Lois Pearl Pate Criswell passed on to be with her Lord and her immediate family while staying at Heartland Health Care Center in Portales, New Mexico on February 5, 2018 at 89 years of age. She passed away after an extensive illness.
Mrs. Criswell was the second child and first daughter born to Lorene Mauldin and Riley Pate on January 7, 1929 in Balmorhea, Texas. She married Troy Criswell, the love of her life on February 21, 1947 and lived most of her life in the Portales area. Soon after they were married, the two of them moved to Fort Worth Texas for Troy to be trained as a barber. Then they moved to Levelland, Texas for a year before moving back to Portales in 1949.
Mrs. Criswell was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Portales. Her Ladies group there meant a lot to her.
She was preceded in death by her parents Riley and Lorene Pate, her brothers Marlin Pate and Dean Pate, one sister Iris Jean Bosenbury, a still born baby buried in Bluit, New Mexico, a son Rodney Criswell one day old also buried in Bluit, and a 20-year-old son Stanley Troy Criswell on October 31, 1970. Survivors include two first cousins Mrs. Roberta Bullard of Capitan, New Mexico, Mrs. Linnie Winton near Dallas, Texas, two sisters in law Bee Criswell of Springer New Mexico, Fern Hathcock and her husband Tom of Elbert, Colorado, as well as second cousins, several nephews, her husband’s nieces and nephews and their families, along with long time friend and caregiver Josie Gonzales of Portales.
Mrs. Criswell worked most of her life at Eastern New Mexico University. She enjoyed crocheting, reading and going to garage sales, of which she did a lot of each. She was more or less a private person but very kind and also had a wonderful sense of humor, for those she let into her life. She always had a smile to give to someone.
