Maxine Hille 1919-2009

Maxine Hille passed away at the age of 89 at Mesilla Valley Hospice's La Posada in Las Cruces following a short illness, July 21, 2009. Her husband, Dick Hille, preceded her in death in 1998.
She is survived by a son, Rod Hille and wife, Bonnie, of Engle, N.M.; daughters, Ann Mobley and husband, Tom, of Doña Ana, N.M.; Linda Edwards and husband, Joel, of Hurley, N.M., and Gayle Ayers and husband, Jim, of Estancia, N.M.; a son, Freddie, predeceased her in 1941 at the age of 3.
Surviving grandchildren are Clint Hille, of Gonzalez, Texas; Bonnie Jo (Hille) Lee and husband, Randy, of Edmond, Okla.; Lori (Mobley) Snodgrass and husband, Mel, of Santa Teresa, N.M.; Fred Mobley and wife, Rebecca, of Las Cruces, N.M.; Jeff Mobley and wife, Cristy, of Nichols Hills, Okla.; Lisa (Edwards) Smith and husband, Darryl, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jolene (Edwards) Latta and husband, Marty, of Marana, Ariz.; Jason Edwards and wife, Rhonda, of Hurley, N.M.; Jamie Ayers and wife, Christy, of Lubbock, Texas; Jimi Ann (Ayers) Losleben and husband, Chris, of Glendale, Ariz.; and Jeremy Ayers of Glendale, Ariz.
She has 21 great-grandchildren, Shelbi, Blake, Audra, Ross, and Cade Lee; Stephanie and Chance Snodgrass; Brannon and Annalies Mobley; Mackenzie and Madison Mobley; Ryder and Sophia Smith; Dustin Latta; Jayross and Jaycee Edwards; Ethan, Aubree, and Jayton Ayers; and Bradley and Jocelyn Losleben.
Maxine was born on Nov. 21, 1919, into the family of a horse-and-buggy country doctor in Wellington, Texas. The family that included father, Dr. W. W. Beach; mother, Ethel Beach; brother, Gaston Beach; and sister, Zenada Beach Anglin, all preceded her in death.
The Beach family followed the traveling doctor with residences in several west Texas towns during the first five years of Maxine's life. In 1924, they settled in Shamrock where the doctor established a private hospital, then called a "sanitarium." The family home and separate living quarters for nurses, along with laundry facilities for the sanitarium, were located on an adjacent lot.
In 1935, Maxine met Dick Hille during a family visit to Hot Springs, N.M., now Truth or Consequences. During the night of June 11, the couple eloped and were married by a justice of the peace in Kingston, whom they had to awaken to perform the ceremony.
Together, Dick and Maxine homesteaded on the Seco Canyon near the Rio Grande adjacent to present day Caballo Lake, where they built their home and hand dug a well for irrigation and house water. Maxine continued her schooling, riding the school bus to Hot Springs each day, and graduated from Hot Springs High School. They "proved up" on the homestead and received the patent in 1938.
When construction on Caballo Dam began, Dick was hired on the project and became a skilled blacksmith and welder. During the World War II years, those skills were considered essential to the war effort and the couple moved through a series of military support projects in Oklahoma, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. In 1946, they returned to N.M. and established Las Cruces Welding and Fabrication in Las Cruces, which they owned and operated until 1973.
In 1959, Dick and Maxine bought the V O Bar Ranch adjoining White Sands Missile Range in northern Doña Ana County and southern Sierra County. During the ensuing years, they maintained the home and business properties in Las Cruces, along with the ranch. Following Dick's death in 1998, Maxine sold the city properties, building a home near her daughter Ann north of Doña Ana. In 2004, she sold the ranch, and in 2008, sold the home to live her final days with Ann and Tom.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Monday July 27, 2009, preceded by family visitation at 9 a.m., at Fairacres Baptist Church, where Maxine was a longtime member, under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Robert Donohue, with burial following at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Maxine's grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be made to Fairacres Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 257, Fairacres, N.M. 88003; or to Mesilla Valley Hospice, Inc, 299 Montana Ave., Las Cruces, N.M. 88005
Arrangements by Getz Funeral Home, corner of Solano and Bowman Ave., Las Cruces, N.M.; (575) 526-2419. To sign the local online guest book, go to www.GetzFuneralHome.com