Ricardo Medina, age 96, of San Cristobal, passed away peacefully on June 5, 2022. He is preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Refugio C. Medina, and infant son Reyes E. Medina; daughter in-law Elizabeth Medina; mother Lucaria Medina; brothers Celestino, Anselmo, Epimenio, Antonio, Alfonso Medina; sister Mary Martinez and their spouses; in-laws Jose Benito and Juana Refugio Vigil, Leopoldo and Licia Vigil, JM and Julia Rael, and Nicolas Martinez.
He is survived by his children: Felix Medina (Brenda), Ricardo B. Medina (Winda), Roberto R. Medina, Theresa Mitchell (Benny); 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Beatrice Martinez; many nieces, nephews, godchildren, other relatives, and countless friends.
A true northern New Mexico gem, Ricardo Medina was a World War II Veteran, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a faithful servant of the Lord, the first to lend a helping hand when asked to serve as a mayordomo for his church, his community, and his country. He was a loving caretaker to his mother, in-laws, and the love of his life, until their passing.
He was a member of the VFW #7688 and LULAC Council #78 where he served in various capacities including district commander for the VFW. He served as the mayordomo for the San Cristobal Ditch Association and always believed that the water should flow to all parciantes in his beautiful valley. He was instrumental in the creation of the San Cristobal Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association, providing drinking water to households in the valley.
He retired from the University of New Mexico D.H. Lawrence Ranch. Additional career highlights include working for the Tooele Army Depot, working for the railroad companies in Nebraska, a logging company in Wyoming, Taos Ski Valley working on ski lifts and the Hondo Lodge. Later he worked for Gordon Construction refurbishing the hatchery and plumbing for housing projects.
The joy of his life was spending quality time with his family, especially his grandchildren. Rosary was recited on June 9 at the Rivera Funeral Home Chapel in Taos. Funeral mass was held on Friday June 10 at San Cristobal Church. Celebration of life was held at the San Cristobal Community Center. Burial was June 14, 2022 at the Santa Fe National Cemetery at 2 pm. Serving as pallbearers were Ricardo “Manny” Medina, Angelo and Juan Carlos Mitchell, Reyes Medina, Jason Medina, and Francis Vigil. Arrangements by Rivera Family Funeral Home, Taos. To share a memory, please visit our website at www.riverafuneralhome.com.
The Questa Del Rio News published a story about Mr. Medina in our October 2020 edition.
Photo by Cynthia Najim
