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Robert Lacy Beckett, age 85, a respected businessman, church and civic leader, and former mayor of Deming, passed away of heart failure in Las Cruces on October 27, 2010. He had resided in Las Cruces since 2007 after living in Deming for 71 years. He was born in Strauss, NM (Dona Ana County) in 1925 to W.A. "Jack" Beckett and Annie Sue Sommerville. His father worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and the family made frequent moves around the Texas-New Mexico region before settling in Deming in 1939. He graduated from Deming High School, served in the U.S. Navy in WWII, earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico,and returned to Deming in 1950. In 1951 Bob took over and subsequently bought The General Agency, selling insurance. Bob was an active member of the First Baptist Church in Deming, having served as deacon for about 52 years, along with other leadership posts. He also served on various boards of the New Mexico Baptist Convention, the Southern Baptist Hospital Board, trustee of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY and various missions boards. He also served on the board of Carrie Tingley Children's Hospital for five years, with two years as Chairman. After moving, he was a member of the First Baptist Church in Las Cruces where he was active in many ministries. From 1960 to 1964 he was a two-term Deming mayor, a past president of the Deming-Luna County Chamber of Commerce (chosen as Citizen of the Year in 1971 and again in 2003), and of the Rotary Club where he achieved the Paul Harris Fellow honor in Deming and again in Las Cruces . He was Vice-Chair of the Deming- Luna County Historical Society and spearheaded the expansion and renovation of the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum. The Robert L. Beckett Senior Center Complex in Deming was named for him in 2003 to honor the vital role he had played in obtaining funding for the services and programs provided to the senior citizens of Luna County including a major expansion of the senior center. In 2008, he was named Outstanding Senior Citizen in the state of New Mexico by the NM Aging and Long-Term Services Department. Along with operating The General Agency, he served on the Mimbres Valley Bank (now Wells Fargo) board for 33 years (eight as Chairman) and on the board of Bowlin's Travel Centers for 30 years along with three smaller corporations. Bob "retired" the first time in 1984, when he sold The General Agency which he had operated for 35 years. He and his late wife Jo began to travel as he also continued many church and community affiliations. Around 1986 he became president of the Cooper Agency, which he ran for 15 years before selling it-and, in between, recovering from major heart surgery. He and Jo moved to Good Samaritan Village in Las Cruces in 2007. He is predeceased by his parents, brothers Jack and Tom; sons Robert and Harold; wives Katherine (Ruebush) and Jodie (Harrelson). He is survived by his sister Betty Fawcett (Alamo, Texas); daughters Deedra Beckett Daniels (Albuquerque), Dielle Beckett Bradford (Aledo, Texas) and Barbara Harrelson (Santa Fe); by sons Jesse Bud Harrelson (Stafford, Texas),and J. Michael Harrelson (Truth or Consequences); by granddaughters Kimberly Daniels Lokke (Albuquerque), Marion Bradford (Aledo, Texas) and Garilee Speer Ogden (Granville, Ohio); by grandsons Coleman Bradford (Aledo, Texas), and Ky Speer (Deming); and four great-grandchildren. Services were held at First Baptist Church Deming and First Baptist Church Las Cruces on Saturday, October 30th, 2010. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the New Mexico Baptist Children's Home, P.O. Box 629, Portales, NM 88130. Entrusted to Baca's Funeral Chapels of Las Cruces, 300 E. Boutz Road. 527-2222 To send condolences online log onto www.bacasfuneralchapelslascruces.com
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