Mildred Marie South Creamer passed away early Sunday morning, January 17, 2021, in Garland, Texas, at the age of 97. She was born August 4, 1923, to Blanche Edith and Murray Van South in Portales, New Mexico. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ross Creamer, her brother, Reuben South, and two sisters, Irene Ribble and Betty Wright. Mrs. Creamer attended Portales Public School all her life and graduated in 1940. Just prior to WWII, she and Mr. Creamer of Dora, NM, were married and moved to Corpus Christi, Texas. When her husband was drafted at the start of WWII, Mrs. Creamer moved back to Portales where she worked in the Roosevelt County Selective Service office. She resigned in 1944 and moved with her sister to Washington where they joined the Boilermakers’ Union working in the shipyards.
At war’s end, the couple moved to Lovington, NM, where three of their daughters were born. They moved to Colorado in 1951, and then to Lubbock, Texas, in 1956, where their youngest daughter was born. They returned to Portales in 1959. Mr. and Mrs. Creamer owned The Yardage Shop near the Portales Square for a number of years. Mrs. Creamer worked at the Portales News-Tribune for several years before beginning work at ENMU while simultaneously earning her Bachelor’s degree. After obtaining her Master’s degree in Reading, she taught reading in Elida, Clovis and Portales public schools.
Central to Mrs. Creamer’s life was her membership in First Baptist Church in Portales which she attended faithfully, participating in numerous committees and supporting organizations. While living in Colorado, she was instrumental in reopening a Southern Baptist church which grew into a larger congregation of approximately 100 members.
During her years of teaching in the Elida Public Schools, she wrote letters to the editor of the local newspaper and to state and national officials warning of the dangers of the poor road conditions of U.S. Highway 70 from Portales to Elida. The road was eventually widened and reconstructed to her satisfaction and to those of others who joined with her in calls and letters for the improvements.
Mrs. Creamer is survived by her daughters and her sons-in-law all of whom live in Texas: Kathy Long of Plano, Marcy and Walt James of Garland; Teri and Dale Glisson of Wylie; and Melisa and Cleve Blair of Ft. Worth. She is survived by five grandchildren and five great grandchildren as well as nieces and nephews.
A private burial has taken place in the Portales Cemetery. Later in the year, the family hopes to be able to gather with friends to commemorate Marie’s life. The family requests that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Baptist Children’s Home, P O Box 629, Portales, NM 88130.
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