Four individuals, relatively new to Las Cruces, were received into membership on September 8. Please take a moment to introduce yourself to them, and remember to wear your nametag as a matter of hospitality. You only have a few names to remember while they have many new names and faces to keep in place.
Karen Holmes
Karen Holmes was born and raised in Wisconsin. Karen writes: “I come from an area where everyone went to church. I went to UCC church. I went to college and tech school – getting a degree in computers. I currently work for Health Grades as a Senior Data Engineer – working remotely from my home office. My family helped with others as I was growing up. Ralph and I did the same with our family. Since we moved to Las Cruces Memorial Day weekend, I’ve helped at El Calvario and El Caldito and plan to do more in the future. P.S. I’ve played church bells for 20 years and hope to play here as well.”
Ralph Holmes
Ralph Holmes runs a small (1 person) woodworking business with local and international customers. Ralph shares: “Away from work it is fun to travel to see the sites locally and everywhere. The environment is important to me, both in protecting it and being in it. I am converting my work van into a part time camper so we can get out into the National and State Parks. My camera travels with us as I love trying to capture what we see and sometimes get creative with the images. After living in one location for all of my life I am looking forward to getting to know Las Cruces and the people in it and around it.”
Karen and Ralph have been longtime members of Lake Edge UCC in Madison, Wisconsin. They have two sons, Daniel and Samuel.
Raine Stefford-Grey
Raine Stefford-Grey was born in northern Scotland, moved to southern Arkansas before high school, moved to Colorado after graduate school. He lived in Colorado 44 years. “Sue and I have four children (Zak, Torre, Nate and Maya), three grandchildren (Matthew, Ezbon, and Lily), three dogs (Jake, Che, and Lizzy), and three cats (Ed, MoMo, and Lino). Although my degree is in PsychoGenetics, I’ve spent most of my life as a musician (composer, arranger, conductor, director). I am now happily retired and ready for fun: travel, camping and hanging out at home or with friends and family.”
Sue Stefford-Grey
Sue Stefford-Gray comes from Greeley, Colorado where she lived for 35 years. She is a retired Presbyterian minister, married to Raine. Together they have 4 children – 3 live in Colorado while one is in Austin, Texas. Their 6 pets keep them busy. They love to camp in their RV trailer and plan to do some exploring of New Mexico in coming years.
And there was cake!Welcome Cake
