Antonio Gallegos

After a long battle with cancer, Antonio Jose Gallegos Jr., 79, peacefully passed away in his home surrounded by his family and friends on Saturday, August 29, 2009. Tony was born May 7, 1930 to Antonio and Josefita Gallegos in Pastura, New Mexico. He graduated from Santa Rosa High School in 1950, after which he served in the United States Air Force, spending four years overseas in Japan during the Korean War. After serving his country, Tony moved to Santa Rosa, New Mexico where he married Terry Sanchez on August 20, 1955 at St. Rose of Lima Church. Tony was very active serving the city of Santa Rosa and county of Guadalupe, first as a city councilman and later as the County Assessor. He then went into private business, owning his own service station and eventually becoming a distributor for Conoco Oil. After selling his business, he became Director of Public Works for the city of Santa Rosa until his retirement in 1992. After retirement, Tony was able to pursue his true passion—ranching. He was especially proud of his registered Red Angus cattle. His list of community involvement includes: Rotary Club, VP and president of Campos Senior Citizens Center, VP Eastern Plains Housing Development, past president of the Guadalupe County Farm and Ranch Bureau, local hospital board member, and Eastern Plains Agency on Aging. Tony was also instrumental in getting Las Casas de Vida Apartments built for senior citizens through the Eastern Plains Housing Development. Tony was a very active member of St. Rose of Lima Parish. He was enthusiastically involved in: Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Encounter, Cursillo, the charismatic prayer group, Friendly Visitor Program, Eucharistic minister to the homebound, chairperson for FIA and ACA, fiesta raffle ticket booth, Eucharistic minister at mass. Tony was a Knight of Columbus, has served on the parish council, chaired Fiestas three times, and spent four years on the St. Rose School Board. He and his wife were awarded the Saint Francis of Assisi award for their dedication and service to the parish of St. Rose in 2007. Tony is preceded in death by his parents, Antonio and Josefita Gallegos; sisters Carrie Campos, Ernestine Trujillo, and Carolina Gallegos. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Terry Gallegos of Santa Rosa, daughter Belinda Gallegos of Las Cruces, daughter and son-in-law Doris and Dale Houlihan of Tucumcari, son Mark Gallegos of Portales; three grandchildren: Jennifer Houlihan, Jason and wife Kelly Houlihan, and Joyce Houlihan. His memory also lives on through his surviving brothers and sisters: Cordelia Snow, Oma Mettert, Jerry and wife Patsy Gallegos, Arnold Gallegos, and Grace Gallegos as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. A rosary will be recited at Nuestra Senora de Refugio in Puerto de Luna on Monday, August 31, at 7:00pm. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, September 1 at 10:00am in PDL with internment following at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Santa Rosa. Serving as Pall Bearers will be Joe Pino, Dennis Weide, Tommy Sanchez, Lee Vega, Benito Via, Leroy Gallegos, Glenn Gonzales, and Albert (Friggie) Campos. All services are entrusted to Chavez Funeral Home, 923 South 3rd St. Santa Rosa, NM. For online condolences go to www.chavezfuneralhome.com.