Alta Jeane Frazor Youngblood

Alta Jeanne Frazor Youngblood was born on July 10, 1946, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Roswell. She was named for her Aunt Alta, the founder of Alta’s gift shop at the corner of 13th and North Main Street. She died in Roswell with her daughter by her side on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Alta grew up on a ranch near Roswell, with her parents Ima and Roy and her two brothers, Henry and Roy Frazor. The nearest neighbor was Ivan Chesser. As a girl, she’d sneak over to the Chesser’s place and swim in the water tank. Alta enjoyed life and loved to compete with the gun club. She won dozens of trophies over the years. The best thing she took home from the shooting range was likely the man she married, Larry Youngblood. Together they opened Larry’s Gun Shop. They raised their family with that business and sold it 12 years ago. Throughout the years, Alta collected children. All of her daughter’s friends called her mom. The children she inherited through marriage became as much hers as any other child could be. If she saw a child in need of love, she was there for them. Alta made formal gowns, wedding cakes, and Halloween costumes for her loved ones over the years. Her daughter Amanda said her mom would make Halloween costumes for her, they were well-made. Amanda would wear a costume, and two years later, her niece Jessy would wear it. Alta wasn’t a church-going woman, but her love of God showed in how she treated his children. She figured they were her children too. Not only did Alta enjoy loving everybody’s babies, but she also loved the folks so many ignored. She’d laugh about how she was contributing to the delinquency of a homeless person as she handed one a fresh pack of cigarettes. She enjoyed sitting down at the homeless camps and having lunch with some of them in her later years. She’d been an avid shooter and hunter most of her life. Sometimes she’d come home with an unexpected catch, though. On two different occasions, she found a baby squirrel and a baby skunk. She brought both home and raised them as pets. She had the skunk descented. The Youngbloods lived outside of town a bit, and dogs were often dumped near their home. She adopted or found homes for countless dogs over the years. One day there was a chocolate lab on the side of the road. Alta slowed down to see if she could get him in the truck. She didn’t see him run in front of the truck and hit him. His hip was broken. A few thousand dollars later, he was fixed up, named Chocolate, and spent the rest of his days as another one of Alta’s children. One of her adopted daughters, Chelsea Woodward, said, “Mom adopted stray daughters at the same rate she adopted stray dogs.” Candyce Griffith said, “She let me practically live with them every weekend. She always made me feel welcome and loved. I always slept great there. When I got older, I realized it was because I felt safe at her house.” Alta had one daughter, given to her naturally, Amanda Youngblood Gattis. But to call any of the others anything other than her children would dishonor her memory. They all called her mom. Alta’s husband brought her two sons, Robert and Steve, and she also had another daughter, Dana Jones. Her grandkids, Levi, Jessy, Brandon, Gavin, Aleka Geirson, and Geoff, love their Me-Maw as do her great-grandchildren Syrenity, Gracelyn, Levi, Garrett and Jackson. She was preceded in death by her great-grandson Cooper, so we know she is enjoying snuggling babies still. She enjoyed making turquoise jewelry with her father, Alta learned how to do that in her Aunt’s store. Being outside in the sunshine brought an instant smile to her face, she’d sit outside all day long in the summer. Alta loved playing penny slots at the casinos, she said anything bigger than that was too rich for her blood. She loved wind chimes, and she liked to read. Nobody remembers her ever drinking anything other than coffee or Mexican Coke from a glass bottle, or maybe some wine. And Alta’s favorite breakfast never changed, she wanted two eggs over easy with a side of bacon and toast if you please. Alta never let life slow her down. She didn’t graduate high school, so in her 50’s she got her GED just because she wanted it. In her final years, she’d often help Amanda in her work with Cooking for Unity, feeding Roswell’s homeless people. One of Alta’s favorite childhood memories was from her youngest years on the ranch. Her Grandpa Henry lived next door, every morning he would step out onto his front porch and whistle. Ima would gather up young Alta, and they’d go next door to drink coffee with Grandpa Henry. He would give her coffee with a spoon, it made her feel special. When she passed it was dawn, Grandpa Henry and her Momma had the coffee ready. In lieu of flowers or cards, show kindness to a stranger. Alta’s tribute was beautifully written in her honor by her family

Alta Jeane Frazor Youngblood

July 10, 1946 - March 21, 2020