Obituaries, August 3

Juanita Black, 76

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.

Services: 2 p.m. Monday at Melrose United Methodist Church in Melrose. The Rev. Elvyn Lambright will officiate.

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.

Joe Cole, 58

Mr. Joseph “Joe” Jackson Cole, 58, a lineman with Xcel Energy, died Friday, Aug. 1, 2003, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.

He was born Dec. 14, 1944, in Ripple Mead, Va., to Sam and Christine Cole.

He married Hazel Tivis on Dec. 27, 1964, in Juarez, Mexico. He spent a year in the U.S. Army from 1967-1968. They came to Clovis in 1970, where Joe worked as a lineman for Xcel Energy until he fell ill. He was a member of Faith Christian Family Church.

Family members said he loved classic cars, dancing, square dancing, fishing, hunting and making Indian jewelry for his family.

He was preceded in death by his father, Sam Cole.

Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Jennifer (and husband, Tracy) Kimberly of Clovis and Allison (Marc) Autrey of Burlington, Iowa; his mother, Christine Cole of Roanoke, Va.; two brothers, J.D. Cole of Clovis and Bobby Cole of Portales; two sisters, Betsy Pollard of Hagerstown, Md., and Phyllis Radford of Goldbond, Va.; and two granddaughters, Delaney and Sashia Kimberly of Clovis.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at Faith Christian Family Church in Clovis. Pastor Maurice Monson will officiate, assisted by Pastor David Swann.

Cremation will take place.

Honorary pallbearers will be classic car owners.

Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, care of Dorothy Nelson.

Muffley Funeral Home of Clovis is handling arrangements.

Isabel Guerra, 41

Ms. Isabel Guerra, 41, of Portales, died July 30, 2003, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.

She was born May 13, 1962, in Silver City, to Pasquala and Melquiades Guerra.

She attended school in Anthony, and then lived in Arizona for several years, where she worked in child care. She moved to Portales in the early 1980s. She was a member of the Church of God of the Firstborn, where she was an active member. Family members said her hobbies included cooking, dancing and camping.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Gilbert; and two sisters, Albina Montes and Nora Galban.

Survivors include her longtime companion, Fred Romero of Portales; two sisters, Esther Calderon and Joe Clorinda Guerra, both of Phoenix; four brothers, Jimmy and Henry Guerra, both of Silver City, and Rito and Mike Guerra, both of Phoenix.

A wake service will be held at 6 p.m. today at the Church of God of the Firstborn in Portales.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Church of God of the Firstborn in Portales. The Rev. Raymond Mendoza will officiate.

Burial will be in Portales Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Reuben Galban, Gary Romero, Louie Montes, Edward Montes, Joe Guerra and Henry Guerra.

Honorary bearers will be all family and friends.

Memorial contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association, New Mexico Area, 525 San Pedro NE, Suite 101, Albuquerque, NM 87108.

Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.

David McClary, 66

David McClary, 66, of Portales, a retired college instructor and administrator, died Friday, Aug. 1, 2003, at Covenant Lakeside Medical Center in Lubbock.

He was born Dec. 11, 1936, in Dumas, Texas, to Willie Ann and Jack McClary.

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1956, where he was a personnel accounting operator. After his tour of duty, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and computer information systems at Eastern New Mexico University.

He has served in a variety of positions at ENMU during his 33-year career, including assistant professor of CIS, chair of the CIS department, graduate coordinator, and assistant dean of the College of Business. He was awarded the faculty “Spirit of Eastern” Award in 1996.

Family members said he enjoyed art, woodworking, fishing on the Pecos and attending services at First Baptist Church in Portales.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Geary McClary and Robert McClary; and a grandchild, Isaac Danforth.

Survivors include his wife, Vana McClary; three sons: Kelly (and wife, Sheryl) McClary and Brien McClary (Stephanie), all of Portales, and John Schwab (Jean) of Dallas; two daughters, Lorri Danforth (John) of Portales and Lynlea Fleischman (Steve) of Indianapolis; three sisters: Mary Sharman (Frank) of Amarillo, Jackie Brewer (Jim) of Fort Worth and Billie Young (Ned) of Dumas; 11 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church in Portales. The Rev. Dr. Herbert Bergstrom will officiate.

Burial will be in Portales Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association or to The Friends of Eastern Scholarship Fund.

Wheeler Mortuary of Portales is handling arrangements.

Charles Wall, 74

Mr. Charles Lee Wall, 74, of Clovis, a mechanic, died Thursday, July 31, 2003, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis.

He was born March 14, 1929, in Amarillo, to Lonnie and Mertie Chambers Wall.

He married Vernell Stephens July 25, 1952, in Clovis. He retired from Cannon Air Force Base after 35 years of service. Family members said he loved fishing, gardening and camping. He also coached Little League baseball. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder and deacon.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Gene.

Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Vicki (and husband, Phil) Heselton of Portales and Misti Wall of Albuquerque; a son, Lonnie Wall (Cindy) of Clovis; two brothers, Herschel Wall of Clovis and Lester Wall of Riverside, Calif.; a sister, Lillian Brownlow of Clovis; and three grandchildren, Matt and Trevor Wall and Charlayne Heselton.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church in Clovis. The Rev. Lance Clemmons will officiate.

Cremation will take place.

Honorary bearers will be his coffee shop buddies.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church.

Steed-Todd Funeral Home of Clovis is handling arrangements.

Obituary Policy

The Portales News-Tribune does not charge to publish obituaries. Space constraints and deadlines may limit what is published. Information for obituaries must come from funeral homes.