Barbara Massey

On the morning of December 19th, Barbara Ella Dora LaFrenz Massey left this earth to join her husband Dale, and her daughter, Elizabeth Dianne in heaven. There is no doubt her parents William "Bill" and Mary Elizabeth McGarvey LaFrenz together with her sister Mary Caroline LaFrenz and brother Father Jim LaFrenz were there to greet her.

Barbara was born in Hanover, New Mexico on June 19, 1926. She moved to Albuquerque after graduating from Hurley High School and lived with her sister in downtown Albuquerque. After working in a downtown dress shop she went to work for TWA where she met Dale J. Massey whom she married in 1947. After Dianne was born in 1949 Barbara dedicated herself to her home, and her role as a wife and mother.

As Barbara's memory began to fade, she often shared memories of her childhood which included visiting family in Cimarron and Elizabethtown, she also shared many stories of being a young girl in Hanover and taking her father's lunch to the Empire Zinc mine. Although these memories also faded she never forgot the words to Oh Fair New Mexico, Holly Jolly Christmas, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, and All My Exes Live in Texas, which she continued to sing up until a few days before her passing.

Barbara was a joyful woman who would tell everyone she saw how lovely they were. The staff of the Montebello Assisted Living provided Barbara with loving care over the last several years making sure she knew what the weather was like outside, making it interesting no matter how many times she might ask. There were several things Barbara did not forget, the importance of singing every day, the importance of laughing and being happy, the importance of being kind, and how easily a smile can be shared with another, something she would want all of us to remember to do.

She will be missed by many.

Services will be on Monday, January 8, 2023, at 1:00 PM at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery Chapel. Pallbearers will be family and friends, including Mark Radosevich, Fred Porter, Diego Gonzalez, Mike Staley, and Anthony Staley.