Miriam G. Billings

Miriam Billings of Las Cruces, NM passed away on November 28, 2010. She was born to John and Mary Longfield in Colorado Springs, CO on July 18, 1921. Miriam grew up in Pueblo, CO. In 1943, she completed her bachelor's degree in Home Economics at the present-day Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. Following graduation, she moved to St. Louis, MO, where she worked in a TNT factory in support of the war effort and, later, for Ralston Purina. Following her passion for nursing, she entered a three-year course of instruction as a "Graduate Nurse" at the Beth-el School of Nursing of Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO. After becoming a Registered Nurse in 1947, she held several nursing and teaching positions in Colorado and New Mexico, including two years of service at the former Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children in Truth or Consequences, NM. She obtained her Master's degree in Nursing at the University of Texas in 1957, starting studies with a single semester at the Austin campus. During her first week of classes, she met James Billings, whom she ultimately married after 7 years of long-distance correspondence. Miriam and her family lived in Quito, Ecuador as part of the Alianza para el Progreso (Alliance for Progress). Following her return to the United States, Miriam held positions as a Registered Nurse and as a Professor of Nursing in Arizona, Arkansas, and Texas. Miriam and her husband moved to Del Rio, TX in 1982, where she established a nursing program at the local hospital and was active in her local church and in the Cactus Twirlers square dance club. She enjoyed travelling and served on several Volunteers in Mission groups under the auspices of the United Methodist Church. One of her proudest accomplishments was her role in the construction and ongoing support of the Nueva Fuente de Vida (New Fountain of Life) children's home in Ciudad Acu