Bill (Billy Ray) Dalley at the age of 87 passed peacefully at his residence in Clovis while surrounded by his family. The memorial service will be at First United Methodist Church in Portales, NM, Thursday, November 29th at 1:30 PM with Pastor Mark McAfee officiating and assisted by Rev. Amy Jordan. Following the service, friends and family are invited for refreshments and visiting in the Fellowship Hall. A private family burial will precede the memorial service at the Portales Cemetery.
Bill was born January 1, 1931 in Davis, Oklahoma. He was preceded in death by parents, Edwin Doyle and Minnie Lee Powell Dalley, and brother, James Boyd Dalley. He is survived by his wife Alta Dalley, son Don (Ronda) Dalley of Clovis, NM, daughter Diane (Steve) Harris of Roswell, NM, daughter Sherri (Mark) McAfee of Portales, NM, and brother Norvell (Mary) Dalley of Sulphur, OK. He is also survived by grandchildren: Michael (Kristi) Dalley, Shannon (Chris) Mosier, Landon (Mackenzie) Dalley, Taylor (Lindsey) Harris, Brandon McAfee, Lane Harris, Collin McAfee, and great grandchildren: Addison, Ezra, Aiden, and Micah.
Bill attended 12 years of school in Davis where he participated in football, basketball, and track and worked at the family business delivering coal and ice. Bill was an Eagle Scout and after graduation he attended East Central Oklahoma College where he was a walk-on football player. He was then offered a scholarship and played freshman through senior year. After graduating from college with a Master of Education, Bill was drafted on January 3, 1954 by the Army and served as Private First Class with the 936th Field Artillery Battalion during the Korean Conflict. He was honorably discharged on September 24, 1954.
On August 6, 1954 he married the love of his life, Alta Hamilton in Elida, NM. They made their home in Portales where Bill was employed by the Portales Schools as High School Counselor/Educator for 36 years. They attended church at FUMC. In their 62 years of marriage they travelled the 50 states, Canada, and parts of Europe. They built eight homes and helped their children build five more. They square danced with the Starlight Swingers for 13 years.
Bill was an avid collector/restorer of antique wood and metal windmills. This hobby led to his founding of the International Windmill Trade Fair and was hosted in Portales for the first three years. The Fair is now held annually throughout the US. He loved tinkering and creating with “junk” of which his family lovingly agreed and sometimes supported. He loved spending time with friends and family.
The family requests donations to be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in lieu of flowers.
