Rochelle Marie Mieras

Rochelle Marie (Pelletier) Mieras, 82, passed away on January 10, 2022, in Alamogordo, New Mexico. She was born on September 9, 1939, in Ipswich, Massachusetts to J. Arthur Pelletier and M. Marguerite (Poirier) Pelletier.

Our mom always said she ‘lived an awesome life” and doing justice for a vibrantly lived life is difficult in just a couple of paragraphs. Our family would like to share with you that mom graduated from the Beverly Hospital School of Practical Nursing in 1961 at a time when nurses wore all white (including a Nurse’s cap) and carried a whet stone to sharpen needles before you gave a shot to a patient, washed and re-powdered gloves, made formula from scratch and cloth diapers ruled the day.

 Rochelle and DJ married in 1961 in Ipswich, Massachusetts and started our family in Rochester, NH, not far from Pease Air Force Base in Kittery, Maine. She became a world traveler- courtesy of the U.S. Air Force. A C130 trip to Spain and two duty stations; then headed to Michigan where mom held down the fort with five kids under the age of 10 in an old farmhouse, working as a nurse while dad was in Vietnam. Then on to Idaho, Kansas, and eventually to New Mexico.

Mom graduated with her Associate Degree in Nursing in 1975, managing full time classes with said five kids and husband. She restarted her Nursing career at Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital in Alamogordo, NM working on the Surgical floor and a short time later transferred to the Operating Room. Mom loved the OR pace, patient care opportunities, and most of the surgeons & staff.  She was promoted to OR Manager, bringing in the first Laparoscopic surgeries in New Mexico to our hospital. She retired after 22 years, with 9 years as an OR supervisor. Mom also taught and managed the Clinical Lab for the Nursing program at NMSU-A for several years. Known for her New England accent and hysterical sense of humor, she was a force to be reckoned with for students who did not pay attention to proper wrinkle free bedmaking and OR quality sterile technique. She was proud to have been President of the Altrusa Club of Alamogordo, and a longtime member of AORN. Mom loved riding motorcycles with dad and the “Retreads”, drove her own Yamaha 750 Sega, enjoyed dancing at the Desperado, sewing, bingo, camping, and an occasional “rummy dummy” while playing a wicked game of Spite and Malice (no cheating). Mom touched the lives of many people in her 43 years of nursing, and certainly for the years we were lucky to have her as our mom. She is sorely missed.

Survivors include her three daughters,  Kimberley (Jerry) Warf of Alamogordo, NM, Michelle (Curtis) Nelson of Alamogordo, NM, Nicole (Damon) Tankersley of Alamogordo, NM;  two sons, Timothy (Sharon) Mieras of Laborcita Canyon, NM, and Christopher (Stacey) Mieras of Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Memere to three grandsons- Daniel (Kathleen) Montoya, Zachary Tankersley, and Michael (Cassie) Mieras all of Alamogordo, NM; four granddaughters, Caitlin Montoya of Lochbuie, Colorado, Elizabeth (Scott) Bailey of Alamogordo, NM, Deanna Mieras and Leah Mieras of Colorado Springs, Colo.,  Grace Warf of Alamogordo, NM and eight great grandchildren. One sister, Elena Poirier of Rochester, NH and one brother, Phillip (Sylvia) Pelletier of Rochester, NH; numerous nieces and nephews, and much-loved friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband Donald James “DJ” Mieras, her father Joseph Arthur Pelletier, mother M. Marguerite Pelletier, brothers Tommy Pelletier and David Pelletier.

A Celebration of Life for Rochelle will take place on Saturday, February 5th, 2022, at 1100 a.m. at the Scenic Chapel located at 1334 N. Scenic Dr., Alamogordo, NM.

The family has chosen a private graveside internment.

Should friends desire, contributions can be made to Alamogordo Hospice.

The Mieras family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Scenic Chapel to direct the funeral services

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