Nathan "Gene" Massey

Funeral services for Nathan “Gene” Massey, 85, of Portales, will be held at 2:00 PM, Thurs., Mar. 24, 2022 at the First Baptist Church in Dora, NM with Rev. Ben Pritchett and Rev. Wesley McAfee officiating.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Chad Massey, Brian Ridenour, Cody Medlock, Ian Massey, Brandon Boerio, Noah Massey, Nate Barrett, Joshua Walker, Gary Rains, David Bessel and Nicholas Bessel serving as pallbearers.  Terry Varnell, Buster Keener, Clois Massey, Stephen Thetford and Billy Skaggs along with the Dora Youth Group will serve as honorary pallbearers.  The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Wed. evening, Mar. 23, 2022 from 6 to 8:00 PM.

Nathan Gene Massey was born Dec. 17, 1936, in rural Roosevelt County to the home of Lillie Bell (Meil) and David Lee Massey and died Mar. 18, 2022 in Lubbock, TX.  Gene, as he was known to many, was a 1954 graduate of Rogers High School, where he played basketball.  He also played on the baseball team in the position of catcher.  On June 10, 1956 in Rogers, he was married to LaTrelle Ross.  He farmed along with his father-in-law, Johnny Ross, and his brother-in-law, Rodney Thetford.  In addition, in the early 1960’s, he earned his pilot’s license.  Gene loved flying, and made use of that skill by spraying the crops on their farms.

A devout Christian, Gene was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church in Dora.  His was a devoted husband and[SR1]  father, and cherished his time with his family.  Gene was a very hard-working farmer.  However, when he could take a break, he enjoyed fishing.    Many of those fishing trips were with his father-in-law at Conchas Lake.  The family also had a cabin at Ruidoso, and Gene enjoyed trout fishing in the mountains.  Gene was a Dallas Cowboys football fan, and always enjoyed watching the games.

He is survived by LaTrelle, his wife of almost 66 years of their home; three sons and daughters-in-law, Kevin and Nelda Massey of Roswell, NM, Kyle and Laura Massey of Clovis, NM and Craig and Maria Massey of Las Cruces, NM; a daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Lewis Walker of Dora, NM; 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; a brother, Lee Massey of Levelland, TX and a sister, Joyce Massey Walton of Amarillo, TX.  He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Clarence Massey.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Nathan "Gene" Massey, please visit our floral store.