Ken Schear

LAGRONE FUNERAL CHAPEL

MARCH 17, 2009

ROSWELL DAILY RECORDNEWS DEPT.

SCHEAR, KENNETH DEAN--Funeral services for Kenneth Dean Schear, 68, of Roswell, will be Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at LaGrone Funeral Chapel in Roswell with Mike Joy officiating. Following his wishes, Kens remains were cremated and his ashes will be scattered by his family at a later date on the Arroyo Seco Ranch northeast of Capitan.

Ken went to meet his Lord surrounded by the love of his family on Sunday, March 15, in Albuquerque following a short battle with cancer. He was born in Cortez, Colorado on April 2, 1940, to Albert and Amanda Schear. At the tender age of 14, Ken went to work for Bill Armstrong, Sr. who owned the Arroyo Seco Ranch 30 miles northeast of Capitan. The foreman of the ranch, Chalk Norton and his wife, Lily, were like parents to Ken and taught him a great deal about ranching and about life. Mrs. Norton taught Ken to dance and he rarely missed a Pine Lodge dance.

Ken worked on the ranch until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1959 where he served mostly in Germany for two years. Following that service, he returned to the ranch. He was recalled into the Army for another ten months during the Bay of Pigs. Again, he returned to the ranch. Ken left the ranch for a few years to work for the U.S. Forest Service. There, he was foreman of the helicopter crew and fought fires in Lincoln County and all over the western U.S. as part of the Hot Shots.

On November 25, 1972, Ken married the love of his life, Pat Sullins, in Roswell, NM. Pat brought three young children to the marriage and Ken instantly became the dad that loved and guided them throughout their childhood and beyond.

In 1973, Ken, Pat and the kids all moved to the Armstrong Slash X Ranch 30 miles south of Hope where they remained for 4 years. Following that he was foreman of the Penasco River Ranch for the James Jennings family. It was after a short stay there that Ken and Pat decided to start their own business, Schear Pump and Windmill, in Capitan. They remained there until March, 1984, when Chalk retired from Arroyo Seco and Ken and family moved onto the ranch and Ken took over where Chalk left off running the ranch. Ken and Pat remained on the ranch for 23 years. Upon the death of Bill Armstrong, Sr., Bob Armstrong took over ownership of the ranch and asked Ken to become the Ag Superintendent for his and Saras farm and ranch holdings in New Mexico and Texas where Ken was still employed at the time of his death.
PKen was of the Baptist faith and was especially blessed as the various ranches on the nor

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