Owen Carter Massie
On Sunday, April 4, 2021, beloved father and brother, Owen Carter Massie, passed away at the age of 69 surrounded by his children.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 20, 1951, Carter spent much of his life on the family farm that he cherished just outside of Pembroke, Kentucky. A time came when his heart was called to relocate from Tennessee, by way of Kentucky, to Santa Fe, New Mexico in early February 2008, following his ancestral lineage, who have settled there for over 100 years. In this Land of Enchantment, from Raton to Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque Carter’s aunts, uncles, cousins and sister lived for many years, while so many others visited through the decades. In the 1940’s Carter’s grandmother made 9 round trips by train in one year alone via Lamy! Such was Carter’s and all the family’s love of New Mexico.
Carter had a passion for horticulture that spanned more than thirty years. He was a brilliant garden designer and wished to pass the lesson of ‘the joy and love a garden gives’ on to every person he met. Specifically, he wanted others to experience how a well-cared-for garden feeds both body and soul. In addition to gardening, he was an avid sports enthusiast, specifically an ardent Kentucky Basketball fan, a voracious reader, and an attentive father who was deeply invested in his children’s passions and achievements. He profoundly believed that each of us creates our own reality and always encouraged his children to envision their dreams coming to reality.
His great love of perennial plants, coupled with his business acumen from years of owning a wholesale plant nursery in Kentucky to managing Payne’s Nursery South in Santa Fe helped him connect with the community and impact the lives of those with whom he encountered, “He was a fountain of knowledge.” His southern congeniality, work ethic, and attention to detail were greatly appreciated by customers, especially those with intricate and sometimes challenging requests, as they felt heard and respected. “Everyone walked away happy.”
Carter was preceded in death by his father, Owen D. Massie, his mother Virginia R. Massie, and his sisters Ann Dance Kerkvliet and Lisa Dance Kirkpatrick. He is survived by four children, daughter Virginia Reid (Massie) Hafer (and her husband Josh Hafer), daughter Sarah Elise Massie (and her fiancé Richard Burton), son Nathan Alexander Massie (and his wife Courtney Potter Massie), and daughter Ellen Carter Massie. His three grandchildren Margaret Carter Hafer, George Massie Hafer and John Owen Hafer. His siblings William Dance (and his wife Dianne Dance), Camille Massie, and Garrott Massie as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and close friends. The memorial service details will be forthcoming by the family at a later date.
The family welcomes donations in remembrance of Carter to the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens, as an expression of sympathy in lieu of flowers.