Caryll Anna Patrick

Caryll Ann Patrick, age 79, passed away on Sunday, January 4, 2015, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Born on December 28, 1935, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Cecil and Marie Davis, Caryll spent her childhood dancing. She became a professional ballet dancer after graduating from high school and traveled by rail to rural towns in Northern Iowa to teach ballet and tap. During her travels, she met and married Neil Patrick, a college student and son of a dairy farmer, in 1956. They had three children: Cindy Patrick (resident of Dallas, TX), Kenneth Patrick (resident of Las Cruces), and Dennis Patrick (deceased in January 2011). Caryll continued to teach dance in the basement of the Patrick family home until the family moved to New Delhi, India, where she became a student of Indian dance. Once her children became adults, Caryll lived in Sudan and The Gambia in Africa and enjoyed participating in cultural celebrations and learning local craft techniques. Upon her divorce, she returned to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and became active in St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Her journey included self-employment as a seamstress and retail work; retiring from Stahmanns Country Store in 2000. Her retirement years were spent enjoying her four grandchildren, volunteering at St. Paul's Church, visiting her daughter in Central America and sons in Texas, and celebrating every occasion possible. She is survived by her children: Cindy Patrick (Dallas, TX) and Kenneth Patrick (Las Cruces, NM); four grandchildren: Melissa Hernandez (Las Cruces, NM), Kristi Bailey (Alabama), Dennis Patrick, Jr. (Dallas, TX) and Abigail Patrick-Labilles (Dallas, TX); and three great-grandchildren: Devin Hernandez and Zayne Hernandez (Las Cruces, NM) and Brayden Bailey (Alabama). She is predeceased by her son, Dennis Patrick who passed in January 2011. A private memorial service is being held to celebrate her life. Donations can be made in her honor to Mesilla Valley Hospice or St. Paul's United Methodist Church.