Larry D. Stanford

Larry D. Stanford

1947-2022

Larry D. Stanford, age 75, a resident of Albuquerque, and formerly of Belen, passed away from pancreatic cancer on Oct. 26, 2022.

A family gathering will be held on what would have been his 76th birthday, at 10 a.m., Jan. 30, 2023, at the First Baptist Church of Belen, followed by a celebration of life at 11 a.m.

He is preceded in death by his father, Lawrence; mother, Merle; and stepsisters, Donna Kirby and Bonnie Glover.

Larry is survived by his son, Joshua (LeShea), of Albuquerque; brother, Paul (Rhonda) of Sun Lakes, Ariz.; stepchildren, John Walck (Jennifer), of Sanford, Fla., Travis Walck, of Los Angeles, Calif., and Laura Speer, of Maryland; six grandchildren, three nieces and three nephews.

He was born in Clovis, N.M., on Jan. 30, 1947. The family moved to Belen in 1949, where Larry, Paul, Bonnie and Donna grew up. Larry graduated from Belen High School in 1965, and then attended Western New Mexico University for three years before enlisting in the United States Navy, training in Aircrew Survival Equipment as well as Survival, Resistance and Escape (SERE).

Following the Navy, he worked for the United States Postal Service until his retirement in 2002. Larry then worked in banking and as a bookkeeper in his brother’s accounting firm until he completely retired in 2018.

He was a wonderful family man and a loving father. Larry married Nancy Lovato Walck, a single mother with three children, John, Travis and Laura, in August 1985, and they had a son together, Joshua. He and Nancy divorced after 26 years of marriage but remained close friends until the end of his life.

Larry was an outdoorsman enjoying fishing, hunting and many sports. He was also a deeply religious man, well-versed in the Bible, and continually studied many different religious topics.

One of Larry’s favorite quotes came from Woody Allen who once stated, “I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

He completely trusted in Jesus Christ, and now he is healed and living in all eternity with his Lord and Savior.

The family requests that donations be made in Larry’s name to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, or to a charity of your choice.

Please sign Larry’s online tribute at romerofuneralhomenm.com. Romero Funeral Home, 609 N. Main St., Belen.