Virginia L. 'Ginny' Richards

VIRGINIA L. (GINNY) RICHARDS, age 66, completed her life's journey on November 18, 2013, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She was born on April 25, 1947, in Douglas, Arizona, to Ralph B. Kimble and June A. Kimble. She was raised on a ranch near Apache, Arizona, initially attending school in the same one-room school house in Apache, Arizona, where her father had gone to school. She graduated high school in Douglas, Arizona, attended Cochise Community College and Arizona State University. She married John Meadows in 1968 from which union her two daughters were born. Ginny worked at the Cochise Community College and then for Phelps Dodge Corporation for a number of years until they moved their headquarters from Douglas to Phoenix, Arizona. Her husband's job with the Southern Pacific Railroad took them to Tucumcari, New Mexico, in the mid-1980s. In 1993, she moved to the Las Cruces, New Mexico, area where she commenced work for Tom Simpson Farms as a bookkeeper and upon Mr. Simpson's retirement, she continued working for Steven Lyles Farms, Inc. for whom she was employed at the time of her death. She was a good athlete having played tennis in high school and college, managed her girls' softball teams, and was a very good bowler and through bowling she made many friends. She loved going to the national bowling tournaments, especially the one in Reno. She was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. She was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church and was a former board member of La Casa and at the time of her death was a member of the Board of Directors Committee for Cowboys for Cancer Research, Inc. In recent years she worked very hard helping raise funds for the Cowboys for Cancer Research and Pink campaigns and her vehicles were well known in Las Cruces for the Tough Enough to Wear Pink symbols on the back windows. Ginny participated in 20 Komen Walks for the Cure doing walks in both El Paso, Texas, and Fresno, California. Several years ago with an El Paso team she completed a 60 mile, 3 day Komen fundraising walk in San Diego, California. She is survived by her husband, Ralph Wm. Richards, whom she married in 1994. Ralph and Ginny had known each other since early childhood and had in fact dated for several years while they were in college. She is also survived by her daughters, Debra Sue Meadows of Portales, New Mexico, and Stephanie L. Meadows of Fresno, California, and two grandchildren, John T. Young and Kara B. Young, both of Portales, New Mexico, to whom she was known as "Muck." Her daughters and grandchildren were the center of her life with her following all of their activities, including softball, cheerleading, basketball, football, car racing, and whatever else they were involved in. She made many trips to Portales, Amarillo, Roswell, and Ruidoso to see her grandchildren participate in various activities. Her relationship with her grandchildren was very special to her. She is survived by her mother, June A. Kimble of Douglas, Arizona, and brothers, Ralph Lawrence Kimble and his spouse, Trudy Kimble, of Rodeo, New Mexico, and Don W. Kimble and his spouse, Lynn Kimble, of Douglas, Arizona. Her father, Ralph B. Kimble, predeceased her in 1991. A memorial service for Ginny will be held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church at 225 West Griggs Avenue, Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Saturday, November 23, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. Dr. Eduardo Rivera will officiate. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Cowboys for Cancer Research, Inc. at P.O. Box 202, Dona Ana, NM 88032 or online at www.C4CR.com. PDF Printable Version