Blane Smith Obituary

A celebration of life for Blane Smith will be held Friday, July 11, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 322 W Grand Ave, Artesia, NM. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., also at the church.

Ty Houghtling will officiate, with burial to follow at Woodbine Cemetery, 201 E Hermosa Dr, Artesia, NM.

Pallbearers will be Hagan Crockett, Brock Jones, Caleb Nordstrom, Lucas Jensen, Preston Schoolcraft, Andrew Nielson, Auston Settle, Kutler Ellis, Tim Campbell, Jyress Buendia, Zane Luedecke, and John Clem.

Blane Will Smith, 21, of Carlsbad, New Mexico, passed away on July 5, 2025, doing one of the things he loved most, riding dirt bikes at the Hackberry dunes east of Artesia.

Blane was born on January 22, 2004, in Carlsbad to Robbie Smith and Kary (Kelley) Angell. A 2023 graduate of the Carlsbad Enrichment Center, Blane was part of the program's first graduating class and proudly carved his own path forward.

Blane lived for adventure. He was working on earning his pilot's license and had a deep passion for all things fast, whether it had wheels, wings, or waves. A natural tinkerer, Blane was known for taking things apart, occasionally putting them back together, and usually with a few parts left over. He began his oilfield career with USA Compression, where he applied his tinkering skills working on equipment.

He loved the outdoors and spent his time fishing, riding ATVs, grilling, and building memories with family and friends. He grew up playing with Thomas the Train and building tracks all over the house with his papa. Later in life, the tracks got faster and the stakes grew higher, but his love for adventure never wavered. Fast & Furious and Transformers were the only acceptable movies in his library, and as a little boy, he watched Cars so often he wore out the DVD.

Blane had a huge heart and a mischievous streak. He loved playing games with his family, tried his hand at grilling and smoking meat (with varying results), and always welcomed a laugh, even at his own expense. His family gladly took on the role of taste-testers, offering "constructive" feedback as he honed his skills. He also loved bowling, spending countless hours at the lanes with family and friends, always chasing the perfect strike.

Blane is survived by the love of his life, Ashley Vaughan of Loving; his mother Kary Angell and husband John of Artesia; his father Robbie Smith of Carlsbad; siblings Charlie Angell, Daphne Angell, and Brock Jones, all of Artesia; grandparents Linda Kelley of Artesia, Penny Clem and husband John of Livingston, TX, and Steve and Carye Lou Angell of Carlsbad; aunts and uncles Kristy Crockett and husband Doepp of Artesia, Michele Kelley of Midland, TX, and Lisa Nordstrom and husband Eric of Stillwater, MN; and cousins Hagan Crockett, Ella Crockett, Morgan Kelley, Tyler Angell, Allison Angell, Caleb Nordstrom, Leah Nordstrom, and Sarah Nordstrom.

He was preceded in death by his grandfathers David Kelley of Artesia; Danny Smith of Carlsbad, and uncle Kevin Kelley of Midland, TX.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Paradise Church - 49 Paradise Ranch Rd, Carlsbad, NM 88220 or Carlsbad Enrichment Center - 406 N Alameda St, Carlsbad, NM 88220.