Betty Jo Markham

Betty Jo Markham was born on August 20, 1934, in Rush Springs, Oklahoma, to Johnny Joseph Harrison and Florence (Curtis) Harrison. She entered heaven at the age of 90 on December 24, 2024. She was born during the Great Depression, the youngest of 11 children, and her father delivered all 11 children at home. Her family moved to Roswell, New Mexico, in 1938, where she grew up picking and chopping cotton, and the money she earned was used to buy her school clothes and school supplies. Some of Betty’s fondest memories were growing up in the East Grand Plains farming community and attending East Grand Plains School, where she was the valedictorian of her eighth-grade class. Betty married Kenneth Markham on July 24, 1951, in Roswell, New Mexico. Kenneth affectionately called her his “Sweet Pea.” They met at East Grand Plains School in fifth grade and farmed in the East Grand Plains community for many years. She dropped out of Roswell High School to marry Kenneth and was just three credits shy of graduating. However, she later earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the age of 57 with a 3.90 GPA. She was a member of the Silent Generation, and she possessed the qualities of calmness, contentment, fairness, frugality, honesty, humility, loyalty, and kindness. She never uttered a profane word nor spoke ill of others. “Still waters run deep,” described Betty, who was a quiet person with deep thoughts, and she knew that having two ears and one mouth meant listening more than speaking. Three daughters and their husbands survive Betty: Debra Paschall, and Dennis of Granbury, Texas; Kathy Flores and Jose of Hobbs, New Mexico; and Cynthia Markham and Bob Fraze of Portales, New Mexico. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Betty is survived by one brother, Dee Harrison, of Porum, Oklahoma, and one sister, Bernice Mathews, of Roswell, New Mexico. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Markham; her parents, Johnny and Florence (Curtis) Harrison; six brothers, Leonard Harrison, Doyle Harrison, Earl Harrison, Fred Harrison, Ambrose Harrison, and Bob Harrison; and two sisters, Alma Higgins and Irene Beeman. God and family were always her top priorities. She did not value material possessions and knew this world was not her home. Surely, God greeted her with the words, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.” A funeral service for Betty will be at 1:00 pm on Monday, January 13, 2025, at Anderson-Bethany Funeral Home in Roswell, New Mexico, with the graveside service following at South Park Cemetery.

Betty Jo Markham

August 20, 1934 - December 24, 2024