Barbara Jean Mexal

Barbara Jean Martinez Mexal was born on December 12, 1946, in Albuquerque, NM, to Fred B. Martinez and Mary Roybal Martinez. She passed away on June 8, 2026 at her home in Las Cruces, NM, after a brief illness. She was preceded in death by an infant sister, Mary Dorteo, and by her parents. She is survived by her loving husband of fifty-seven years, John, and her sons Stephen (spouse Sharon, son Warren, and daughter Parker) and Nicolas (spouse Meredith and son Christian).

Barbara earned a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of New Mexico and a Master’s in Counseling and Educational Psychology from New Mexico State University. Her career included working as a secretary for several organizations, as a social worker for the state of Arkansas, and, for over twenty years, as a counselor for Las Cruces Public Schools, first as a district early childhood counselor with Head Start and later as a secondary school counselor at Las Cruces High School. Some of her most treasured memories of her career came from her time as a Head Start counselor. She loved interacting with the preschoolers and especially enjoyed sessions where she could employ hand puppets to teach a lesson. She recalled with delight how the children sometimes failed to realize it was actually her speaking, and not the puppet on its own.

She devoted her professional life to helping children. Long after her retirement, she still recalled with pride a student who remembered her, and warmly thanked her, for all she had done not just as his high school counselor, but also when she had been his Head Start counselor a dozen years earlier.

But her greatest joy was her family. After meeting in high school, Barbara and John fell in love in college, got married shortly after graduation, and then spent the next half century raising their children, playing tennis, cooking, and making each other laugh. She also loved her children and grandchildren deeply, finding them a source of immense joy and pride. Barbara was an enthusiastic grandmother, reveling in her grandchildren’s experiences and accomplishments, and was happily convinced it was G’ma’s job to spoil her grandchildren. She made multiple trips every year to visit her children and grandchildren, and while she missed them terribly after visits and phone calls, she always looked forward to seeing them over holidays or on annual family vacations. She will be deeply missed by her loving family, as she will by everyone who knew her.

A Celebration of Life will take place at the St. Albert the Great Newman Parish on August 7, 2026 at 11:00 am. Address: 2615 S Solano Dr.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Barbara J. Mexal Memorial Endowed Scholarship with the NMSU Foundation, 1305 N. Horseshoe St., Las Cruces, NM 88003.