Ethel James

Born October 7, 1911, in Moville, IA, Ethel was the daughter of Maude (Johnson) and Clarence Babcock. She graduated from Moville High School in 1933 and attended Morningside College in Sioux City, IA. She married James “Ken” Kenneth James on June 2, 1940, in Moville.

Ethel and her husband settled in Roswell, NM after several years of relocation to Philadelphia, PA and Oklahoma City, OK, when Ken was employed in civilian support of the war effort. In Roswell and later in Albuquerque, Ethel was a leader in the 4-H program, participating in local, county and state-wide activities. She was employed at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell. After moving to Albuquerque in 1959, she was employed at Bataan Memorial Methodist Hospital. Ethel was a familiar presence in the Lutheran congregations of which she was a member (Immanuel Lutheran Church in Roswell, Christ Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, Christ Lutheran Church in Lubbock and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Plano), serving as teacher, women’s auxiliary leader and committee member. At Christ Lutheran Church in Lubbock, she was a member of the Braille Bible assembly team, an activity that she enjoyed well into her 80s. Needlework was a favorite hobby and she created numerous embroidered pieces of art, many of which won awards at South Plains State Fair in Lubbock and the Texas State Fair in Dallas.

Ethel is survived by a son, James (Karen) K. James, Jr., Plano, TX; a daughter, Jean (Edward) Callary, DeKalb, IL; grandchildren, Michael A. (Aixa) James of Little Elm, TX, Laura (Nathan) Dooley of Austin, TX and Raychel Callary, Spokane, WA; great-grandchildren, Michael K. James, Lubbock, TX, and William and Kathryn Dooley, Austin, TX; nieces, Susan (Henry) Frazor, Grand Prarie, TX, Shirley Michels, Austin, TX and Judy Lindgren, Los Lunas, NM; and nephew, Jack (Sue) Babcock, Albuquerque, NM.

Ethel was preceded in death by her husband in 1972; her sister, Martha Ellen Babcock Michels; and two brothers, Chester and Henry.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 from 6-8pm in the Ted Dickey Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Plano, TX with Pastor Jack Schneider officiating. Interment will be on Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at Memorial Park in Roswell, NM. In lieu of flowers, memorials will be welcomed by the Lutheran Braille Workers, P.O. Box 5000, Yucaipa, CA 92399 (www.lbwinc.org) or Living Memorial Fund at Christ Lutheran Church in Lubbock, TX.