James Kitts

James was born in Clayton, NM on June 1, 1914 and passed on July 15, 2012. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Wesley Kitts and Ady Bell Yates Kitts; his three brothers, Cletus, Bertice and Paul; and two sisters, Evalena Selvey and Oma Wood. The family came to Clayton to homestead in 1907 from Graves County, KY. Raymond graduated from Clayton High School. He met and married Myrtle Adelia Means in Clayton, NM. He and Myrtle and their two children, D'Lila Yvonne and James Cletus came to Albuquerque in 1938. He worked for the Simms family for 37 years. James was head-herdsman at the Los Poblanos Ranch and later went to AZ where he worked for John, Jr. and Ruth Simms, then to Tome, NM, raising Black Angus cattle and Arabian horses until 1975. He is survived by his daughter, D'Lila Clark; and his son, James Cletus Kitts (Kay); his five grandchildren, Shelly Saavedra, Kathy Clark, Chandra Lazarraga (George), Tracey Kitts and Jolene Reed (David); three great-grandchildren, Travis Clark, James Trent Kitts, Ambrize Lizarraga, and Tasha Rae Clark; two great-great- grandchildren, Paetyn Ann Clark and Xander Arron Clark; along with numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members, all who loved him and will miss him. James loved outdoor activities. He found great joy in spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. His hobbies were horses, cattle and working hard. May he rest in peace. You left the world a better place than you found it and will be missed by so many people. The family would like to thank his wonderful, caring team of caretakers from Hospice. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in James' memory to Hospice of the Sandias, 105 Hospital Loop NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109. Services will be held on Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at French - University Chapel, with visitation one hour prior from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park.