Mary Gay

Mary Lue Lee Rhoades Gay died peacefully on September 16, 2021, after a courageous battle with cancer, at Scott’s House in Santa Fe, NM.

Mary was born April 26, 1921 in Lordsburg, New Mexico to Rosie (Smith) and Edward Rhoades. 

In her early years, Mary loved the outdoors and enjoyed gardening.  Mary was 15 when she married Lawrence E. Gay on August 10, 1936 in Deming, New Mexico.  Lawrence borrowed $2.50 from Granny Rhoades to buy groceries and the two moved into the Vendom Hotel in Lordsburg, where they lived for a month.  In the next several months Mary and Lawrence borrowed a tent from Mary’s brother Booger and sister-in-law Alta, and they set up a tent in the Burro Mountains.  They started their wood cutting business and got permission from the Forrest Service to sell their cut wood in Deming and Lordsburg for $10.00 a load.  To help Mary and Lawrence get back on their feet, Rosie and Edward Rhoades insisted that that they move in with them in 1938.  This allowed them to purchase a better truck and to start to build their lumber yard business.  When the 85 mine closed, Lawrence built Mary a new home and moved her in on her birthday in 1938. In 1942 during World War II, they began shipping scrap metal in boxcars for the war effort.  Eventually Lawrence and Mary moved to Monahans, Texas where they built the flight training school at the Pyote, Texas Airbase.  Soon thereafter they received the contract to build the structures at White Sands Missile range and moved to Alamogordo, New Mexico.   Wanting to start a family, Lawrence and Mary moved back to Lordsburg.  In early February 1944, Lawrence and Mary were blessed with their daughter Fiona, followed two years later by their son Ernie in 1946. 

 Mary and Lawrence were never stagnant and was always expanding their businesses.  In 1946 they added furniture and appliances to their lumberyard.  In the Summer, while vacationing in Durango, they bought an old boat.  Fortunately, that boat sprung a leak – which led to a trade in – for a book about guns.  From then on, they began collecting books on persons that used guns.  This started the next entrepreneurial quest as a southwest rare book dealer. 

In 1947, Lawrence and Mary bought a ranch in Virden, New Mexico where they raised horses, cattle and crops while continuing the contract construction business out of Lordsburg. 

In 1959, on their way to vacation in Colorado, the family stopped in Alpine, Arizona.  They thought it was so beautiful that they stayed there and bought some property.  They built and furnished a log cabin.  A friend then asked them to build him a cabin.  This started a partnership whereby they built 38 more cabins in 1960 surrounded by a golf course.  They developed a country club by adding a clubhouse, restaurant, and cocktail lounge.  In addition, they built a 5,000 square foot family home.  At the country club, Mary was the waitress, housekeeper, worked in the pro shop and bookkeeper.   The grandkids loved to spend summers in Alpine.  Grandma Gay would often assign chores to her grandkids for money, but she loved them so much she would do the chores for them.

In 1984, Mary and Lawrence moved to Santa Fe to be closer to their grandchildren.  She remained in Santa Fe for the last 37 years. Mary loved to crochet afghans and made beautiful quilts.  Her work was stunning and beautiful.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister Emeline Rhoades Baxter, brothers Edward (Booger) and Robert Rhoades.

She is survived by her daughter Fiona (John) Whitney of Santa Fe, NM and Ernest E. Gay of Alpine, AZ.  Best known as Grandma Gay to everyone, she loved nothing more than her Grandchildren:  Ernie C. Whitmore (Ann) Phoenix, AZ, Bill G. Whitmore (Delia) Irving, TX, Devin (Lowell) Gay-Thomson, Bremerton, WA, Cinda Ferrante, Phoenix, AZ, Matthew Gay, Phoenix, AZ, Tammy (Louis) Whitney-Vottero (Albuquerque, NM); and her Great-grandchildren: Jondaee (Jeffrey) Utter, Lauren (Matt) Manguso, Justin Whitmore, Brad Hemphill (Ashley), Ben (Zina) Whitmore, Stella and Jude Ferrante, David Thomson, Audrey Whitney, and her Great-Great Grandchildren Ellee and Jayden Whitmore, Gavin Montoya-Jones and Addison Hemphill.

Pallbearers:  Ernie Whitmore, Bill Whitmore Justin Whitmore, Ben Whitmore, Matt Gay and Jude Ferrante.

Visitation will be held at Rivera Kiva Chapel of light located at 417 East Roseo Rd. Santa Fe, NM 87505 on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Memorial Service will follow at 2:00 p.m. Arrangements have been entrusted to Rivera Family Funeral Home, Santa Fe, NM.  In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to Scott’s House, 287 Rodeo Rd., Santa Fe, NM 87505.  Scott’s House is the only hospice house in Santa Fe, NM and is a 501c3.  For more information visit www.scottshouse.org.