Mary Lou (Flores) Payen

Funeral services for Mary Lou Payen, 69, of Portales, will be held at 2:00 PM, Mon., Oct. 13, 2025 at Legacy Church in Portales with Pastor Abner Ortiz officiating.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Antoine Cole, Adam Ables, Israel Martinez, Jeremy Enriquez, Josh Enriquez, Adam Hernandez and Mason Warner serving as pallbearers.

Mary Lou Payen was born Dec. 24, 1955 in Odessa, TX to the home of Maria (Marroguin) and Luis Flores, and passed from this life on the morning of Oct. 7, 2025 in Portales. Mrs. Payen grew up in west Texas, and later moved to Hobbs, NM.  In 1970, she was married to Jesse Padilla.  The couple had one son before divorcing.  After becoming acquainted with Albert Payen, she moved to Portales, and the couple was married on Oct. 25, 1986.  For more than thirty years, she was employed by the State of New Mexico as a Treatment Foster Mother, a position requiring special licensing to care for special needs children.

Mrs. Payen’s love language was in cooking and feeding large crowds.  Somehow, she made it look easy to prepare such large meals, and they were always amazing.  She had a servant’s heart, and was the first to bring food in emergencies or when there was a death in the family.  She often helped with meals for her church.  Some of her specialties were carne guisada, fideos, caldo, and of course rice and beans.  She possessed a unique talent to taste something and know what seasonings it contained and could then duplicate it in her own kitchen.  Mary Lou was especially fond of her ruby red lipstick and her turquoise jewelry.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Amanda Padilla of Portales; her daughter and son-in-law, Victoria and Mark Pena of Portales and Michayla (Brandon) Cook; her step-sons, Aldaberto Payen, Jesse Padilla and Orlando Padilla all of Hobbs; her step-daughters, Norma Payen, Erica Roerson and April Padilla all of Hobbs, and Raquel Payen of Austin, TX; five grandchildren, Arielle Ables and her companion Mason Warner, Adam Ables and his companion, Lily Dodge, Mason Pena, Owen Cook and River Pena as well as numerous step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren; her mother, Maria Flores of Midland, TX; a brother, Jerry Flores of Lubbock, TX; three sisters and brothers-in-law, Glenda and Rudy Rodriguez of Wolfforth, TX, Gloria and George Hernandez and Tisha Flores of Midland, TX; her sisters-in-love, Anita Payen, Olga Aldaz and Nina Payen all of Portales; a brother-in-law, Eddie Armijo of Portales; and a very special niece, Chama Garduno of Portales.  She was preceded in death by her father, Luis Flores, a brother, Luis Flores, two sisters, Sandy Flores and Linda Flores, four sisters-in-law, Eva Armijo, Elva (Oracio) Aranda, Stella Aranivas, and Elfida (Estavan) Garduno.

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