Thanks for enriching our lives.