Norman Albert McNew

Norman McNew died on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, at the age of 92.

His mother died when he was three years old leaving him, his sister Frances, and his brother Perry. He and Frances spent their younger years with their grandmother Mc New in Alamogordo or with their aunt Ina and uncle Bill and cousin Billy at their ranch near Orogrande. While living at the ranch, he rode horseback and helped look after the cattle from the time he was seven years old.

After graduating from high school, he entered the University of New Mexico where he later received his degree in Business Administration. While at the University, he was a member of the rodeo team, where he received many honors. The most significant was taking second place in the bareback bronc riding at the National Intercollegiate finals held in the Cow Palace in San Francisco. He received varsity letters from UNM, which at the time were accompanied by a lifetime pass to all university sports in Albuquerque. He was a member of the Lobo Club and the Alumni Letterman's Club and was an avid Lobo supporter for some sixty years.

After his discharge from the army, he farmed in Bosque Farms for twenty years. When he sold the farm, he went to work for the County of Bernalillo as their Real Estate Administrator. He was instrumental in the purchase of much of the property which the county now owns such as the land where the District Court building now stands, the Union Station Building which houses the District Attorney's office, and several fire stations and park sites. On three occasions, he was sent to the Road Department, later known as the Public Works Department, as the administrator. He was the authority on the status of roads in the county, and he also implemented the Rural Addressing system in the county areas outside city limits.

After he retired from the county, he spent much of his time working on his son-in-law's farm in Moriarty. He enjoyed running the large machines, discing, cutting corn, and baling hay. He worked ten-hour days and did this for several years. When it became a little too much for him working all day long, he still would go out to the farm and mow the large lawns and take care of the other chores around the residence and the barns. After he couldn't drive to Moriarty any longer, he could still be seen mowing his and his daughter's lawns in Albuquerque after he was 90 years old. His yard was the pride of the neighborhood.

He was preceded in death by his father and wonderful stepmother, Hattie (Sugar), and his brother Perry. He is survived by his sister, Frances; his daughters, Erin and her husband Sam King, and Kimberly and her husband Tom Beecher; four grandchildren, Tyler and his wife Chauna, Audra and her husband Jamie, Haley, Kelsey and her wife Catie; and four great-grandchildren, Sam, Maverick, Reece, and Alec.