Annie Elizabeth Campbell Hutchison

Annie Elizabeth Campbell Hutchison, 89, of Westernway, Carlsbad, NM, passed away Monday, March 3, 2014 at her home. There will be no visitation, cremation will take place. A Memorial Service is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 2014, 10:30 AM, at Denton-Wood Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. David W. Rogers officiating. Interment will follow in Rocky Arroyo Cemetery, Rocky Arroyo, New Mexico. Denton-Wood Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Annie Elizabeth Campbell was born September 10, 1924 to Eddy County pioneers Dillard F. and Sarah Ann (Hill) Campbell on the family ranch on Rocky Arroyo, New Mexico. She attended the Rocky Arroyo country school through the eighth grade before attending Carlsbad High School and graduating in 1942. She was a strong student who managed to fit both schoolwork and ranch work into her very busy days. Elizabeth's grandparents James and Susan Campbell first settled in Seven Rivers but later moved to Rocky Arroyo to begin what would become 65 years richly blessed with faith, family and friends. James built many of the rock structures on the creek as well in the Sitting Bull Falls area aided by his sons who also settled in the area. Elizabeth spent her first 18 years on Rocky with her three sisters and two brothers along with several families of Campbell aunts, uncles and cousins living close-by. The family was also happy to have many members of the Hill family living both on Rocky and in Carlsbad. Elizabeth was especially close to her Aunt Lora Hill Scudder. Elizabeth came into this world full of nervous energy, mischievousness and curiosity. Because she was such a restless child, the cowboys on the Campbell ranch nicknamed her "Wig" (short for wiggle-worm), a name that stuck with her for decades. Only her husband Perry and her mother Annie Campbell called her Elizabeth much to her secret delight. Elizabeth thrived on ranch work and was most often seen in the company of her beloved father looking for stray cattle, branding, milking their many dairy cows or helping in the vegetable fields. She also loved to fish, to swim in the deep holes on Rocky with her cousins, and horseback riding. She disliked domestic chores as a young woman preferring to be outside with the men folk. She was photographed on the morning of her high school graduation branding a young calf. Elizabeth reluctantly left the country life she loved after graduation to move to Carlsbad to share an apartment with her cousin Virginia Shafer and to work as a teller for the American Bank of Carlsbad. During her first year in town, she met Master Sergeant Perry L. Hutchison. They were married February 12, 1943 in the First Methodist Church parsonage on Guadalupe Street. Because moving "to town" was such an adjustment for Elizabeth, both she and Perry escaped to the ranch most weekends during their early years of marriage. Despite Elizabeth's early dislike of cooking and housework, her desire for perfection took over and she became a master of both. She can best be described as a "Renaissance woman" as she could learn or could teach herself anything she was interested in doing. She won so many Eddy County Extension cake contests that she was finally asked to become a judge in the event rather than a contestant. She taught herself to sew and, with her desire to construct only the best, made clothing for herself and her daughters that rivaled any fine dressmaker's shop. She made beautiful ball gowns, tailored suits, lovely dresses and wedding gowns among other things. For each great-grandchild born, she made several flannel blankets trimmed in a unique crochet stitch. She also loved to piece and quilt many beautiful pieces of art. Elizabeth loved gardening and grew every kind of flowering plant but loved her pink roses the best. One year, she decided to learn to make ristras and to gift each family member with one of her beautiful creations. She also perfected many Mexican dishes and barbeque. She was famous for her delicious chile rellenos and pots of pinto beans to accompany her buttermilk cornbread. She made fabulous biscuits, perfect light bread and rolls of all sorts and, of course, the best pies you ever tasted. She knew every family member's favorite foods and desserts and always made a point of having those dishes ready to serve whenever they visited her and Perry. She could always be counted upon to have food ready to go given a couple of hours notice. Elizabeth decided at one point to learn to drive a school bus owned by Jim Sikes. She loved the kids she carried on the many routes in Loving, Otis and Carlsbad. She and her friends Nicky Covington and Lucille Miller especially liked going to School Bus Driving School in Silver City for 5 days every year where they not only studied but also had great fun going to dances. Elizabeth had been a lifelong Democrat, working hard for the party in many capacities until the party disappointed her in the 1980's with their ultra-liberal policies. Elizabeth was especially proud to be a member of the Choctaw Nation. Perry and Elizabeth enjoyed picking fruit at the Nichols' orchard and buying produce from the Haldeman farm in Artesia. She especially loved damson plums that she used to make the jelly that all the grandchildren so dearly loved. Most did not realize until they were adults that there was anything other than her beautiful red plum jelly. When she had to withdraw from cooking in her last years, the precious jars of jelly were jealously guarded. Perry and Elizabeth also loved estate sales and auctions where they often bought old country furniture and worked together to restore it for themselves or other family members. They also worked hard for the Eddy County 4-H organization from 1955 until the last grandchild entered projects in the show around 2009. Elizabeth and Perry were married 66 years when he preceded her in death in 2009. She was also predeceased by her parents, brothers: James Dexter Campbell and Jack Dillard Campbell and by her sisters: Frances Hamilton Campbell, Wilma Campbell Truitt and Cleo Campbell Sanders and infant granddaughter Amy Elizabeth Hutchison. Elizabeth is survived by the family she loved so dearly and who deeply loved her in return. Survivors are daughters: Sarah Hutchison Almy and husband Fred of Evergreen, CO; and Susan Hutchison Jones and husband Bob of Memphis, TN; and a son Craig Hutchison and wife Dianna of Carlsbad. She is survived by seven grandchildren: Scott Almy and wife Renee' of McKinney, TX; Jonathan Almy and wife Jennifer of Heath, TX, David Jones and wife Maureen of Severna Park, MD; Daniel Jones and wife Tracey of Tucson, AZ, Whitney Hutchison and Jack Stiles of Carlsbad, William Hutchison of Las Cruces, NM, and Emily Hutchison of Carlsbad. She is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren: Ryan, Morgan Elizabeth and Matthew Almy; Meredith and Dylan Almy; Brendan and Campbell Jones; Hayley, Calvin and Alexandria Jones; and Rebecca and Amber Stiles. Elizabeth is also survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the nurses and hospice staff at Golden Services with special thanks to Sara Madrid, Jennifer Haschets, Tish Chavarria, Linda Flores and Pam Salcido. We very much appreciate Rudy Gilbert from Carlsbad Medical Supply for his support of our mission to keep our parents in their home until they passed. We are grateful for the many family members who were such a great support to us during our mother's long illness-Elizabeth's grandchildren, great-grandchildren, all the nieces and nephews and our Aunt Mary Campbell. We are also grateful for the many friends who have also held us up when we most needed love and support. We regret that an accounting of those sweet friends is too long to list. There are also five special people who came to our aide on many occasions and include Marcus Miles, Gene and Tina Kincaid, Sam Melendrez and our special daughter-in-law Dianna Hutchison. You have richly blessed our lives. Sarah and Susan would also like to thank their husbands Fred Almy and Bob Jones for their sacrifice in the past several years so that we could pursue our dream for providing comfort and solace to our beloved parents. Memorial contributions may be made to Carlsbad Foundation, 114 South Canyon Street, Carlsbad, NM 88220 or any charity of your choice. Condolences may be expressed at dentonwood.com.