Obituaries

Richard Dale Rice, 91, Deming resident passed away Friday, July 26, 2024 at Willow Manor in Deming.

Visitation will take place Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at Baca's Funeral Chapels at 9 o'clock in the morning. Funeral Service will follow at 11 o'clock in the morning led by Deacon Glenn Newswanger. Interment will be Thursday August 8, 2024 at 11 o'clock in the morning at Ft. Bayard National Cemetery in Santa Clara, NM.

Richard was born on July 10, 1933 to Gladys Easton and Omar Rice at Nampa, Idaho. Richard (Dick)was mechanical engineer. He graduated from the University of Idaho. Dick was a professional engineer in several western states. He was employed by the Veterans Administration in Spokane, WA where he met his wife, Mary. Both transferred to the Veterans Hospital in Augusta, Michigan. This led to a move from Spokane, Washington to Galesburg, Michigan. Dick and Mary became involved with antique tractors while living in Galesburg. Dick also designed a fertilizer plant that was built in Central Ferry, Washington.

Maria de los Angeles Sanchez, 57, passed away Monday, July 15, 2024 at her residence in Deming.

Born July 22, 1966 in Tepehuanes, Durango, Mexico and was known by many as Angela. She was the youngest child out of 14 children from Domingo and Mercedes Sanchez. Maria moved to Los Angeles, California at the young age of sixteen with her family. She was passionate about working, loved to spend her days being productive in her daily life. She loved to go out dancing with her friends after work and on the weekends. Her favorite job was working at the LAX airport where she assembled food and beverages for airline carts. On May 7, 2004 she gave birth to her pride and joy Natalie Sanchez. Natalie and her mother moved to Deming, New Mexico in 2010 to be closer to family. She wanted to be close to her beloved sister Domitila Sanchez and her brother Ramon Sanchez. She was around many of her nephews, nieces, and cousins. Family was everything to her. She loved talking to her sister Domitila every day. She was given the nickname by her sister "Newspaper" because she loved to gossip. She spent the rest of her days with her beautiful daughter and talking to her sister. She will be always remembered as the fun, very loving, beautiful Tia Angela to her family.

Charles "Chuck" Fiorentino, 75, Deming resident passed away Monday, July 29, 2024 in Las Cruces, NM. Chuck was born November 12, 1948 in Cleveland, OH to Jospeh Fiorentino and Dorothy Evans.

A viewing will be held on Monday, August 5, 2024 from 10 to 11 o'clock in the morning at Baca's Funeral Chapel. A graveside service will follow at 11:30 at Mountain View Cemetery. Pastor Mason Davis will be officiating.

Chuck leaves behind his loving wife, Beverly Fiorentino; his children, Charles Edward Fiorentino, Aaron Fiorentino, Gerald Fiorentino and Ashley Fiorentino; 2 brothers, Errol, and Jospeh Fiorentino, as well as his 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jospeh Fiorentino and Dorothy Evans; his step-father, Ralph Bellars and his 3 siblings, Tony Fiorentino, Nancy Canady, and Sandy Krischano.

Serving as pallbearers will be Charles Fiorentino, Aaron Fiorentino, Gerald Fiorentino, Michael Lujan, Aaron Rodriguez, and Jesus Lee.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charles "Chuck" Fiorentino, please visit our floral store.

Russell Schad, known to his loved ones as "Russ", peacefully passed away on July 28, 2024, in King George, Virginia, at the age of 87. He was born on September 28, 1936, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the late Charles Conrad and Viola Emily Pearl (nee Saubert) Schad.

Russ was a beloved son, brother, father, uncle, and grandfather. He had a way of connecting with anyone he met, whether sitting down with them in the lobby, traveling, or eating in restaurants. Russ started conversations with everyone, flirted with all ladies, exchanged stories and got everyone around him to smile and laugh. Russ was everyone's favorite and genuinely enjoyed people from all walks of life. His life- long love, however, was Mary, whom he met by happenstance at a party. Russ and Mary were inseparable for nearly 60 years when Mary passed away last year on 04 August 2023.

Russ had a multifaceted career. Following the footsteps of his father who served as a dentist in the US Navy in World War II, Russ entered the US Army in 1956 as a radio operator tech specialist until 1962. After an honorable discharge, Russ graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 1963 with a B.S. in Economics and began working for Shell Oil Corporation as a salesman.

Janet Carolene Gill, 90 of Tucson Arizona, formerly of Siver City passed away peacefully in Tucson on July 30, 2024 surrounded by her family.

Janet was born April 1, 1934 in Douglas, Arizona to Rece and Hazel Maddux. Carol met and married Donald B. Gill. She had worked as a secretary for many years at the copper mines.

She is survived by two daughters, Candy Dawn Milam and Leisa Karol Pauley; five grandchildren, Shane Gill, Joshua Gill, Lun Allen, Eric Frisby and Kari Flores; six great grandchildren, Derick Frisby, Lucas Flores, Preston Allen, Mya Flores, Ayden Gill and Ezra Gill. Carol was preceded in death by her husband Donald B. Gill; son, Lynn Robert Gill; parents, Rece and Hazel Maddux; brother, Lenard Maddux and a sister, Barbara Maddux.

Funeral Services for Janet will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at 1:00 o'clock in the afternoon at Baca's Funeral Chapels with family friend, Joe Fralie, officiating. Concluding service and interment will follow at Memory Lane Cemetery in Silver City where she will laid to rest alongside her husband, Don and son, Lynn. Serving as pallbearers will be Shane Gill, Michael Johnson, Eric Frisby, Josh Flores, Clint Maddux and Jimmy Maddux. Honorary pallbearers will be Derick Frisby, Lucas Flores and Preston Allen.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Janet Carolene Gill, please visit our floral store.

Lea Donna Weaver, 61 resident of Deming passed away Monday July 29, 2024 at Mimbres Memorial Hospital. Arrangements are pending.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lea Donna Weaver, please visit our floral store.

Antonio "Tony" Lopez Ortiz, 59, a beloved figure and legend of Bayard, NM, sadly left our world on July 26, 2024. He was born on April 26, 1965 to his parents, Cruz Angel and Raquel (Gutierrez) Ortiz in Silver City, NM.

Tony enjoyed his cups of coffee and regularly had coffee dates with his neighbors. Tony was the ultimate lover of Coca-Cola, coffee, trucks, baseball caps, sunglasses, radios, and batteries. He enjoyed family picnics, as long as he didn't have to get in the water and was so fond of his bicycle. Tony often blessed family gatherings with his latest singing rendition, his beautiful green eyes filled with tears, of Vicente Fernandez and some of his other favorite artists. When asked what time it was, he always responded with the same answer,"ocho". He was a loving uncle and loved his babies, he enjoyed teasing his nieces and nephews calling them "feo" or "peo" in his terms. You could often find him cruising Orchard Street donning the latest Ray Bans, Oakleys (or any sunglasses that his family left behind at his home), wearing his baseball cap with his Walkman in clutch, and his muddied-tire trucks trailing behind him. Tony was recognized everywhere he went. As a nonverbal man, he built friendships solely through charisma and kindness. On many outings he was greeted with "Hey Tony!" leaving his family puzzled as to how he knew them. Tony was a beacon of light, joy, and kindness, and a reminder of "Different, Not Less". He will be greatly missed by his family and community.

Gary Paul Emerson, 81, a resident of Tyrone, NM, entered eternal rest on Monday, July 29, 2024 at Sunset Vista Assisted Living in Silver City, NM. Arrangements are pending with Terrazas Funeral Chapels ~ 575-537-0777.