Curtis Wayne Bishop

On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, Curtis Wayne Bishop, 66, passed away at home while surrounded by his family. Curt was born on March 14, 1953, in Moberly, Missouri to Dorsey Marvin Bishop and Constance Rayburn Bishop. In 1963, at the age of 10, his family moved to Roswell, New Mexico. He graduated from Roswell High School in 1971, at which time, he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers, which he declined. While Curt grew up a Yankee's fan, his loyalty was to the Cincinnati Reds. Curt made the decision to try out as a walk-on with the Reds. He signed with the Reds and was sent to Bacone Junior College in Oklahoma, where he played baseball as a left-handed pitcher. Curt broke his elbow during his sophomore year, which ultimately ended his pursuit of a professional baseball career. After college, Curt returned to Roswell where he met Allie Lunsford. The two were married on December 27, 1974. Curt and Allie made their house a home and had three children. Curt was employed at TMC/Nova Bus for 27 1/2 years and enjoyed his job and the people. He was an active member of the Roswell Elk's Lodge and proudly served as an officer in various positions. Although baseball became a thing of his past, he took up playing softball with the Bueno Suerte Studs in his earlier years. He was also an avid golfer and enjoyed playing with the Spring River Nooners. Curt and Allie moved to the Kansas City area in 2006 to be closer to their three children and grandchildren. They moved back to Roswell in 2011. Curt is survived by his wife, Allie, and their three children: Jennifer Hernandez (Phil) of Gardner, Kansas; Kerri Lindsay (Ronnie) of Shawnee, Kansas; and Richard Bishop of Grandview, Missouri. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Jordan Withers, Keigan and Caden Lindsay, Damon Bishop, Kayden, Chandler and Alec Hernandez, and one sister, Mary Perry (Lonny). He is preceded in death by his parents, and sister, Marva Heaton. Services will be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of Anderson Bethany Funeral Home, 2609 S. Main Roswell, New Mexico 88203. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - Kansas City Chapter, in honor of Curt's grandsons, Keigan and Caden, who live with autoimmune Type 1 diabetes. This was a cause near and dear to his heart. You can go to the following link/website to make a donation: http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/KC-CureCrushers. The Bishop family would like to thank Dr. Mike Grafe; Mike, Marcus and Kelly with Encompass Home Health Care; and Anita, Stacy, Roberta, and Jessica with Kindred Hospice for their friendship and dedication in providing excellent care to Curt. We would also like to thank Allie’s brothers and sisters, especially, Tom Lunsford, for their help throughout this journey. Please take a moment and share a kind thought or memory with Curtis’ family at www.andersonbethany.com. Curtis’ tribute was written in his honor by his loving family.

Curtis Wayne Bishop

March 14, 1953 - May 21, 2019