Alta Dalley

Alta Hamilton Dalley, at the age of 90, left her earthly home in Clovis on March 18, to enter into eternal life with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. A celebration of her life will be held at Ranchvale Baptist Church (1696 CR 16, Clovis NM) at 2:00 PM on March 29th, with her son-in-law and Pastor Mark McAfee officiating and assisted by her grandson, Taylor Harris. Following the service, friends and family are invited for refreshments and visiting in the Fellowship Hall. A private burial with her loving family will precede the memorial service at The Portales Cemetery.

Alta was born on June 13, 1934, in Union City, Oklahoma to Reverend and Mrs. Chester (Lucia) Hamilton. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 62 years, Bill Dalley of Portales, NM; parents Chester D. Hamilton and Lucia Pearl Hamilton of Clovis, NM; sister Luella (Charles) Kelly of Clovis, NM; and brother Chet (Nedra) Hamilton of Simi Valley, CA. She is survived by son Don (Ronda) Dalley of Clovis, NM; daughter Diane (Steve) Harris of Roswell, NM; daughter Sherri (Mark) McAfee of Portales, NM; 7 grandchildren: Michael (Kristi) Dalley, Shannon (Chris) Mosier, Landon (Mackenzie) Dalley, Taylor (Lindsey) Harris, Brandon McAfee, Lane (Alicia) Harris, Collin McAfee; 10 great grandchildren: Addison, Ezra, Max, Aiden, Micah, Logan, Lillian, Merrick, Corbin, and Emma.

As a child of a Methodist preacher, Alta lived primarily in the eastern New Mexico area where her father was called to preach Christ in small, country, rural churches such as Elida and Rosedale. She graduated from ENMU, Portales in 1952 and married the love of her life, Billy Ray Dalley in 1956. Early in their marriage they owned Southwestern Landscape & Garden Center.

Alta then worked in the area public schools for 25 years (teaching for 23). In their retirement, Bill and Alta were members of Starlight Swingers where they enjoyed both square and round dancing. They enjoyed traveling through Canada, all 50 states, and parts of Europe. Alta enjoyed scrapbooking, cross stitch, caring for all her grandkids and filling the house with smells of home cooking such as endless waffles and the best fudge EVER! She loved making the holidays extra nice for the whole family with special treats and activities.

Alta was raised in the Methodist church and attended FUMC, Portales for 59 years. She attended church at Ranchvale Baptist Church for eight years where she made many new friends and deepened her Christian walk. In 2015, Alta and Bill moved into Wheatfield's Assisted Living in Clovis, NM. She was an outgoing lady who was activley involved in Bible Study, hymn singing, and other various community activities. Alta was known for her quick smile, welcoming personality, and was a favorite among the staff members and residents.

Before her passing, Alta had requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Baptist Children's Home in Portales, NM