Obituaries (Oct. 9, 2025)

Celia Alamo

1952-2025

Celia Alamo, age 72, a resident of Rio Communities, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025.

Services will take place at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Los Chavez on Friday, Oct. 10, beginning with a visitation at 8:30 a.m., followed by a Rosary at 9:30 a.m., with a Funeral Mass to be celebrated at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Belen Memorial Gardens.

Celia is survived by her loving husband, Magdaleno Alamo; children, Kevin, Robert, and Nadia Alamo; grandchildren Lucas, Ryan, Joshua, Jesus and Daniel; and many other loving family members and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Hipolito and Hermenia Torres Najera; son, Alberto Alamo; and brother, Felix Najera.

Celia was a member of Our Lady of Belen Catholic Church. She was a loving mother who enjoyed cooking and taking care of her family, especially her husband. Celia was an avid gardner and was especially proud of her flowers. She also found joy in donating to many causes.

Celia had the spirit of a fighter, which she carried with her during her five-year battle with cancer.

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

Natalie Flores

1970-2025

Natalie Flores, age 54, a resident of Las Nutrias, passed away on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.

Services will take place on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the San Isidro Catholic Church in Las Nutrias, starting with visitation at 9:30 a.m., a Rosary at 10:30 a.m., and a Funeral Mass to be celebrated at 12 p.m., Interment will follow at San Isidro Catholic Cemetery.

She is survived by her loving husband of 34 years, Tom Flores; daughters, Savanah Flores Abeyta (Laurence) and Gabby Flores; grandchildren, Ezekiel and Kalani Abeyta; father, Florenio Chavez; siblings, Dorothy Flores (Anthony) and Anthony Chavez (Desiree); seven nieces, 10 nephews, many great-nieces and nephews, and many loving family and friends.

Natalie was preceded in death by her mother, Cleo Chavez; loving grandparents, in-laws, Charlie and Angelita Flores, and adoring friends.

She was a member of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. Natalie graduated from the University of New Mexico with her master’s degree in education. Her life passion was teaching. Natalie was the heart and soul of La Promesa Elementary for 14 years.

Outside of classroom, she was the life of the party, always dancing and laughing. Every room she walked in would fill with laughter. Natalie was always a great and reliable friend.

Pallbearers will be Anthony and Carlos Flores, Matthew and Michael Garcia, Abenicio, Augustine, Juan Diego and Issaiah Sisneros. Honorary pallbearers will be Mikey Everett, Sarah and Noah Chavez, Maritza Garcia, Laurence and Ezekiel Abeyta and Brandin Martinez.

Natalie was the best and most caring wife, mom and nannie. She is one in a million. We lava you.

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

Stephanie C. Gallegos

1938-2025

Stephanie C. Gallegos, known to family and friends as Estefanita and Fannie, lost her battle with Alzheimer’s disease and passed into the next life on Aug. 13, 2025.

Though her last years were marked by disease, she enjoyed family visits. Stephanie excelled at baking and her Christmas cookies, pies and cakes were renowned as was her New Mexican food. Her red chile recipe lives on through the family.

Stephanie always wanted to be a teacher and lived this through teaching classes and leading ministries at her local Catholic Church.

Stephanie was born in Los Lentes to Federlinda and Alberto Carrasco. She began her school years in Los Lunas but moved to Belen as a companion to her aunt Dolores (Lolita) Artiaga, where Stephanie attended St. Mary’s Catholic School.

Stephanie married Leroy Gallegos and had three daughters.

Stephanie is survived by her brother, Jesus (Albert) Carrasco; her daughters, Debbie Moya, Diane Gallegos-Jouppi (Patrick) and Denise Gallegos; her grandchildren, Maria, Michelle (Jayo), Christopher (Kelli), Connor, Micaela and Teresita; and six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews and their children all of whom were very dear to her.

She was predeceased by her parents and siblings, Fernando Carrasco, Sylvia Gabaldon, Adelida Bales and Paula Padilla.

Services will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, 5712 Paradise Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, with the Rosary starting at 9:30 a.m., followed by the eulogy and Funeral Mass beginning at 10:15 am. Internment will follow at Los Lentes Cemetary on Tondre Road in Los Lunas.

In lieu of flowers the family asked for donations to either Alzheimer’s Association New Mexico Chapter, 6731 Academy Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109, or Mayberry Senior Services, 5528 Eubank Blvd., NE Ste 1, Albuquerque, NM, 87111.

Arrangements are being handled by the caring professionals at the Noblin Funeral Service, Los Lunas, where an online guest register is available at noblin.com.

Adolfo Garcia

1937-2025

Adolfo Garcia, age 87, a resident of Belen, passed away on Oct. 3, 2025.

Services will take place on his birthday, Thursday, Oct. 16, at Calvary Chapel Rio Grande Valley, beginning with a visitation at 1 p.m., and a celebration of life at 1:30 p.m.

He is preceded in death by his sister, Vicky.

Adolfo is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Precilla; children, Margaret (Francisco), Robert (Malisa), Julian (Dorey), Amy, Raymond, Steve (Jessica) and Adolfo Jr.; eight sisters, Filomena, Cecilia, Odelia, Julia, Isabel, Florela and Lucy; 19 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Serving as pallbearers will be his grandsons, Adrian and Carlos Gonzales, Cody, Cade, Garret, Jesse, Dylan, Lukas and J.J. Garcia. Deut 31:8.

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

Mary Louise Gibbs

Died 2025

Mary Louise Gibbs, age 87, passed away on Sept. 15, 2025, in Albuquerque.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 10, at FRENCH-Lomas. She will be laid to rest at Santa Fe National Cemetery.

Please visit the online guest book for Mary at FrenchFunerals.com.

William Richard Herschler

1948-2025

William Richard Herschler, age 77, passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, due to complications from esophageal cancer.

He was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend, whose presence will be deeply missed. Will was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised on Long Island. He attended Virginia Tech, served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam war, attended Cornell University and had a degree in ornamental horticulture.

He then took a three-month long cross-country motorcycle trip to visit friends he had made, before deciding on and settling in Albuquerque. There, he started a small landscaping company “LandArt” and eventually met and married his wife and helped bring two daughters into the world.

In 1991, he moved his family to Peralta, where he was the proud owner and operator of River’s Bend Irrigation, installing irrigation systems throughout Valencia County. There he built a reputation as a hardworking, honest and dependable businessman and member of the community.

A gifted photographer, Will also owned River’s Bend Photography, taking full advantage of New Mexico’s natural light to capture photographs of birds in flight, candids, rodeo, community events, family photos, dog agility and what ever else captured his interest. He took great pride in getting photographs straight out of the camera and not using Photoshop on any of his photos. He loved to share his knowledge and love of photography as the “trenchmonkey” on various photography forums, such as Fred Miranda (FM) and Nikon Café. The “trenchmonkey” had quite a following on these forums and would provide good solid advice to fellow photographers based on his own real-life experience. He always seemed to add a little punny humor to photographs or comments he posted.

Will was preceded in death by his father, Donald “Don” George Herschler.

He is survived by his mother, Joan Herschler; sister, Ellen Finkenburg, and husband, Richard Finkenburg, wife, Julie (Anderson) Herschler; daughters, Nichole “Addie” Herschler and Mishay Herschler-Chavez; son-in-law, Erik Chavez; and his cherished grandchildren, Riley, Zoë, Emma, Kira, Oliver and Maya.

Will was the life of any party. He will be remembered for his love of family,unwavering sense of fairness, compassion, tireless work ethic and his witty, yet sometimes off-putting sense of humor.

A celebration of Will’s life will be held at the Bosque Farms Community Center from 5-7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24. All those who knew him are welcome to join his family and friends in the celebration of his life.

Michelle Lopez

1978-2025

The world lost an amazing and loved woman. Michelle Lopez, 47, passed away surrounded by family on Sept. 19, 2025, at UNM Hospital in Albuquerque.

Michelle was a long-time resident of Los Lunas. She grew up on Los Lentes Road with her loving grandmother, Barbara Apodaca.

Michelle is survived by her spouse, Tony Sanchez; her five children Taneshea (30), Adrian (27), Alexis (24), Azia (18) and Jada (16). Her memory also lives on through her nieces and nephews, her siblings, her in-laws, her grandfather and many loving friends.

Michelle was preceded in death by her grandmother, Barbara, who she now joins in their eternal home watching over us and guiding us.

Michelle was a devoted wife and mother. She catered to her family and jumped at the ask of anyone. It was her way of letting people know she loved you and that she would always be there for you no matter what it was.

Michelle loved spending time with her husband, Tony, and cherished their trips as a family, and will always remember their solo Vegas trip — definitely one for the books. She loved spending her time with her children, whether it be sitting home and watching Lifetime movies, talking around the table as a family, playing board games, taking family trips out of town, heading out to the lake, going on sneaky shopping sprees or really anything that involved being with her babies. She was the best mother anyone could have asked for.

She also shared a special bond with her beloved niece, Brianna; she loved her as a sixth child and shared a bond that could not be broken. The memories that will last forever will be those late nights at Cosmic Bingo, having their midnight snacks and those last-minute projects Michelle would help bring to life.

When people think of the first person to call for anything, Michelle would be the first person to pop up in someone’s mind, whether it be just to talk and vent, get advice or to ask what is she making for dinner so they could go by and join. She had a unique way of making you feel loved and welcomed whoever you were and no matter what your age, she was just a momma bear to all.

She was known for her hardy laugh and kind heart. She was the heart and soul of our family and she will be missed dearly. Her home was always open, serving as a gathering place for family and friends during holiday celebrations, everyone’s birthday and impromptu family meetings (which really just turned into a battle of Phase 10 or some other game to bring everyone together).

Michelle had that spark to bring life and brightness anywhere she went. She just wanted everyone to be happy and joyous and have a fun time all the time.

A celebration of Michelle’s life will be starting at 9:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 24, at Calvary Chapel New Harvest, 701 Main St. NE, Los Lunas. The family welcomes you to join and bring a picture or a letter to add to her memory box. Flowers will be accepted and can be delivered to the chapel between 8:15-8:30 a.m.

Following her services we will gather for a meal and after head over to Los Lentes Cemetery where she will be laid to rest.

Emily Sublett

1936-2025

Emily Sublett, age 89, a resident of Belen, passed away peacefully on Oct. 4, 2025.

Interment will take place at Santa Fe National Cemetery at a later date. She was a member of Our Lady of Belen Catholic Church.

Emily is preceded in death by her loving husband, Paul C. Sublett; sons, Joel Sublett and Stewart Sublett; her daughter-in-law, Monica Garley-Sublett; and eight brothers and sisters.

She is survived by her sons, Philip Sublett and wife, Tammy, and Warren Sublett and wife, Deborah; and eight grandchildren.

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

Marie Yarbrough

1934-2025

Marie Yarbrough, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully surrounded by family two days after celebrating her 91st birthday on Sept. 22, 2025.

She was born in Vivian, La., on Sept. 20, 1934. She lived most of her life in Alamogordo and Los Lunas. After raising her children and retiring as a manager at Sears, she spent hours a day in her favorite place, which was her shop, doing woodworking and crafts. She could make anything anyone wanted! She also loved spending time at the lake fishing with family and friends. She always had the biggest fish stories.

She had many special talents and loved staying busy all the time. Even at 90 years old, she thought she could do anything anyone else could do. She was so proud of the blankets that she crocheted and donated to the hospital nursery.

Marie lived a beautiful life filled with family, friends, love and happiness. She was so proud of all of her grandchildren and took great joy in the time she got to spend with them. She truly loved nothing more than being a mom and nanny.

She is survived by her loving daughter and best friend, Denise Musgrove and husband, Allen Musgrove, of Los Lunas; and son, Gary Cunning and wife, Dana Cunning, of Old Hickory, Tenn.; her stepdaughters, Penny Krusoff and husband, Cary, of Utah, and Lisa Woodyatt, of Utah; and her grandchildren, Amy Bell, Staci Musgrove, Amber Musgrove and husband, Brandon Wilmore, Cody Cunning, and Summer Cunning and her great grandchildren, who were her pride and joy Kelsey Bell, Jaden Donahue, Kaden Bell, Melia Ackley and Swayzee Webb.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Alfred Yarbrough; her parents, Gracie Poston and Sidney Shelton; and her brother, Bobby Shelton.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude and appreciation to Presbyterian Hospital and Hospice Care for their loving, exceptional care.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, Sept. 27, at Riverside Funeral Home in Los Lunas.