Obituaries

Salvador B. Legarda, 95, entered eternal rest at on Friday, May 3, 2024 at Fort Bayard Medical Center.  He was born to his parents, Conrado and Leonor (Barreras) Legarda in Chambarino, NM on June 3, 1928.

When he was 7 years old the whole family moved to Santa Rita, NM, bringing only clothing that they had. Salvador attended school in Santa Rita up to the 8th grade.  When Salvador was 16 or 17 years old, he started working for the mines as a laborer for a few years.  In 1948 Salvador joined the U.S Army and after basic was sent to Japan. In June of 1950 the Korean War started and Salvador went to serve his country.  He was later discharged November 1951 and was reinstated back into Kennecott in the Laborer Track Dept and then promoted to the Powder dept. He worked with the Powder dept. till they did without trains and started haul trucks. That's when he became a haul truck driver till he retired in 1982.

Salvador married the love of his life Soledad Tovar on February 15, 1953 and started a family Bayard N.M. Where they had five sons. Salvador was blessed with many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, and many Godchildren.

Donna Carol Espinosa, 64, a resident of Santa Clara, NM, entered eternal rest on Sunday April 28, 2024 at her residence.  She was born to her parents Alfred Jr. and Priscilla (Young) Gonzales in San Bernadino, CA on May 1, 1959.

Donna was the brightest, purest and honest person one would come across. She loved her family, friends and her Walmart family who had a special place in her heart. She gave her heart and soul to the ones that gave her theirs.  If someone needed a place to stay, her door was open. She had the most contagious laugh, smile, and energy. You would always hear her laugh from the other side of the store. The strength to fight for her son gave her a little more time with us. The lord knew she was tired and needed to finally rest. 

"Don't Cry. Play music, Dance, Celebrate my life" -Donna Espinosa

Barbara G. Ormand, 95, of Silver City passed away peacefully on Monday, May 6, 2024.

Arrangements are pending with Terrazas Funeral Chapels "Trusted care for the ones you love" ~ 575-537-0777.  To send condolences, visit www.terrazasfuneralchapel.com .

Rafaela Vera, 92, Deming resident passed away at Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, TX.

Visitation will take place Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon at Baca's Funeral Chapel, recitation of the Holy Rosary will follow at 6pm. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 11 o'clock in the morning at St. Ann's Catholic Church with Fr. Francis Gyau officiating. The rite of committal and interment will follow at Mt. View Cemetery where she will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband Jesus.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Rafaela Vera, please visit our floral store.

Ann Theresa Brennan, a 34-year resident of Deming, NM, passed away peacefully at the age of 96 from natural causes on Saturday, April 13, 2024.

The 3rd of 4 children born to Isabel McIntyre Brennan & Joseph F. Brennan, Ann was born in Flushing Hospital, Queens, NY and was raised in Queens, NY with her siblings Frances, Joseph & Rita. She attended Bayside High School and worked for the New York State Employee Retirement System for 30 years in the Employee Benefits department. Ann moved to Deming, NM shortly after she retired. She was active in her Deming community for many years and looked forward to the Deming duck races and the Hatch Chili Festival. A love for trains inspired her to volunteer at the Deming Train Depot for a time. Ann enjoyed several hobbies over the years, volunteering for various charities, bird watching, gardening, and socializing with friends but her main focus was her faith (Catholic) and family. Ann took great pride in her family's Irish history. As the great granddaughter of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, (Fenian activist and writer), and wife Mary Jane Irwin O'Donovan Rossa (Fenian activist and Poet). Ann was fiercely independent and a consistent presence in the lives of her nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Sandra Watkins Seay, 82, a resident of Silver City, NM, entered eternal rest on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at her residence.  She was born to her parents, Randolph Riley and Lettie (Chestnut) Watkins in East Bernstadt, Kentucky on July 2, 1941.

Sandra is survived by her husband Dexter Seay of Silver City; her son Albert Watkins Seay (Tamara) of Mimbres, NM; her daughter Sherry Zufelt of Silver City, NM; her two grandsons Jason and Jacob Seay both of Silver City, NM.  She was preceded in death by her parents, and her brother Calvin Watkins.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 from 9:30 – 10:00am, at Terrazas Funeral Chapels in Santa Clara, NM.   The funeral service will commence at 10:00am with Pastor Tom Sylvia officiating.  Interment will follow the services at Memory Lane Cemetery in Silver City, NM.

Arrangements are with Terrazas Funeral Chapels "Trusted care for the ones you love" ~ 575-537-0777.  To send condolences, visit www.terrazasfuneralchapel.com.

Juana Abeyta, 71, a resident of Santa Clara, NM, entered eternal rest on Saturday April 27, 2024 at Gila Regional Medical Center, in Silver City, NM. She was born to her parents, Antonio and Hermelinda (Robles) Sotelo in San Juan, TX, on October 18, 1952.

She is survived by her two sons, Luis Abeyta of Albuquerque, NM and Juan Francisco Abeyta of Santa Clara, NM; her three daughters Sara Ray (Jason) of Bayard, NM, Maria Abeyta (Junior Chavarria) and Roxanne Abeyta of Santa Clara, NM; her two sisters Esther Morales (Arnulfo) and Estela Martinez of Santa Clara, NM; her fifteen grandchildren; her fourteen great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Francisco Quintanar Abeyta; and her brother-in-law, Herminio Martinez.

Juanita "Nita" Simmons Klement, 92, a resident of Silver City, NM, entered eternal rest on Saturday April 27, 2024 at Fort Bayard Medical Center surrounded by her family.  She was born on July 27, 1931 to William Price and Eleanor May (Hendricks) Simmons in Hedley, Texas. She was the tenth of 11 children.

Nita moved to Deming with her family where they had a farm south of Deming. She graduated from Deming High School in 1949 and married Leon G. Klement, also of Deming, on March 12, 1950.  They had two children, Gery and Karen.  Having always wanting to open a restaurant, the family moved to Ruidoso in 1962 to partner in a restaurant venture.  The following year they moved to Las Cruces where she worked at the NASA Space Center as well as NMSU. While working at the university, she began to pursue a degree in English. Her husband died in 1971 and she never remarried.  She graduated with her BA in English from NMSU in 1974. She then moved to Texas where she worked in the oil business but never lost her roots in NM. In the mid 1980's, she returned to Las Cruces to fulfill her dream of owning a restaurant. She remodeled an old adobe ranch house off of Amador and opened Fajitas New Mexico Café.