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Edna Hudson, our loving mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 3, 2024. Edna was born on September 3, 1930, to Tommie R. Holmes and Addie Lee Tillotson in Falls of Neuse, North Carolina. She graduated from Gaston High School and always held a special place in her heart for her family and friends in North Carolina.
She met Lundy “Gene” Hudson through mutual friends, and they quickly developed an admiration and love for one another. In 1953, Edna and Gene married and began a life full of travel and adventure as Gene’s service in the United States Air Force took them across the country. They lived and loved from the Dakotas, to Florida, and finally settling home in Alamogordo in 1963 (following Gene’s transfer to Holloman Air Force Base). The first person Edna met in Alamogordo was her neighbor, Melvina Matherly. Edna and Melvina became the closest of friends and had a special bond that would last for many years. Edna would call Alamogordo home for more than sixty years, a community she loved dearly and deeply.
In 1971, Edna was heartbroken when Gene passed away suddenly at a very young age. Edna, being a smart and strong-willed woman, grieved but continued to work in the retail sales industry which eventually led to her position as Personnel Manager at K-Mart. She loved her time in the retail industry and made many lifelong friends and acquaintances through her work.
Edna loved to watch any sports (in particular, North Carolina Tarheel basketball), play Bingo, and she had a knack for making the most delicious treats and goodies during the holidays. However, if you asked her, Edna’s favorite activity was dancing. She served as a volunteer for many years at the VFW and you would often find her there enjoying conversations with friends and dancing the two-step to her favorite country and western songs. She met a new dancing partner and love when she crossed paths with Morris “Mac” McClendon, a big water well drilling cowboy from the Texas panhandle. Edna and Mac married in 1974 and she became a full-time fixture at New Mexico Drilling, Inc. They shared many great times and created wonderful memories together.
Edna was most proud in life to be the mother of her only and favorite child, Terry Hudson. She never missed a ball game he played in his youth, and she beamed with pride as he continued his love of baseball playing at UTEP. She enjoyed his successes both personally and professionally.
Terry married Linda Daw Hudson and they had three children. Mac’s daughters, Linda and Bonnie, each married and they had a total of six children. There were family blended holidays, gatherings, camping at Elephant Butte, and fun times at the pistachio farm with Grammy teaching the grandkids how to crochet, play rummy, bake cookies, and Grandpa providing the good stuff, minibikes, the boat, and going to the “yard” to explore the rigs and drilling equipment. It was an adventure when you visited, and Edna had a way of always making it enjoyable.
Edna is survived by her son, Terry and his partner Candus Gutierrez of El Paso, Texas; her stepdaughters, Linda (Steve) Mallet of Casa Grande, Arizona and Bonnie (Craig) Bowden of Chandler, Arizona. She was blessed with ten grandchildren, Tim (Sally) Hudson, Melanie (Ryan) Hoover, Andrea (Jake) Norton, Tisha (Russ) Sopha, Kristy (Randy) Stephenson, Mandy (Michael) Hank, Lindsay (Erik) Marsh, Jordan (Matt) Mesaros, Cadyn Bowden, and Trenten Bowden. She also had eighteen precious great grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, many nieces and nephews, and friends too numerous to count.
A special thank you to Edna’s caregivers, Alex and Katie Cooke of El Paso, for their tireless care, love, and compassion. A deep friendship developed that enabled Enda to enjoy the final years of her life. We will forever be grateful for how you treated her like your own and loved her so much.
Viewing will be held on Thursday, February 8, 2024, at 10:00 am at Alamogordo Funeral Home followed by a graveside service at Monte Vista Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alamogordo VFW.
Edna will be deeply missed by her family and friends. May she rest in peace and may her spirit live on in the hearts of all those who love her.
The Hudson family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Alamogordo Funeral Home to direct the funeral services.
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