CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — Lonnie Allsup, who started a chain of Allsup’s Convenience Stores that expanded throughout New Mexico and Texas, has died.
The Muffley Funeral Home in Clovis, New Mexico, confirmed Allsup died Sunday. He was 84.
A cause of death was not immediately known.
Allsup and his wife, Barbara, grew up in the small town of Morton, Texas, before purchasing a “drive-in” grocery store in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1956. From there, they grew Allsup’s into a chain of 300 stores in 160 towns and cities.
The Allsups were among the first in the region to sell cooked food and gasoline in the same location.
Allsup was a former National Cutting Horse Association president. He was NCHA Non-Pro World Champion in 1996 with his great mare Little Badger Dulce, according to the NCHA. He was inducted into the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame in 2001.
The convenience store is known for its chicken chimichanga and beef burrito. – Additional reporting by FWBP Staff