Elizabeth Ann Calhoun

Elizabeth Ann Calhoun, of Weatherford, Texas, passed away Friday, January 11, 2019 surrounded by family and dear friends at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.  Elizabeth fought a valiant, eleven-month battle with an aggressive form of Multiple Myeloma cancer. Throughout her life she was lovingly referred to as “Mom”, “Buffy”, “Coach”, and “Calhoun”. Born December 19, 1963 in El Paso, Texas, she is survived by her daughter, Ky Stephens of Weatherford, TX; parents, Denny and Geraldine Wilcox Calhoun, of Las Cruces, NM; siblings, Clay (Nancy) Calhoun, of Austin, TX, Melissa (Jim Bob) Burnett, of Artesia, NM, and Deana Calhoun of Las Cruces, NM; Harvey Stephens of Tehachapi, CA, her former husband and Ky’s father. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and an infinite number of students, colleagues, and friends. Buffy grew up on farms in the El Paso Valley and the Mesilla Valley in Southern New Mexico.  She graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1982 and earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Education from New Mexico State University. During her early years, Buffy participated in the 4-H and Future Farmers of America programs exhibiting livestock and textiles, judging, and public speaking. She was the New Mexico State FFA Secretary in 1982-1983. Elizabeth began her teaching career at Las Cruces High School in 1992. She then moved to Weatherford High School in 1996, where she taught for another 19 years. In 2002, she and Ky spent a year in Bedford, England through a Fulbright Teacher Exchange where she taught science during the week and traveled Europe on the weekends and breaks. In 2015, she joined the Peaster High School family and what a blessing that was.     She was a highly accomplished and much beloved teacher of Chemistry and AP Chemistry.  Numerous times, Elizabeth was selected by an elite member of the Senior Class of Weatherford High School as the Outstanding Educator who had the most impact on their lives. She was accessible to her students at all hours, be it academic in nature or for personal support. In addition to chemistry, she was devoted to teaching them how to be good human beings. Elizabeth was an excellent carpenter and spent her weekends beautifully remodeling their home in Weatherford. She instilled in Ky a love for architecture accompanied with a willingness to tackle any challenge or project, big or small. She took advantage of opportunities to travel and experience new cultures. Elizabeth visited most of the fifty states, spent many summer days on the beach in San Diego with dear friend Chris Yates, and most recently joined Ky for a portion of her hike of the Appalachian Trail. Her other adventures included ski trips to Austria, excursions in England, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and an excursion to Australia with her students. She pursued her interest in Calhoun family history at a gathering in Scotland. Elizabeth was an eager life-long learner. Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2019 from 5:00-7:00 pm at White’s Funeral Home in Weatherford, Texas. A celebration of her life will be held on Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 3:30 pm at Christ Chapel Bible Church, West Campus, Willow Park, Texas.  A private family burial will take place at Pidcoke Cemetery in Pidcoke, Texas.  A celebration of life will be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Elizabeth’s memory may be made to:  Cowboys for Cancer Research, Inc. PO Box 202, Dona Ana, NM 88032 or www.C4CR.com