Carol Jean Petty

Carol Jean (Ross) Petty, 87, passed away on Thursday, July 16, 2026. She was born on November 12, 1938, in Albuquerque, NM, to Clarence and Drusilla Ross. She grew up in Belen and Clovis, New Mexico. After graduating from Clovis High School in 1956, she married her 7th grade sweetheart, Richard Petty on June 15, 1957.

She attended college at Bethany Nazarene College in Oklahoma, Texas Western College in El Paso, and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. She taught the 6th grade at Sandia Elementary for 11-years. She quit teaching to study decorative art with the Society of Decorative Painters (SDP), receiving her Certified Degree in 1980, and Master Painter Degree in 1982. She then judged SDP art for the United States for 16-years, and later helped set-up the Japanese Decorative Art Society in Tokyo. Carol then judged the Japanese Decorative Art Society’s annual entries for 6-years. Through ALL of this she continued to be the best Mom & Meme that anyone could want!

Carol and Richard lived in Clovis, NM until moving to Ruidoso, NM in 1992 and lived there for 21-years before moving to Lubbock, TX in 2013.

Surviving her are: son, Tony; granddaughter & husband, Brittney & Tim Pasaribu; 2 precious great-granddaughters Christiana Rose 3yrs & Eliana Rae 4 months; Brother/Sister-in-law David & Joanne Petty; 2 nephews & a niece through her brother Ken; and a host of nephews & nieces by way of her Petty Family. Preceding her in death are her wonderful husband Richard Petty, her father and mother, Clarence and Drue Ross; brother & sister-in-law, Ken & Vickie Ross; Sister-in-law & husband, Jo Anne & Dale Paul; and Sister-in-law & husband, Margaret & Gene Pershall.

Donations can be made to Friends of Norman Petty Inc., and/or Bonita Park Nazarene Campgrounds, 200 Bonita Park Rd., Capitan, NM 88316