Raymond P. Sanchez, Sr.

On Friday, February 10, 2023, Raymond Peter Sanchez, Sr. (86) went to be with our Lord. He passed peacefully at his home in Albuquerque.

Raymond was born in Vaughn, New Mexico, in 1936 to Francisca Armijo Sanchez and Jose Abran Sanchez and was a descendant of early New Mexico settlers Juana Lopes de Aragon and Jacinto Sanchez de Inigo. Raymond was a resident of Albuquerque since 1946 and a 1956 graduate of Albuquerque High School. He loved dancing and singing and was an avid sports fan. He was a fixture at the North Valley Little League, where he volunteered as a coach and an umpire for three decades, beginning in the late-1960s. He also volunteered as an usher for many years at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.

Raymond was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and worked at Valley Gold Dairy and, later, Creamland Dairies, where he retired in 1996. He also proudly served in the New Mexico Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a Sergeant First Class in 1978. In retirement, he volunteered at the Veterans Hospital in Albuquerque and was a recipient of the President’s Call to Service Award and the Patrick Henry

Medallion for Patriotic Achievement for over 5,000 hours of volunteer services. Raymond was preceded in death by his parents, and siblings: Maria Esmeralda Sanchez, Antonio Jose Sanchez, Manuel Sanchez, Lucinda Hernandez, George Sanchez, Virginia Garcia, Ana Ayala, Joe Sanchez, Orlando Frederico Sanchez, Arthur Sanchez, Gabriel F. Sanchez, and Rudy Sanchez.

Raymond is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Clara; sons Raymond P. Sanchez, Jr. and spouse Janet of Jarales, Neil E. Sanchez and spouse Terry of Dallas, and Aaron J. Sanchez and spouse Angelica of Albuquerque; grandchildren Rachael, Nathan, Raymond III, Angelo, Jordan, Alexa, Aja, and Conrad; and great granddaughter Josephine.

Honorary pallbearers are Jonathan Baca, Nathan Sanchez, Raymond UlibarriSanchez, Angelo Sanchez, Jordan Ulibarri-Sanchez, Alejandro Vallejos, and Issac Encinias.

Services will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, 1860 Griegos Road, NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, March 10, 2023. A rosary will be recited at 10:30 a.m., and mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at the Santa Fe National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.