NAME Jane Austin (Maulsby) of Clayton, New Mexico, passed away on June 22, 2026 in Dalhart, Texas.
SERVICES: Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Friday, June 26th at 10:00 AM at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Clayton, NM, where she was a member of the parish for over 60 years. Burial will follow in the Clayton Memorial Cemetery by Hass Funeral Directors of Clayton. Please visit www.hassfuneralhome.com to view the online obituary and sign the guestbook
BACKGROUND: Jane Austin was born on November 6, 1938 in Trinidad, CO, she spent most of her childhood in Harding County, NM, at her family’s ranch in Bueyeros and in Clayton, NM where she attended school and graduated in 1956. On July 22, 1961 she married local educator Claude “Pal” Austin. Together they raised three children, Alicia, Robert, and Claudia, in Clayton. Members of the community will no doubt recall Jane’s enterprising and hard-working nature. Over the years, she left her mark on a number of local institutions, including The Farmers & Stockmens Bank, Maulsby Nursing Home, the Eklund Hotel, and Big Country Real Estate.
In her private life, Jane was an artist and designer at heart—a life-long collector of beautiful things and curator of beautiful spaces. She was intensely proud of her southwestern roots, and in her years across New Mexico, Arizona, and California, she built up a treasure trove of the kinds of works that define the region, from pueblo pottery to hand-woven textiles to turquoise jewelry to desert landscape paintings—many of which she painted herself. She took special joy in welcoming guests into her home and sharing the stories behind her collection, and she continued creating and collecting art well into the final years of her life.
Beyond her creative pursuits, those who knew Jane best will remember her dedication to her faith, her pride in her children and their accomplishments, her prowess on the golf course, her ability to feed a crowd, her sense of humor, and her love for telling an unforgettable story.
She is preceded in death by her parents Viola Maulsby (Tixier) and Ellis Maulsby, her husband, Claude “Pal” Austin, her brothers William Mealy, Charles Maulsby, and Richard Maulsby, and her granddaughter, Adrienne Trujillo.
She is survived by her twin brother, Gene Maulsby; her children and their spouses, Alicia and Albert Trujillo of Albuquerque, NM, Robert and Elizabeth Austin of Amarillo, TX, and Claudia and Alex Montoya of Clayton, NM; her grandchildren, Aric Trujillo, Ashley Trujillo, Santos Trujillo, Clayton Montoya, Alexa McGehee, Lauren Montoya, Robert Austin, Jessica Austin, and Matthew Austin; and her great-grandchildren Kevin Torres, Remy Montoya, Oakley Montoya, Josie McGehee, and Alex McGehee.
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