Jean Pugh

Jean Allen Pugh, 87, died peacefully at home in her own bed after a battle with Alzheimer's. The second daughter of Thomas Burton Allen, a timber man, and Clara Mae Haggard Allen, a teacher, she was born on March 9, 1927 in Lynn Creek, Mississippi. She attended grade school, a typical one-room schoolhouse, in Lynn Creek, after which she attended Brooksville High School, where she met her future husband, William Redford Pugh. At age 17 she enrolled at Mississippi State College for Women (“the W”), majoring in Education. (Ironically, the only “B” in her college career was in Spanish). After two years teaching in Arcola, Miss., she moved to El Paso, where she married Redford. In El Paso, she taught at Alta Vista, Mesita, Coronado, and finally, at Western Hills, where she taught for 29 years.

Jean joined Mt. Franklin Baptist Church in 1955, where she taught Sunday School to first and second graders, then joined the adults in adult Sunday School, maintaining close ties up until her death. She was the consummate teacher, able to tutor all ages in all subjects, even finding time to give all the neighborhood children piano lessons and to teach them how to ride a bike. Long before dyslexia came to be connected with learning disabilities, Jean recognized it in a neighbor child, and taught the child, now a successful lawyer, to read within a few days. She never tired of serving others, whether it was playing piano and leading sing-alongs at nearby nursing homes or baking treats for her Sunday School class or for the students at Zach White School. Jean also cultivated a robust and highly-developed sense of humor.

Jean is preceded in death by her father Thomas Burton Allen, her mother Clara Haggard Allen White, her sister Evelyn Cade (Lawson), her husband Redford Pugh, and her son Gordon Pugh (Debby). She is survived by her brother, Paul Burton Allen (& Mildred), her son Stephen Allen Pugh (& Linda), two grandsons Stephen Thomas Pugh (& Marcy) and Gregory Allen Pugh (& Ashley), and numerous nieces and nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

Many thanks to Cima Hospice (special thanks to Umberto and Amin), Drs. Hatchett, Trubowich,

Gallardo, D. Aboud, Mt. Franklin Baptist Church, Bonnie Berkel, Francis Rittmann, Laura Arnold, Alice Arnold, Linda Lerby-Sharif, Evangelina Saucedo, and her grandsons Stephen and Greg. Jean worshipped her father, mother, sister, and brother, and had a deep and abiding love for her immediate family, the Mt. Franklin family, her friends and colleagues, and her dear kitty, Lady. She touched, and was in turn touched by literally thousands of former students, friends, and colleagues. She will be sorely missed.

Services will be held on January 28, 2015 at 1:00 PM at Mt. Franklin Baptist Church, 201 E. Sunset Rd., El Paso, Texas 79922. Interment will follow at Memory Gardens of the Valley Cemetery, 4900 McNutt Rd., Santa Teresa, New Mexico 88008. Services entrusted to Martin Funeral Home West, 128 N. Resler Dr., El Paso, Texas 79912. www.MartinFuneralHomeWest.com.