Graveside services for Ama McDermid, 64, of Portales, will be held at 2:00 PM, Tues., June 19, 2018 in the Portales Cemetery with Don Thomas officiating, assisted by her husband, Rod McDermid. Doug Dugan, Calvin Evans, Hugh Parman, Danny Justus and Greg Senn along with all of her many other good friends will be honorary pallbearers. Those desiring to make memorial contributions may send them to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Ave., 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851.
Ama Vivian McDermid was born Aug. 28, 1953, in Clovis to Evelyn (Cotton) and Ralph Bloodworth Drake and died June 14, 2018 in Albuquerque, following an eleven years long battle with cancer. As a girl, Ama was active in the Campfire Girls. She graduated from Portales High School in 1971, where she played the clarinet in the Ram Band. On July 9, 1971, in Portales, she was married to Rod McDermid. They enjoyed many trips together over the years. In addition to traveling, Ama was an accomplished horsewoman, and trained a number of horses for trail riding. She served as the Emcee for the Little Wranglers Buckle Rodeo. Her rule was if you didn’t work, you didn’t ride, and in spite of her gentle nature, she could be very firm. She served as a 4-H leader when her children were young. Ama also enjoyed photography and making pottery. For a number of years she was active in a women’s bowling league.
She is survived by Rod Bruce McDermid, her husband of almost 47 years of their home; a daughter and son-in-law, Tonya and Mark Yoesting of Texico, NM; a son, David Bruce McDermid of Portales; seven grandchildren, Katlyn Haley Cook, Madilyn Faith Cook and Sydnee Cook, Connor Drake McDermid, Paden Bruce McDermid, Jordan Yoesting and Micayla Yoesting; a brother, Clarence Guy Drake of Virginia City, NV; and two sisters, Winola Williamson of Ada, OK and Roxana Drake of Belen, NM. She was preceded in death by one granddaughter, Emma Rae McDermid and by both of her parents.
