Nita Mae Waddell Perry, 89, of Virden, New Mexico, peacefully entered into rest on December 13, 2023 at home surrounded by her family. Nita was born in Duncan, Arizona where she met and married her husband of 61 years. They raised their 5 children in the Mojave Desert of California where she owned and operated a hair salon and her husband worked for NASA at Edwards Air Force Base. In 1985, they retired to the mountains of New Mexico, splitting their time between their home at Quemado Lake and Hurley.  She was a staple in the community and enjoyed fishing, reading and spending time outdoors. She was an avid, self-taught crafter, quilter, seamstress, and crochet artist. She was a natural teacher and shared and taught all her talents with family and friends. She volunteered for the Catron County Search and Rescue team for many years. 

She is preceded in death by her husband, Gerald D. Perry of Franklin, AZ; her parents, Sam L. Johns and Elenora Irene Wilson Johns of Virden, NM, and James Allen Waddell and Marguerite M. Keller Waddell of Henderson, NV and her brother James Alphonso Waddell. She is survived by her siblings, Martin A. (Butch) Waddell (Sandra), Pamela Lea Waddell Jolley, Larry O. Waddell; her children (and their spouses), Claudia Lea Graves (Clark), Zoann Adams (Norman), Gerald Eugene (Pete) (Rosene), Sammy Alan (Kathy), Lynnita Moreno (Joe), and many grand, great and great, great-grandchildren.
 
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