Mary Lily Atwood

Mary Lilia “Lily” Atwood passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 16th, 2020, with her granddaughter, Lauren, by her side. She was born March 4th, 1929 to Felipe and Juana Maria Baca in Hot Springs, New Mexico. She was very proud of her New Mexican roots and loved to share stories and recipes from her childhood. She was well known for her homemade tortillas and red and green chili. She taught her grandchildren from an early age how to roll tortillas and passed family recipes down to her sons, their wives, and her grandchildren. After graduating high school, Lily worked hard to put herself through beauty school and got her cosmetology license. At the age of 21 she met the love of her life, Clyde W. Atwood, on a blind date. They were married on January 4th, 1951. They had three sons together – Philip, Clyde Jr, and Michael Atwood. After several years of traveling with the US Army, they settled in El Paso, TX where Lily worked for the El Paso Independent School District for 17 years. She retired as a Food Service Manager in 1989 when her granddaughter was born to be a full-time Grandma. She spent all of her free time loving her family, spending time with friends, sewing, cooking and baking, and going to church. She was a self-taught seamstress who loved to make clothes for her family and friends and was often the “go to” for alterations in the community. When you came to Lily’s house you knew there were fresh baked cakes, pies, or empanadas for you to sit around the table and enjoy. She was a wonderful cook who loved to entertain. She was a devoted member of the NCO Wives Club of Fort Bliss and spent many hours volunteering and contributing baked goods to help raise money for their scholarship fund and charitable giving grants which benefited the El Paso community. She met many wonderful friends through her time there who she cherished dearly. She was a dedicated member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church where she found great comfort and love in that community after the passing of her husband, Clyde. Lily had a great sense of humor and was able to find the positive in difficult situations. Her laugh was infectious, and she made people feel welcome and loved in her presence. She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by friends and family. She was preceded in death by her husband Clyde W. Atwood; her son Clyde “Dusty” Atwood Jr; her brothers Gene Baca and Albert Baca. She is survived by her brother Leo Baca; her sons Phillip Atwood (wife Katie Atwood) and Michael Atwood (wife Kendra Atwood); her daughter-in-law Beverly Atwood, her grandchildren John Atwood (wife Yuko Atwood), Lauren Atwood, Paul Atwood, Danielle Atwood, Lindsay Luhrs (husband Andy Luhrs), Michael Drake; her great grandson Liam Atwood; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, with Rosary at 12:00 PM, Friday, August 28, 2020 at Sunset Funeral Homes- Northeast, 4631 Hondo Pass. Interment will be at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. Services for Mrs. Atwood will be streamed via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sunsetfuneralhome