Paula Elizabeth Harty
d. October 16, 2017
Paula Elizabeth Harty passed away on October 16, 2017, in Albuquerque, NM after a brief illness. She was born January 14, 1949, at the McBride Clinic in Las Cruces, NM, to William P. Harty and Laura Lee Harty. Educated at Immaculate Heart of Mary School and Madonna High School, Paula studied social work at New Mexico State, and in 1983 received Masters Degrees in social work and public health from Tulane University. She was honored by the NMSU College of Human and Community Services as one of the college’s 100 Outstanding Centennial Alumni.
Paula’s career was in healthcare. She started the Associated Home Health service in Carlsbad, later becoming director of social work at the hospital there. She directed social services at Hotel Dieu and later at Landmark Medical Center, in the same downtown El Paso building. Returning to Las Cruces, she directed social work at Memorial Medical Center and founded as director both Memorial’s Home Health and Abrazo Home Health. She also directed social services and later home health at Good Samaritan Las Cruces Village.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Rice; and her ex-husband, John D. Converse. She is survived by her son, John D. Converse II (Karen); and two grandchildren, Alex and Lily Converse. She is also survived by siblings, Brenda Thatcher (David) of Queen Creek, AZ, William Harty, Jr. (Jennifer Munson) of Las Cruces, Linda Casavantes (Michael) of Chandler, AZ, Patricia Clark (Richard) of Las Cruces, and Leland Harty (Louise) of Cleveland, OH, and their children and grandchildren; Rice’s widow, Carrie Potter of Arvada, CO, and daughter, Shawna Schulz of Alamogordo; cousins, Ken Phillips, Connie Olister, Denise Brunner, and Steve Phillips of Metairie, LA; and a number of Harty aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Funeral Mass will be held in Las Cruces on Sunday, November 12, 2017, at 12:30 p.m., at the Holy Cross Retreat Center, 600 Holy Cross Road, Mesilla Park, New Mexico. Paula will be interred at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens on Monday, November 13, 2017 at 8:00 a.m., 5140 West Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Memorial donations in her name can be made to City of Hope.