Obituaries (Oct. 7)

R.C. Blandford

Died 2021

R.C. Blandford, age 95, joined his wife, Dorsie Blandford, age 89, in heaven on, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.

Dorsie passed to heaven back in Feb. 23, 2018. A private family service will be held for them both in October.

Arrangements are being handled by the caring professionals at the Noblin Funeral Service Belen Chapel, 418 W. Reinken Ave., 864-4448, where a full obituary and online guest register is available at noblin.com.

 

 

Earnest Matthew Huston

1948-2021

Earnest Matthew Huston, born July 30, 1948, in Artesia, formerly a resident of Albuquerque, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. The family is deeply saddened by his sudden passing.

Earnest was a loving husband and father. He was a member of the Zia Range and was a United States Air Force veteran. Earnest was very good and loved to participate in cowboy action shootings.

He enjoyed being with family and doing wood work as well as automobile and motorcycle mechanics. Anyone who knew Earnie would say that he always looked mad but he was kind, gentle and patient.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Catherine and Howard Huston; daughter, Mary Huston; son, Howard (Tuck) Huston; and granddaughter, Danielle Rose McCants.

Earnest is survived by his loving wife, Carol Huston; daughter, Debra Nalley; son, Donny McCants; sisters, Michaline Agnese and husband, Luis, and Carol Ann House and husband, James; and grandchildren, Jackie Rose Huston, Dawn Marie Nalley, Michael Nalley (Wayne), Dorian James McCants and Isabelle Rae McCants. He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and family members.

All services will be held at the Noblin Funeral Service Belen Chapel on Thursday, Oct. 7, beginning with a viewing at 1 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 2 p.m. Burial with military honors will follow at a later date at Santa Fe National Cemetery.

Arrangements are being handled by the caring professionals at the Noblin Funeral Service Belen Chapel, 418 W. Reinken Ave., 864-4448, where an online guest register is available at noblin.com.

 

Melvin Jaramillo

1957-2021

Melvin Jaramillo passed away Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, at the age of 63.

He was born on Oct. 1, 1957, in the city of Barstow, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Helen; his three daughters, Mayline, Dominique and Kellyann; sons-in-law, John and David; his daughter-in-law, Mellissa; also his grandchildren, Zipporah and Wyatt; and his father, Jerry.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Sally; and his brother, Patrick.

At the young age of 3 years old, he and his family moved to a ranch in Horse Springs, N.M. From there, he found his love for the outdoors such as fishing, camping, horses, etc. From middle school all the way up to graduating high school, he was living in Albuquerque. He graduated from Rio Grande High School and throughout his high school years, he played basketball and collected cars. As he got older, the love of cars grew stronger.

At 21 years of age, he met the love of his life, Helen, and they had their first daughter, Mayline. Following Mayline, they would have another daughter, Dominique. Mel and Helen and the two oldest children relocated to Los Lunas in 1989 and bought their house to plant their foundation. In 1991, they had the birth of their third daughter, Kellyann. I know what you’re thinking — “three girls, and his wife, Helen” — he was surrounded by nothing but women. Yes, we drove him crazy.

He was a truck driver for more than 20 years and he loved being on the road. His profession took him all over the United States, from New York to California. Anyone who knew Mel knew he was a hard worker and he dedicated his life to the trucking business. He took on life just like he took on his job, one mile at a time.

Mel supported all three of his daughters in anything they wanted to pursue, and he was that dad who would be at every single game, cheering those girls on.

The girls grew up and his oldest Mayline had two children of her own. His first grandchild — another girl, Zipporah, to the family, but he loved her. Finally, a couple years later, he got the exciting news he would be having a grandson and Wyatt was born.

Mel always had a smile on his face and he loved himself some Crown Royal and Bud Light. His favorite past times included fishing, working on cars, camping, etc.

Anyone who knew Mel knew he loved his baby (1931 Ford 5 Window Coupe). This car was his life. He built it from the ground up and it was his pride and joy.

He loved his wife, and if there was music playing, you would find them on the dance floor. A couple of his favorite phrases were, “I’m here for a good time, not a long time,” and “Life is good.” His favorite color was blue. His favorite football team was the 49ers, and he always said the greatest basketball player of all time was Kareem Abdul Jabar, with the hook shot.

His favorite music was oldies, country, disco and R&B soul. If you wanted to see him jam, you would just have to play “Heaven” by Los Lonely Boys and he knew every word. He also loved the band BAD CO, and his favorite song by them was in fact “Bad Company.” In fact, he actually had the word BAD CO on the back on his hotrod. His favorite lyrics to that song were “Bad company, until the day I die.”

Mel loved to hear his wife, Helen sing “Ain’t no mountain high enough” when they would go on the road together. They both loved the movie “Pure Country,” and when George Straight (Dusty) would sing the song, “I Cross My Heart,” he would sing it to Helen every time. He loved his old country western shows, and if there was a “Tremors” marathon he would be glued to the TV.

We know that everyone has a special memory with  Mel, and we hope you cherish those memories as much as we will. We hope you will share those great memories with us. Unfortunately, three weeks ago, Mel had gone into the hospital, which his family thought would be a quick recovery, but his health suddenly took a turn for the worst, causing a sudden passing.

It is an honor to present you with following pallbearers, John Gonzales, David Barnaby, Wyatt Gonzales, Mellissa Hall and Richard Jaramillo. The honorary pallbearers include Issac Ortiz, Primy Montoya, Randall Sisneros, Johnathan Quintana, Carlos Chavez, Eric Chavez, Billy Panas, Mike Vigil, Mark Tapia, Rod Johnston, Greg King and Jason Gonzales.

If you would like to send flowers or donations, contact Helen Jaramillo 505-264-4048.

Mel’s life celebration will begin with a Rosary to be recited at 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 10, at Salazar Mortuary, 400 Third St. SW, Albuquerque, 87102. A life celebration service will begin at 4:30 p.m.

 

David V. Wiltsie

1935-2021

David V. Wiltsie, a Bosque Farms resident of 52 years, passed away Oct. 1, 2021.

He was born in Panama, N.Y., in 1935 to Vincent and Esther Wiltsie.

He was survived by wife of 62 years, Sherry; daughter, Sheryl Pineda and husband, Eddie; son, Kenneth Wiltsie and wife, Cheryl; granddaughters, Monica Ritz and husband, Steven, and Tawney Babcock and husband, Shay.

He was preceded in death by brother, Guy Wiltsie; sisters, Marie Kirk and Lois Starkovich; daughter, Vena Jo Wiltsie; and granddaughter, Marlene (Marly) Pineda.

He was a member of the Plumber and Pipefitters Union #412. He retired from Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) Railroad in 1989 after 32 years of service, continuing to work at Big J Enterprises, JB Henderson Construction and Yearout Mechanical.

No services will be held at this time.

Arrangements are by Kirikos Family Funeral Home, Inc. & Sierra Crematory, LLC, 303 N. Cedar St., T. or C., NM 87901, 575-894-2574. For online memorial messages please visit kirikosfamilyfuneralhome.com.