In Memoriam

Elmer Don Kuper, 90, Nara Visa, New Mexico died July 28, 2022 in Bullard, Texas. Don was born December 11, 1931 in Frederick, Oklahoma to Elmer George and Hallye Maye (Olney) Kuper. He graduated from Dalhart High in 1950. He then attended Texas Tech University on a tennis scholarship from 1950-1951 until a serious illness of his father required him to return home to run the family farm at Etter, Texas. He married Mary Helen Dilworth, Dalhart, Texas on June 8, 1952, enjoying 70 years of marriage. They had three daughters.

Along with starting his family, he began his cattle operation by running yearlings on wheat pasture at the family farm, which is still operated by the family. Don’s love for cattle continued to grow and he acquired lease property stretching from Dalhart to Channing, Texas to begin his cow-calf operation. Finally, an opportunity arose in 1962 and he acquired the Loewenstern Ranch northwest of Nara Visa, New Mexico. In 1969, he and his father acquired the adjoining Burks Ranch. Today, the combined ranches are known as the Kuper Ranch.

It was evident Don had a passion and love for the land, top-quality Hereford cattle, and athletic quarter horses. He was a good steward of the land, was a visionary when it came to cattle selection, and welcomed modern ways of ranching. He served on the Quay County soil conservation board for many years.

He retired from the ranch life in 1995 and they began traveling the country in their 5th wheel enjoying his passion for fishing and Indian/Southwest history. For many years he and Mary Helen wintered and enjoyed fellowship with other retirees in Arizona, playing lots of tennis, and finally purchased a home in Taos, where they enjoyed moderate temperatures, evening monsoon rains, the mountain air, and lots of trout fishing. In 2014, Don and Mary Helen moved to Bullard, Texas to live near their youngest daughter Jeni Ramsey.

Don is survived by his wife, Mary Helen, Bullard; his daughters, Vickie (Rory) Boothe, Bedford; Connie (Michael) Perez, Nara Visa; Jeni (Mark) Ramsey, Bullard; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to: Nara Visa Community Center –901 Quay Rd 96, Nara Visa, NM 88430; O’Malley Alley Cat Rescue – 119 Pecan Valley Drive, Bullard TX 75757; The Hospice of East Texas – 119 Pecan Valley Drive, Bullard TX 75757

Jack Leo Ruttle died peacefully in his home on his 91st birthday on August 1, 2022. Jack and his twin sister, Sally, were born in Taylor, Texas on August 1, 1931, to Leon Leo and Minnie Ruttle. Jack started his love of animal science and agriculture on a farm in Taylor that his father managed.

He started first grade in Waco, Texas and graduated from San Angelo High School. At Sul Ross State University, Jack earned his Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry.

Jack was a member of the rodeo team and rode bulls, he was instrumental in the founding of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and published its first newsletter, The Rigging.

Jack enlisted in the Army in 1953 as no one would hire him because of the draft. He started as an infantryman but when the Korean War ended, he trained as a Medic.

Corporal Jack L. Ruttle was honorably discharged in February 1955 and enrolled in New Mexico A & M to pursue a master’s in Animal Husbandry. There he met the love of his life in an Organic Chemistry class.

Jack and Mary Carlene Miller were married in June of 1956. After receiving his Masters, Jack started with the USDA as a sheep specialist in Fort Wingate, New Mexico. He returned to New Mexico State University (NMSU) in the Extension Service where he traveled throughout the southwest to advise ranchers on sheep and wool production.

With the promise of a professorship at NMSU, Jack moved Carlene and three kids to College Station, Texas to pursue a Ph.D. at Texas, A & M. He supported the family as a teaching assistant and “shepherd” of the college sheep center. In January 1964, with Carlene and four kids, Jack returned to NMSU as a professor in sheep and wool production.

He would go on to establish classes in Reproductive Physiology, Physiology Tech-

niques and Animal Surgery at NMSU. In addition to his teaching and research activities, Jack advised 70 graduate students, bringing many of them home to Carlene and five kids for a good home-cooked meal.

During his time at NMSU, Jack had the opportunity to consult internationally and worked in beautiful countries such as Mexico, Paraguay, Guatemala, Morocco and Argentina.

Jack retired from NMSU in 1990 to farm in Deming, with his sons. He sold Red Mountain Livestock in 2000 but continued to put on his popular artificial insemination and pregnancy testing seminars.

Jack’s love of flying came about when he took an introductory lesson to learn how to land a plane. He often flew with ranchers and was concerned what he would do if something happened to one of them.

Jack was also a talented artist dabbling in oils, inks and sculpture, as well as the occasional funny rodeo cartoon.

Jack will be dearly missed by his bride of 66 years, Carlene, children Leslie (Tim); John, Jim (Denise); Jeff (Sandy); Karen (Russell); nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jack L. Ruttle Endowed Scholarship fund at New Mexico State University or Mesilla Valley Hospice. Special thanks to Ms. Shelley Cruz-Solano for the special care given to Jack during his last days.

Herman Ernst Kiesling, 84, passed away in San Angelo on July 25th after a brief illness. He was born on January 23, 1938, in the Klattenhoff Community of Tom Green County to Willie and Emma (Wolf) Kiesling. Herman was born into a large German family with dozens of cousins.

He formed close relationships with his many cousins and enjoyed their annual family reunions. He graduated from Miles High School, where he played on the football team and was active in the Future Farmers of America. Herman worked various farm jobs in high school, milking cows and feeding cattle.

He earned his bachelor’s degree at Texas Tech University. After graduation, he married Sarah Lee Sofge and the couple lived in Talpa, Texas, where Herman managed the local feed store. Later, he taught vocational agriculture at Fluvanna High School where daughters Sherry and Terry were born. Herman earned his master’s degree at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and his Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition at Oklahoma State University.

Herman continued his professional career at Taylormade Feeds in Las Cruces and then at NMSU where he was on the faculty of the Animal Science Department and served as an advisor to several student organizations within the College of Agriculture. Herman shared his agricultural knowledge with his daughters who participated in the local fairs and stock shows by showing junior livestock.

He and Sarah taught their daughters the value of hard work during those years by getting up early to help work the animals and get them ready for the fair. He taught the girls to shear sheep and castrate hogs but was frustrated that he could never teach them to successfully back up a trailer.

Herman participated in Farmer-ToFarmer exchange programs to China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. He really enjoyed his overseas travels and the experiences meeting farmers in other countries.

After retirement from NMSU, Herman continued to share his knowledge of animal nutrition by consulting with various feedlots and dairies, primarily in Mexico. He and Sarah moved to San Angelo where they joined the many Kieslings who still lived in the area. Herman and his brother Lee Roy enjoyed fixing up old tractors and a Model A Ford that once belonged to their grandfather.

Having served in the Texas Army National Guard, Herman became involved in the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans in San Angelo. He was part of a team that was responsible for bringing back the San Angelo Veterans Day Parade. Herman and Sarah were also active in the Business Men’s Bible Class and the Lion’s Club.

Herman enjoyed being a grandparent to two granddaughters. He loved their childhood visits to San Angelo when he’d pull them endlessly around the backyard in a little red wagon or give them rides in the Model A Ford.

Herman is survived by Sarah, his wife of 59 years, daughters Sherry Fox and Terry Kiesling, two granddaughters, and sister Willene Lagrimenta. Other survivors include sisters-in-law Patricia Tankersley (Leamon} and Helen Wilde, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Margaret Haas, 87, Douglas, Arizona passed away on June 15, 2022 at her home in Douglas, after a short battle with cancer. Margaret was born in Casa Grande in 1934. She grew up in Tombstone, then moved to Douglas in 1951.

Margaret studied education at Arizona State University in 1954 and shortly after transferred to the University of Arizona. In 1957, she married her husband, J.T. Haas. Margaret was also awarded “Girl of the Year” in 1961 by Beta Sigma Phi.

A few of her hobbies included bowling, golfing, gambling and crossword puzzles. She was active in running AJRA and highschool rodeos, secretary at Phelps Dodge Mercantile and owner of Margaret’s Monogram business.

Margaret is survived by her husband J.T., her two sons Jeffrey, and Gregory (wife Melissa); her brother whom is 92, Dick (wife Betty) Southard, Washington; her granddaughter, Meagan (husband Armand) Higuera, and their children, Diego, Isabelle and Caleb, her granddaughter Heather Haas and Jose Osuna, and great granddaughter Yaneli Haas.

She was loved very much and respected by many. Margaret will be missed dearly.

Clara Jo “Jody” McSherry, 95, lived a beautifully full and interesting life – all of it in Luna County, New Mexico. Content with the blessings of farm life, a house full of kids, and comfortable in her Catholic faith, she was interested in cultures and loved exploring and understanding the world around her.

Jody said goodbye to the love of her life, G.X. McSherry, in 2013 after 68 years of marriage. Together with him, she instilled virtues of hard work, curiosity about life, social responsibility, and the value of an education in all her children. Without pretension, she was fastidious about etiquette and being well-spoken and enjoyed communicating in other languages as much as possible.

Born Clara Josephine Remondini to Italian immigrants from Tyrol, Giuseppe and Maria Asunta Remondini, she was the youngest of their seven children. As a child, Jody was happiest on her horse, Chico, exploring the dunes and mesquite thickets surrounding her parents’ farm east of Deming.

She learned how to shoot a rifle, skin a rabbit, butcher a beef, make amazing New Mexico style food, as well as maintain some Italian traditions in her home. She loved music, and dancing always brought a smile to her face. She taught all of her children to waltz and made sure that each of them had the chance to study some sort of musical instrument.

She graduated from Deming High School in 1944 in the height of World War II. She went to college at New Mexico A&M (now New Mexico State University) and lived in Rhodes Hall with a roommate who would remain her lifelong friend. Her roommate’s parents owned a drug store in Minneapolis and would send care packages to the girls that included difficult-to-find items because of the war.

Back home in Deming, Jody and her sisters provided dance partners for the airmen in training at the airbase on the east side of town. One of the airmen she met went on to become an accomplished sculptor and used Jody’s likeness in one of his statues that stands today.

Jody and G.X. married in the winter of 1945 and took over the farming and ranching operations from her parents. She lived the entirety of her life in the adobe-walled home where she was born, adding a room here and there to accommodate her five sons and two daughters.

She did not return to college immediately after marriage but did re-enroll in NMSU 35 years later – at the same time that her two youngest children were also attending the university – to work on her photojournalism degree. She put her studies to work at the Deming Headlight and enjoyed her professional career after all her children left home.

Jody actively supported her church and her community. A long-serving member of the Holy Family Church Altar Society, she helped raise funds for the ‘new’ church and community center. She invested over 30 years in preparing her seven children to participate in the Southwestern, Southern and State fairs, as well as taking them to countless 4H and FFA judging competitions.

She was the first woman elected to the Deming Public Schools Board of Education. Jody loved history, art, and culture, especially that associated with the desert southwest. She was active in the Deming Arts Council, helped support the local artists, and encouraged Demingites to do the same. Other community activities included serving on the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum board, a member of the Luna County Silver Spikes, the BorderBelles Cowbelles, Golden Gossip group, and early in her married life, Rotary Anns.