d. July 23, 2024
Sherley J. Gonzales-Ortiz passed away on July 23, 2024, in Questa, New Mexico. She was a 1977 graduate of Questa High School. She received her Doctor of Education degree in educational psychology with an emphasis in counseling psychology from Northern Arizona University in 1993.
Dr. Gonzales-Ortiz was the daughter of Andres and Louise Gonzales of Questa. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in English secondary education from Eastern New Mexico University in 1984 and taught in the Tucumcari school system for one year. She returned to her alma mater, Questa High School, where she taught English, speech and drama, and served as the girls varsity basketball coach for three years.
Upon being awarded the prestigious Patricia Harris Roberts Graduate Fellowship, she attended New Mexico Highlands University where she acquired her master’s degree in guidance and counseling.
Immediately following the completion of this degree, she was accepted into the educational psychology doctoral program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She was awarded a bilingual education doctoral fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education, and as a graduate student she represented the Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University on various committees and in other university activities. She also served as president of the Organization for Culturally Diverse Graduate Students.
Dr. Gonzales-Ortiz was the academic advisement coordinator for the Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University, a counselor-psychologist at New Mexico State Hospital in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and worked at the Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, Colorado. Dr. Gonzalez-Ortiz started her own business, “Senior Harbors,” in which she headed a team of four psychologists contracted with nursing retirement homes to counsel and comfort the elderly in Colorado.
Sherley was also a professional vocalist who performed in a big band, The Serenaders. She enjoyed singing at funerals, weddings, and many other occasions. She was a painter, played piano and guitar, and was a genuine empath. She loved her friends and family unconditionally. She will be missed by many.
