SERVICES:
10:30 AM Friday
Methodist Church
Alan Joe Killough was born August 19, 1935 in Hobart Oklahoma to the home of Joe Killough and Ola Cannon Killough. When he was 3 years old his family moved to Ft Sumner where his dad owned and leased ranches and bought and sold cattle. His uncle, Harold McElroy, and his family had moved with the Killoughs to New Mexico and Harold worked at the ranch and was A J.’s mentor and guide in the ranching business.
He and his parents lived in Fort Sumner while he attended Ft Sumner schools. While in High School, AJ attended Boys State and was elected an officer. He had the Grand Champion FFA Barrow at the El Paso Southwestern Stock Show. His barrow brought the most money for a barrow at that time. AJ played football and was nicknamed “Toe”. He played in the North/South football game when all schools participated in the one game. He was offered a football scholarship at Portales when he graduated in 1953, but instead he chose to marry his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Bea Lowman.
AJ and Bea married on August 20, 1953 and moved to the family ranch, where they were employed by his father. AJ was 24 years old when his dad passed away, leaving him the responsibility of the ranching operation. He was a successful rancher for all of his life. He lived on the ranch for 28 years then moved into town and concentrated on wheat cattle and feedlot operations.
AJ and Bea have three daughters of whom he was very proud. He was very active in helping with and watching their various activities while they were growing up. He was a great father. He encouraged each of them to attend and graduate from college and enjoyed talking with them about the lives they made for themselves. AJ loved his sons-in-laws, but he had a passion for his 7 grandchildren. He would brag about their academic achievements and he liked to give them a dollar for each ‘A’ when in grade school. Like him, his grandchildren are athletic, and AJ attended every one of their sports events that he could. His grandkids could do no wrong in his eyes. .
AJ loved Bea’s family. His nephew Ab was particularly special to him. Bea’s parents, sisters and brother and their spouses and families and the rest of her extended family were the large family that he did not have growing up.
AJ joined First United Methodist Church in 1973 and was a greeter on Sundays for many years. He was a member of the Mounted Patrol. He helped put on numerous Jr.Rodeos for the youth of the community. . AJ was a County Commissioner for 4 years and served on the Great Plains Committee. AJ was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and enjoyed betting on them every chance he got. He loved all of the roping pots at the feed store. He liked pitching quarters at Raymond’s station. He was a member of the U.S. Team Roping Association and the Old Timers Roping. He loved team roping and the camaraderie of the ropers. He could remember ‘times and placings’ from 50 years ago and always kept up with the top 10 in the PRCA. AJ would tell stories about his high school football travels and the great times he and his friends had in the Ag barn. AJ loved the fall and spring cattle gatherings and liked to see the tall green grass. He looked forward to any cattle working with the neighbors and treasured these times and his friends.
AJ is survived by his wife of almost 55 years, Bea Lowman Killough. Also surviving are his daughters JoBeth Killough of San Antonio, TX, Leola Patterson and husband Willie of Ft. Sumner, and Debbie Morgan and husband JT of Odessa, TX, and his grandchildren Hadley and Tobea Patterson and Chris, Travis, Garrett, Meg and Ali Morgan.
AJ was preceded in death by his father and mother, Joe Allen and Ola Cannon Killough., and by a grandchild, Shawn Raye Patterson; also by a half sister, Fern Mitchell and a half brother Travis Killough.
The casket will be closed at the services, visitation will be held at the funeral home on Wednesday and Thursday from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM and on Friday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at the church.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Friday, April 11, 2008 from the First United Methodist Church in Fort Sumner. Rev. Keith Niehaus and Buddy Hall will officiate. Burial will follow in the family plot at Fort Sumner Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Eddie Benton, Mike West, Dwayne Ridley, Emmet Fallon, Tom Drake, Knox Cortese, Jim Geiler and Jim Koontz.
The family would like to acknowledge, on AJ’s behalf, his loving memories of his roping buddies, the men and women he knew and worked with as ranching neighbors, his coffee shop friends, his feed store ‘office’ friends, the friends he played cards with at Senior Citizens, and his special ‘town’ neighbors. Special to him were his grandchildren’s friends who called him Papa.
The family prefers memorial contributions to the Building Fund of the First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 410, Fort Sumner, NM or to the Fort Sumner Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 180, Fort Sumner, NM 88119.
Arrangements are under the direction of Chavez Funeral Home, 804 N. Fifth Street; Fort Sumner, New Mexico. To place an online tribute or sign the guest book visit www.chavezfuneralhome.com
