Delores Yvonne Black, known to all who loved her as Yvonne, was born on July 7, 1937, at Pitchfork, New Mexico, to Ed and Marguerite Black. She was raised at Crossroads, New Mexico, on the Black family homestead, where she grew up surrounded by family, faith, country life, and the values of hard work, community, and endurance.

Yvonne grew up with three older siblings, Joyce, June, and Joel. Her grandparents lived on the homestead, and the place was full of family life and activity. The Black place was known as a gathering place in the community, and those early years became part of the rich heritage and treasured memories that shaped Yvonne's life.

Crossroads itself was a very small place — truly a crossroads — with a church, a café, a gas station, a post office, and just a few houses. The family attended Crossroads Baptist Church, which was an important part of their lives and community.

As a teenager, Yvonne worked in the café at the crossroads. It was there that she met Douglas Wayne Halkins when he stopped in while hauling hay, and before long the two of them began dating. They were married in Portales, New Mexico, in 1952. Together they welcomed three daughters: Cindy in 1956, Sondra in 1958, and Delores in 1960. Yvonne fiercely loved her family and was deeply protective of them, supporting them with strength and loyalty throughout their lives.

Over the years, Yvonne built a life marked by hard work and determination. She attended college at New Mexico Junior College, where she completed an intensive secretarial course and took numerous computer classes. She worked as a waitress at the Steakhouse Café in Tatum, served as a dispatcher for oilfield service companies for many years, prepared income tax returns for H&R Block, served as a certified dispatcher for both the Tatum Police Department and the Hobbs Police Department, and worked as a records clerk for the Lovington Senior Citizen Center.

Yvonne was also a talented artist. Beginning in the 1970s, she worked with oil paints on canvas for much of her life, most often creating wildlife and landscape scenes. Her work received numerous blue and red ribbons at county fairs and other contests, and she was especially honored to have an exhibition of her paintings at the Lea County Museum in Lovington, New Mexico, a few years ago.

Yvonne was a Christian woman of strong faith, and she lived out that faith in ways that could be plainly seen. She was a hard worker and often said she loved to work. She seemed happiest when she had work to do and a project to complete. She was neat, lovely, and disciplined, with every hair in place, fashionable clothing, and a grace in the way she carried herself. She took care of herself with intention, eating well and walking for exercise. Yvonne was gifted in many practical and creative ways. She could work on a car, remodel a house, sew shirts with complicated Western yokes, and make something from almost nothing. In her family, we joke that our talent is making something from nothing, because that is sometimes what we had.

She also loved flowers and gardening, especially purple petunias with their sweet fragrance.

Yvonne will be remembered for her deep New Mexico roots, her love for family, her steady strength, and the faithful way she met the demands of life. She belonged to a generation shaped by home, family, church, and community, and she carried that heritage with her throughout her life.

Yvonne is survived by her daughters: Cindy Altstatt, Sondra Catlin and husband William Catlin, and Delores Thompson and husband David Thompson. She is also survived by her granddaughter: Kristy Martinez and husband Al Martinez, and their two children, Hailee and Brennan; by her grandson: Mark Owen; by her granddaughter: Whitley Delgado and husband Billy Delgado, and their two children, Baylee and Billy; and by her granddaughter: McKenzie Catlin. She was also grandmother to Mandi, who preceded her in death at the age of eight and remains lovingly remembered by her family. Yvonne loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren deeply, took great pride in each of them, and never outgrew the joy of watching their lives unfold. She is also survived by her sisters, Joyce Crosson of Artesia, New Mexico, and June Woodburn of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

She was preceded in death by her parents: Ed and Marguerite Black; her brother: Joel Black; her husband: Douglas Wayne Halkins; and her granddaughter: Mandi. Graveside services will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 1:00 pm at Tatum Cemetery. The family wishes to thank everyone for their love, prayers, and support during this time. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew her.

Condolences may be sent to www.kirbysmithrogers.com.