Kenneth Crawford Mearns

Life long El Paso resident Kenneth Crawford Mearns died Thursday, May 15, 2025 at the age of 86.

He was born on January 7, 1939, in Lordsburg, N.M., to Maizie and Walter C. Mearns. They moved to El Paso, where he attended Rusk Elementary School. At the age of 9, Kenneth contracted polio and remained bedridden for months under the care of his mother. A determined young man, he fought back to regain his strength and return to school. He graduated from Austin High School, completed a bachelor's degree from Texas Western College, and later a master's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso.

During his undergraduate years, he volunteered as a deejay for the college radio station and amassed an impressive collection of record albums, which he would later share with his daughters. After graduating from college, he worked as an elementary school teacher and ran a camera for a local television station in summers.

He married Carol Harlow Uroda, a widow with four daughters ages 1 to 8 years of age, on August 21, 1964. Her daughters from her previous marriage immediately became his own, and he reared them to become strong, successful women. Their marriage ended in divorce, but they remained lifelong friends until her death in 2016.

After marrying his new family, he briefly switched careers to sell life insurance and served as president of the El Paso Association of Life underwriters in 1974. He returned to education and served as an administrator in the Ysleta and Socorro Independent School Districts and later taught graduate courses at UTEP, El Paso Community College and the University of Phoenix.

He met and married the love of his life, Elva, in February 1996. Together they shared a love of cruises, the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, the UTEP women's basketball program, exercising, walking, Mexican food - and a passion for cats. They always spoiled at least one or two kitties as house pets and cared for strays that wandered into their backyard.

Mr. Mearns was an avid football fan who tried not to miss a Cowboys game on Sundays. He also invested hundreds of hours as a football referee for Ysleta Independent School District high school football games and occasionally served as a lineman for UTEP Miners' college games. As part of his commitment to high school football, he served as president of the El Paso Football Officials Association chapter of the Texas Association of Sports Officials in 1979-80. And for four years in a row, he traveled to Wimberley, Texas to watch his grandson, Marshall, play football. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, his sister Barbara Dirmeyer, his brother-in-law Don Dirmeyer, and two sons-in-law.

He is survived by his wife Elva Mearns; his four daughters, Deborah Uroda, Kathy Uroda (Mark O'Quinn), Susie Uroda (Kevin Beadle), and Melissa Uroda (Bill Brown); grandchildren Bentley O'Quinn, Sidney Uroda, Marshall Uroda; and nephew, Paul Dirmeyer.

Visitation will be from 5 until 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, at Hillcrest Funeral Home, 1060 N.

Carolina Drive.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the El Paso Animal Shelter.