Kenneth “Ken” Francis Scheffe
Kenneth “Ken” Francis Scheffe, 64, passed away Monday, February 22, in Albuquerque, N.M.
A memorial service and celebration of life reception is scheduled for Friday, June 18 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church Rio Rancho, NM.
Kenneth was born on Nov. 6, 1956 in Wichita Falls, to Earl James Scheffe and Evelyn Olivia Koetter and was raised on a farm/ranch operation in Iowa Park. He graduated from Iowa Park High School in 1975. He attended college at Texas Tech University and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Soil Science. In 1982, he graduated with a Master’s degree in Soil Science from Texas Tech University. He married Linda Oyer on July 5, 1997 in Bernalillo, NM. For 40 years, Kenneth worked for USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (New Mexico State Soil Scientist and other positions) from 1978-2018. He was a co-owner of Sustainable soil systems LLC from 2019-2021, and from 2019-2021 was a contract Soil Scientist working in soil health with New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts. Kenneth was accomplished at Soil Mapping in Sierra, Guadalupe, and Curry counties from 1978-1988. He won multiple performance awards and certificates of merit and appreciation throughout his career. He served as the National Soil Classification Specialist (Soil Taxonomy) at the National Soil Survey Center from 2014-2018. He was also a co-author of National Soil Survey Manual published in 2017.
He was an EMT and volunteer firefighter and chief in Santa Rosa, N.M. (assistant instructor technical rope rescue for New Mexico State Fire Marshall Office). He was also a member of the Soil Science Society of America and Soil and Water Conservation Society. He was an active member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Rio Rancho, NM and St. John the Apostle Parish in Lincoln, NE.
He is preceded in death by his father, Earl James Scheffe and mother, Evelyn Olivia Koetter.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Oyer Scheffe of Corrales, NM; son, Shawn Oyer of Colorado Springs, CO.; daughter, Xela Oyer of Las Vegas, NV.; brothers, Calvin Scheffe of Pottstown, PA., and Darwin Scheffe of Norman, OK.; sisters, Brenda Edwards and Melinda Mclean, both of Iowa Park, and Phyllis Huff of Wichita Falls; and two grandchildren.
