After a long battle with cancer, Chasity Lyndell Russell passed away peacefully Thursday, January 7, 2010, at Methodist Hospital in Houston at the age of 24. She was born Sept. 26, 1985, in Roswell to Neil and Becky Russell.

Chasity was a licensed Massage Therapist and a Pharmacy Technician in Albuquerque when she was diagnosed with Cardiac Sarcoma in February 2009. She will always be remembered for her beautiful smile and gracious, loving personality; no matter how difficult the circumstances Chas' smile would light up the room! She was the setter for the Des Moines Lady Demons volleyball team and Point Guard for the basketball team from 1999 - 2004; she helped lead the Lady Demons to 6 back-to-back state championships in volleyball and basketball during her high school career. Chas was an EMT-FR with the Folsom EMS for two years. She graduated from Des Moines High School in 2004.

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather, Owen M. Russell, and her maternal grandfather, Joe L. Ulibarri.

Chasity is survived by her 10-month old son Caleb Matthew Martinez and fiancé Jacob Martinez of Albuquerque; her parents Neil and Becky Russell and brother Dusty Russell of Folsom; paternal grandmother Peggy Handy of Rio Rancho and maternal grandmother Pearl Weese of Raton; uncles Domingo (Lori) Cruz of Albuquerque, Leroy (Terry) Cruz of Shallowater, Texas, Tom Ulibarri of Raton, Wayne (Melinda) Cruz of Capulin, Brad (Kim) Atwater of Folsom, Leslie (Sue) Russell of Denver; aunt Karen (Burl) Brown of Des Moines; cousins Alesha, Lonnie and Brent Cruz, Maria and Ryan Cruz, Candy, Karla and TJ Ulibarri, Joseph, Jason and John Wayne Cruz, Amber, Brandy and Jimmy Atwater and Jamie Moehring, Damon and Ryan Brown.

Recitation of the Most Holy Rosary will be held Friday, Jan. 15, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Raton. Memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m., immediately following the Rosary, with Father Daniel Balizan as the celebrant. Burial will take place after Mass at the Catholic Cemetery in Folsom. A potluck community dinner will follow the burial at the Des Moines School in Des Moines.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Chasity Russell Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of the Des Moines Municipal Schools, PO Box 38, Des Moines, NM 88418 or the Amschwand Sarcoma Cancer Foundation 2260 West Holcombe Blvd., Ste 174, Houston, TX 77030 to help further their mission of sarcoma research and assisting sarcoma patients and their families with housing.

Funeral arrangements for Chasity Lyndell Russell are under the direction of the Alderette-Pomeroy Funeral Home of Raton.