Lonnie Allsup, founder of Allsup’s Convenience Stores, dies

CLOVIS, N.M. – 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.

The convenience store is known for its chicken chimichanga and beef burrito.