Ricardo Mendoza

Ricardo, fondly known as “Tata/ “Papa”/ “Dad” to his children was born on February 7, 1931, to Juan and Manuela Mendoza in Hagerman, NM. He passed away at the age of 93 on August 25, 2024. He is survived by his six children, twelve grandchildren, and eighteen great grandchildren. Celebrate Ricardo’s life by visiting www.andersonbethany.com to offer a favorite memory or expression of sympathy for his family. A Viewing will be held at Immaculate Conception Church in Dexter, NM on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., and the reading of the Rosary to follow at 10:30 a.m., and finally, the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. Interment to follow at South Park Cemetery. Our father grew up in Hagerman, NM, and began working in his youth to help financially support his family of origin. He married our mother, Maria Consuelo Mendoza, in 1966. They had six children: Rosamaria, Raymundo, Delia, Luz Elena, Guadalupe, and Felipe. He bought our childhood home in Dexter, NM, where he and our mother raised us. For almost all of his adult life, he was an employee with the Hagerman Irrigation Company. Although he was unable to continue his education, he was a highly intelligent man. If something in our home needed to be fixed, no matter how complicated, he would teach himself to do the repairs. He loyally worked long and arduous hours for minimal compensation without complaint. His strong work ethic and industriousness were traits he passed down to his children. He was so proud that they pursued further education or more employment opportunities than he was ever afforded. Though not always verbalized, we grew to understand as adults that a man who loves his family works as hard as our dad did to provide for his family. A few of our most cherished memories include waking up at dawn on Saturday mornings, a workday for him, to go with him in his work truck to check that the irrigation pumps vital to watering the many crop fields surrounding our hometown were working properly. Also, our dad would wave at every passing car as we drove through our small town or over to the next town as if to acknowledge everyone as a friend or neighbor. His grandchildren also have wonderful memories of grandpa joking with them and being the pickup or drop off person while their parents worked or continued their education. He was always happy to do it. We knew we could always depend on him. Our father continued to work his grueling labor job well into his mid-sixties; only leaving when a medical issue forced him to no longer be able to work. Unable to sit idle, he began more do-it-yourself projects. He also began to take on more household responsibilities and take care of our mother, whose health began to decline. As her condition grew worse, he stayed by her side every day until her death in May 2018. He was a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Dexter, NM. His faith in the Lord was strong and even as we went to gather his belongings, we found scriptures written on pieces of paper. Dad is finally reunited with Mom, and we will forever be grateful for the love they gave and sacrifices they made for all of us. . He never looked for praises He was never one to boast He just went on quietly working For the ones he loved the most His dreams were seldom spoken His wants were very few And most of the time his worries Went unspoken too. He was there…. A firm foundation Through all our storms of life A sturdy hand to hold on to In times of stress and strife A true friend we could turn to When times were good or bad One of our greatest blessings The man that we called DAD Él nunca buscó elogios Él nunca fue de los que se jactaban. Simplemente siguió trabajando en silencio para aquellos que mas amaba. Sus sueños rara vez eran expresados. Sus deseos eran muy pocos, y la mayor parte del tiempo sus preocupaciones tampoco eran expresadas. Él estaba alli…Un fundamento firme A través de todas nuestras tormentas de la vida Una mano firme a la que aferrarse En tiempos de estrés y conflicto. Un verdadero amigo al que podiamos recurrir Cuando los tiempos eran buenos O malos Una de nuestras mayores bendiciones El hombre al que llamábanos Papá.

Ricardo Mendoza

February 7, 1931 - August 25, 2024