Max Geary, age 81, died on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at his home in Clayton, New Mexico.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at the Clayton Methodist Church, in Clayton, New Mexico with Pastor Terrell Jones, pastor of the Trinity Fellowship Church in Clayton, officiating. Burial will follow in the Clayton Memorial Cemetery by Hass Funeral Directors of Clayton, New Mexico.
Max Geary was born on January 6, 1944, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Clayton, New Mexico to J.C. Geary and Lola Geary. Max was raised on a ranch on the Corrumpa Creek located north of Clayton, New Mexico. Max rode horses and helped break them so his dad could take them to the rodeos and horse races. Max loved going to the rodeos and roping. He shared that love with his family and they enjoyed traveling to the rodeos together. Max loved all sports and had a dream of being a jockey.
Max attended elementary school in Clayton, New Mexico until the family moved to Dumas, Texas. Max attended 4th and 5th grades in Dumas then his family moved back to Clayton where Max graduated from Clayton High School in 1962. Max attended ENMU for 2 years taking all the agriculture classes they offered. While at ENMU, Max met and fell in love with a girl from Artesia, New Mexico named Jacquie Irene Bennett, and they were married on July 11, 1964. Max started classes at WTU in Canyon, Texas and received his animal husbandry degree in 1966. From there, Max went to Texas Tech and received his Ag Ed degree in the summer of 1967. Max received his Master’s in Ag Ed in 1972.
In April of 1967, Max and Jacquie had a son they named Shawn Scott Geary, and he was born in Lubbock, Texas.
Max was offered a one-year contract job as a Jr. High Science teacher and a High School assistant football and assistant track coach. Max gladly accepted the job and that was the start of his 35 years of teaching. Max taught 34 of those years as a Vocational Agriculture teacher and was a FFA advisor.
In May of 1970, Max and Jacquie had another son and they named him Brian Heath Geary. Heath was born in Dalhart, Texas.
After 35 years of teaching and being an inspiration to so many young people, Max retired. After “retiring”, Max started working at the First National Bank as an inspector for Craig Reeves for 16 years. During this time Max (with Jacquie’s help) was able to purchase land and get some cattle together.
Max has received many honors from the Clayton Community and from the National and State FFA organizations. Max was selected Ag Ed teacher of the year in 1982, 1992 and 1998. Max received the Honorary State Farmer and Honorary American Farmer degree during his teaching years. Max’s pride and joy was when the Clayton Schools dedicated a remodeled Ag building in his honor and named it the Max Geary Agriculture Education Building. Max was proud to be able to teach in it for 3 years.
Max lost the love of his life on May 24, 2022. In addition to his wife, Max was preceded in death by his parents, J. C. and Lola Geary and his in-laws, John C. And Irene E. Bennett.
Max was a member of the Clayton Methodist Church.
SURVIVORS:
2 SONS: Shawn Geary and his wife Patti of Coweta, Oklahoma and Heath Geary and his wife April of Clayton, New Mexico.
GRANDCHILDREN: Jaci Geary of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Molli Barbosa and her husband Daniel of Coweta, Oklahoma, Kassie Geary of Amarillo, Texas, Koy Geary of Portales, New Mexico and Keegan Geary of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN: Liam and Lola Barbosa of Coweta, Oklahoma and Everliegh Villegas of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
SISTER-IN-LAW: Judy Schroeder of Sparta, Missouri.
Numerous nieces, one nephew and lots of friends.
And Max and Jacquie’s Dog Lily – Max’s loved and faithful companion.
MEMORIALS: The family asks that donations be made in Max’s memory to the Laurance Daniel Scholarship Fund at Busey Bank in Clayton.
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