Winifred "Winnie" Blount

Obituary for Winifred “Winnie” Blount On Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2014, with her favorite rosary in her hand and her children and best friend at her bedside, Winifred “Winnie” Blount left us to be with her Lord and Savior. Two hours before she died, Winnie looked off in the distance and said: “There’s my life story right there…what a good book.” Truer words were never spoken, for that book describes a life that was rich with purpose and consequence and service. Born on April 14, 1942 in Washington, D.C., to James R. Webb, Jr., and Mildred Webb, Winnie was the oldest of seven children. Her father’s military career took Winnie and their growing family many places, including Texas, South Dakota, Peru, Spain, New York, and Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. Moving so often and so far at such a young age, particularly with the responsibilities expected of the oldest child, no doubt sparked in Winnie the virtues of discipline, organization, and forthrightness for which she would become well-known. Winnie graduated from Highland High School in Albuquerque in 1959. After a year in religious life in Michigan, she returned to New Mexico and enrolled in nursing school. During her course of study, Winnie was introduced to E.J. Fouratt, Jr., a captain stationed at Sandia Base who was leaving the Army to join the New Mexico State Police. Married in 1963, Winnie and E.J. lived first in Clines Corners and then in Santa Fe. They were soon blessed by the arrivals of E.J. Fouratt, III, and Greg Fouratt in relatively quick succession. When her husband re-joined the Army and was twice sent to Vietnam, Winnie managed to juggle her two sons, their beloved baby sister, Theresa Fouratt (Kyser), and full-time employment as a registered nurse, a challenge that no doubt required Winnie to rely heavily on the virtues of discipline, organization, and forthrightness for which she had become well-known. Winnie and her three children eventually settled in Roswell for good in 1970. Winnie worked for thirteen years at St. Mary’s Hospital, first as a recovery room nurse and then as the Assistant Director of Nurses. She then served for six years in the medical office of Ramesh Nayak, M.D. Throughout her nearly thirty-year career in direct patient care, Winnie prided herself on doing everything possible to ensure that her patients – no matter their name or background or station in life – received simply the very best care she and her employer could provide. She held herself and those around her to the highest standards and the thousands of lives she touched as a registered nurse no doubt were better for it. In 1989, having shepherded her kids through school, Winnie moved to Albuquerque to be near her aging parents. She worked as a medical record auditor for the New Mexico Medical Review Association and as a medical paralegal in a private law office. In 1998, Winnie succumbed again to the allure of Roswell – truly her favorite city of all – and moved back. She closed her career, which spanned nearly five decades, by managing the medical records office at the New Mexico Rehabilitation Center, officially retiring in 2007. Throughout her life, and during the suffering that preceded her death, Winnie was fortified by her devout Catholic faith. She delighted in the achievements of her children and grandchildren, especially when they arose from the virtues of discipline, organization, and forthrightness for which she had long since become legendary. And she loved all of her family – parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren – with an intensity and passion possessed only by the most special people. Hers was a good book, indeed. Winnie is survived by sons, E.J. Fouratt, III, and his wife, Tobie; and Greg Fouratt and his wife, Anita; daughter, Theresa Kyser and her husband, Dane; grandchildren, Cody and Eric Fouratt and Chase, Cheyenne, and Garrison Kyser; brother, James R. Webb, III, and his wife, Diana; sister, Roberta Ruth and her husband, Babe; sisters, Judy, Gretchen, and Paula Webb; numerous nieces and nephews; and her two best friends, Margo Fullinwider and Meena Nayak, M.D. Winnie was preceded in death by her parents, as well as by her brother, Gregory R. Webb, and her grandson, E.J. Fouratt, IV. Winnie and her family extend special thanks to Jodie Rogers, Laura Riddle, and Stacy Maxwell, the extraordinary caregivers from Gentiva Hospice who truly touched our hearts. Visitation is scheduled for Sunday, March 9, 2014, from 12:00-7:00 p.m. at Anderson Bethany Funeral Home in Roswell, to be followed by the recitation of the rosary at 7:00 p.m. Funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Roswell on Monday, March 10, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., with interment to follow at South Park Cemetery. All funeral arrangements are being handled by Anderson Bethany Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, Winnie’s family requests that donations be made to Gentiva Hospice, 400 Penn Plaza, Suite 500, Roswell, NM 88201, specifying that the donations are “for other families in need.”

Winifred "Winnie" Blount

April 14, 1942 - March 5, 2014