Dick Arthur Blenden

Dick Arthur Blenden, “The Legend,” passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home on July 23, 2025. He was 90 years old.

Born on February 17, 1935, in Spur, Texas, to Harry Elton Blenden and Ruth Elizabeth Blenden, Dick spent his formative years in Lockney, Texas, and later graduated from Andrews High School. He went on to earn a B.A. from Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) in 1957 and a law degree from the University of Texas in 1961. After being admitted to the bar in Texas (1961) and New Mexico (1962), he moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico, where he established a celebrated legal career that spanned more than six decades.

A tireless advocate for justice, Dick earned widespread respect as both a formidable trial lawyer and a principled human being. He was known not only for the significant verdicts and settlements he secured but for the way he practiced law with deep integrity, fairness, and a steadfast commitment to ethical conduct. He believed that a lawyer’s word mattered, that justice required honesty, and that doing right by one’s clients and community was paramount.

In September 2022, the City of Carlsbad formally recognized his lifelong contributions by proclaiming September 15, 2022, as Dick Blenden Day.

He had a masterful sense of humor and was known for spinning vivid stories and telling jokes—often ones you'd already heard, and often ones that made you laugh in spite of yourself.

Dick was preceded in death by his brother Harry Easton Blenden, his sister Sue Thornton, his infant brother James Platter Blenden, his nephew Kenneth Blenden, and his grandsons J.T. Shelton and Brandon Blenden.

He is survived by his wife, Sara Beth “Betty” Blenden; his children: Phil Blenden (Carlsbad, NM), Sandi Blenden (Hollywood, CA), and Robin Shelton (Tacoma, WA); and four stepchildren from previous marriages, whom he loved as his own: Wendy Humphrey (Lubbock, TX), Johnse Humphrey (West Palm Beach, FL), Ben Etcheverry (Deming, NM), and Tai Pettigrew (Tatum, NM). He is also survived by six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025, at First Methodist Church of Carlsbad, located at 207 N. Halagueno Street in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Arrangements are being handled by Denton-Wood Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Dick A. Blenden Scholarship fund, benefitting future lawyers. You may donate online at https://donate.law.ttu.edu/ or mail a check to the Texas Tech Law School Foundation, 3311 18th Street, Room 207, Lubbock, TX 79409.