LouEtta Belle Johnson was born on September 3, 1923, to Charles Everett and Myrtle Mills Johnson, in Foard City, Ford County, Texas. She had an older sister, Leah Johnson, and a younger brother, Samuel Grannis Johnson. Early in her childhood the family moved to Ranchvale, NM, where her father farmed. A few years later, the family moved to Portales, NM, and her father started a trucking business.
Etta graduated from Portales High School in 1941, and then attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales for several semesters. On March 16, 1947, she married Alvin L. Woodburn of Bethel, NM. After a brief stint working on a ranch in western Oklahoma, Etta and Alvin moved back to take over the Woodburn family farm and ranch operation near Bethel, NM. Due to a series of most unfortunate circumstances, they lost the family farm in the late 1950’s. In 1960, they moved briefly to Clovis, NM, and then to a 15-acre farm northwest of Clovis. By this time Alvin’s brother, Horace Woodburn, had started Garden Center Nursery in Clovis. Alvin took over this business and Horace moved to Las Cruces, NM. They ran the nursery at the same location in Clovis until they sold the business in 1977. They lived in Clovis until 1993 when they moved briefly to Bent, NM, and then to Ruidoso Downs, NM. They lived there for several years before moving to Hagerman, NM.
Etta and Alvin had three children: Marilyn Lathrop (b. 1957) of Dexter, NM, Elaine Clark (b. 1959) of Los Lunas, NM, and Alvin Charles Woodburn (b. 1961) of Carl Junction, MO. Etta was preceded in death by Alvin who passed away in 2008, as well as her siblings. Etta is succeeded by her three children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.
Etta was active in her church for most of her life. She was an active member of the Soroptimist Club of Clovis for quite a few years and she delivered lunches for Meals on Wheels to elderly and shut ins. She played clarinet in college and for a short time later in life, she played in the Clovis Community Orchestra. When she and Alvin moved to Hagerman, she was an active member of the J.O.Y. Center there.
Etta died peacefully in her sleep at the Robert Wertheim Hospice House in Albuquerque, NM, in the early morning hours of May 15, 2023. She was just a few months shy of turning 100 years. In lieu of flowers or other considerations to the family, please make a donation in Etta’s memory to the Robert Wertheim Hospice House: https://give.phs.org/give/357889/#!/donation/checkout . Select to dedicate to the memory of Etta Woodburn and, in the dropdown menu, select the Robert Wertheim Hospice House.
A memorial service will be held on July 8 at 2:00 PM at the J.O.Y. Center in Hagerman, NM.
Published by Eastern New Mexico News from May 26 to May 28, 2023.
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