Barbara Eleanor (Jernigan) Campsey joined her Lord and Savior in Heaven on December 27, 2021. She was born in Amistad, NM to Arthur and Irma Jerrnigan on June 13, 1942. The second of five girls, Barbara worked alongside her father and sisters on the family’s ranch, which developed her work ethic and dedication to the family.
Barbara met Tommy Campsey, of Texline, TX, at one of Amistad’s famous dances, and the two were married in 1960. Their first child, Doug, was born in 1961, followed by their daughter, Rhonda, in 1963. Barbara always said she thought she married a cowboy, but it turned out she married a farmer. Together, Tommy and Barbara built a life on the farm raising crops and cattle, and Barbara assisted other farms in the area with their bookwork.
Barbara was an active member of the local community. She led the music at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and substitute taught at Texline and Clayton schools. She was a leader in the construction of the Texline Community Center and hosted “art night” each week at the center, along with leading an art camp each summer.
She was a true woman of God and was resolute in her Catholic faith. As Barbara’s health failed later in life, she relied on her faith and trust in the Lord and spent many hours praying.
Barbara is preceded in death by her husband Tommy Campsey, her sister, Florence Hall, and her grandson, Garret Campsey.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Doug and Helen Campsey, of Canyon, TX, her daughter and son-in-law, Rhonda and Ken Cantrell of Clayton, NM, and her grandchildren and their families: Gerald, Caroline, Charlotte, and Nolan Campsey, of Canyon, TX; Reanne, Joe, Patrick, Beau, and Magnolia Haverty, of Virginia Beach, VA; Eranne, Jarrett, Sienna, and Noa Johnston, of Watauga, TX; Hayden and Darby Campsey, of Amarillo, TX; Kimberly Cantrell, of Lubbock, TX; and Miles Cantrell, of Austin, TX. As well as her sisters, Mary Maulsby, of Clovis, NM, Helen and Adrian Tixier, of Rio Ranch, NM, and Carolyn Hall, of Katy, TX, and her sister-in-law, Patsy and Rick Brooks, of Broken Arrow, OK.
Services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Texline, TX on Thursday, December 30th. The rosary will begin at 1:30 p.m. followed by the funeral mass at 2:00 p.m. A dinner will be held at the Texline Community Center following the graveside service.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Garret Campsey Memorial Scholarship, managed by Opportunity Plan, Inc.
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