Graveside services for Albert Fails, 97, of Portales, will be at 2:00 PM, Thurs., May 18, 2017 in the Portales Cemetery with Scott P. Reeves officiating. All of his family and friends will be honorary pallbearers. Military honors will be rendered by American Legion Post #31 of Portales.
Albert Sidney Fails, known to many as “Buster,” was born May 7, 1920 in Portales, to the home of Rosa (Hatch) and Leonard Alvin Fails, and died May 13, 2017 in Portales. Following graduation from high school, Mr. Fails served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After basic training at Kelly Field, he served in North Africa and Italy. Following the war, he worked at Southwestern Public Service Co. as an electrician for ten years. For several years, he was a partner in Perry Electric. Later he worked for 15 years as an Electrical and Mechanical Journeyman for Barney Bocock. In the late 1960’s he became the Electrical Inspector for the State of New Mexico. Albert retired in 1983.
On June 20, 1945 in Portales, he was married to Mildred Houston. On Feb. 5, 1980, he and his wife moved to the home they had built east of Portales. Albert owned a horse named Terk from the time the horse was eighteen months old until he died at age 32 years. Albert’s son-in-law, Dick Brown broke Terk to the saddle. In his retirement, Albert enjoyed his small farming and ranching operation.
He is survived by a step-daughter and son-in-law, Ramona Ruth and Tom Wall of Roswell; two grandchildren, Tom (Colette) Wall, Jr. of Salina, OK and Kevin (Patricia) Wall of Savannah, GA; three great-grandchildren, Leslie Wall and Michelle Wall both of Richmond Hill, GA and Samantha Wall of Pryor, OK; a neighbor, Olga G. Terrazas, who helped him with his daily living for the past 20 years; as well as the best neighbors, friends and nieces and nephews in the world. He was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters, Pauline Howl, Mildred Bessie Worley, Felicia Fails, and Zenomia (Shorty) Wiley; three brothers, Pete, Randy and Jerry Fails; and by his wife, Mildred, who died May 19, 2000.