Maurice Clyde Chandler went to Heaven and saw the face of God on December 18, 2022. Clyde was a husband to Kay; a father of two sons, Clint and Scott; a grandfather to Claire, David, and Roy Scott, Hannah, Levi, Naomi and Sophia; a mentor to many; a deacon and, later, elder at the First Baptist Church in Deming; a Sunday School teacher for much of his adult life, including during his final days; a businessman and a cowboy. He was kind, generous, humble, well read, and very hard working. He lived his Christian faith.
Clyde was born on June 25, 1945 to parents Maurice Douglas and Pearl Chandler in Stephenville, Texas. He was the youngest child. His siblings were Douglas, Jeanene and Beth. After his upbringing on the family dairy farm and graduating from Stephenville High School, Clyde attended Sul Ross State University, where he was a Dean’s List student and was graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree. Clyde met Kay at Sul Ross and they were married in August 1966. After Clyde’s graduation, they moved to Stephenville, where Clyde worked for almost a decade at his family’s dairy in partnership with his father, Maurice.
Maurice and Clyde purchased the Tierra Blanca Ranch, the southernmost ranch in the Black Range, near Hillsboro, New Mexico, in 1976 and moved to the Land of Enchantment the next year. Clyde, Kay, Clint and Scott settled in Deming. Clyde was very supportive of his sons through their various endeavors, which included graduating from Deming High School, and took them to various destinations to live and work, including Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and Arizona. Clyde occupied much of the rest of his life, nearly 45 years, working and improving the ranch. He was pleased to enable enjoyable and beneficial experiences for a substantial number of others; many of these were students in the High Country Youth Program and others were clients through outfitting services provided by Clyde and Scott.
The relationships formed with the youth program participants, including three of his eventual pallbearers, and four of his honorary pallbearers, were particularly meaningful to Clyde; many of those bonds persisted through the years. One former ranch student named his son Clyde, after him. This extended family enriched his life. Clyde’s relationships through his church and the broader faith community brought him joy. Still further, Clyde’s greatly valued his connections with other farmers and ranchers. He loved the ranch immensely and was proud of his vocation.
Even in his final hours, Clyde expressed his belief that continuing to operate the Tierra Blanca Ranch and keeping it in the family is a legacy. Clyde’s greatest legacy is the impact on the lives he touched and those relationships developed across the decades.
While the chapters of his life contained too many remarkable, even extraordinary, stories to relate in these pages, they are, for those who knew him, the substance of the memories of a life well lived. He was leaning forward until his sudden death that Sunday night. He had looked forward to attending, on the next day, Scott’s oath of office as a New Mexico Magistrate Judge and the oath of Colette, as a Luna County Commissioner.
Clyde is survived by Kay, his wife; Clint and his wife Patricia; Scott and Colette; and his grandchildren, Claire, David, Roy Scott, Hannah, Levi, Naomi, and Sophia, and his sister, Beth. He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Pearl, his sister, Jeanene, and his brother Douglas.
Services for Clyde were at the First Baptist Church on Thursday, December 29, beginning with the viewing at 10:00 am followed by the service at 10:30 am. Lunch was served at the church. Those willing to travel to the ranch are welcome to join the family during the early- to mid-afternoon burial in the Chandler Family Cemetery. The pallbearers are David Chandler; Roy Scott Chandler; Brian Lee; Taylor Meyers; Tim Roberson and Lee Bouton. Honorary pallbearers include Lonnie Honeycutt; Paul Soulsby; Frank Morgan; Pat Wilson; Evan Kogler, Brandon Curry and Josh Benningfield.
Clyde will be long remembered for his authenticity, compassion, willingness to act when he perceived a need, and the sacrifices he made for those he loved, within and outside of his family.
Entrusted to the care of Baca’s Funeral Chapels and Mimbres Crematory. Exclusive provider for “Veterans & Family Memorial Care”. To sign the online guest book or to send a card, please visit our website at www.bacasfuneralchapels.com.
811S.GoldAve.,Deming,NM 88030.Phone: 575.546.9671
