Being raised in a community where your history connects to every part of your present, it is difficult to find the courage to leave. It is similarly difficult to forge a path and stay. Questa del Rio News is committed to highlighting different members of our community, both those who have created their paths and planted their own roots in the community that raised them, and those who have pursued lives outside of the community—through our Representando series. This series is dedicated to those who are Representando communities in northern Taos County, in various facets of life.
For Deacon Louis “Eddie” Herrera, life has never been a string of coincidences, but rather a journey guided by faith and purpose. Born to Berlinda and Eliu Herrera in the small mountain town of Questa, Eddie grew up surrounded by hard work, strong family bonds, and deep faith.
“Everything I am began right here,” Eddie says. “My parents taught me the value of hard work, humility, service, and perseverance.”
After graduating from Questa High School in 1976—where he served as student body president—Eddie dreamed of attending a four-year university. But during his exit interview, his counselor told him to consider trade school instead. Rather than feel defeated, that moment lit a fire within him. “Sometimes it only takes one person’s doubt to awaken your determination,” Eddie recalls. “I decided then that I wouldn’t let anyone else define what I could or couldn’t do.”
He went on to college, graduating with honors and earning a scholarship to study biochemistry in Mexico City. When he returned home, he planned to attend medical school, inspired by his early experience as a first responder. “When I was 17, I drove the ambulance in Questa,” he said, smiling at the memory. “I remember waiting for emergencies at the old clinic—right where the Head Start building stands today.”
Eddie’s path shifted when, after being placed on a waiting list for medical school and facing financial challenges with his growing family, he came across an ad in the Daily Lobo for an officer position in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “God had different plans for me,” says Eddie.
“The ad said $1,100 a month,” he laughed. “At that time, that sounded like stability—and a chance to serve.”
That step changed the course of his life. Eddie went through Officer Candidate School and later completed the grueling Airborne Ranger program at Fort Benning, Georgia. His leadership and courage earned him the Merrill’s Marauders Association Award and the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award—both rare honors recognizing character and service above self.
Over the next two and a half decades, his career took him around the world—from Germany to Panama and the Middle East—where he led tactical missions during Operation Just Cause. Later, the Army sent him to Purdue University for his master’s degree in engineering and then to Caracas, Venezuela, to teach at the Military Engineer College.
Eddie’s path eventually led to senior leadership roles in telecommunications and energy, including serving as Vice President of Engineering for Nextel International and President of an engineering and manufacturing company that designs and fabricates high-power transmission towers and substation structures for major utility companies in the United States. His corporate journey also included a two-year executive management program at Dartmouth College, fully sponsored by Georgia Power Company.
After 26 years of service, Eddie retired as a full Colonel. But even with all those achievements, he sensed there was something more God was asking of him. “After all those years of leading soldiers and engineers,” he said, “I realized the deepest calling was to serve souls.”
That realization led Eddie into the Catholic Church’s Diaconate formation program—a five-year journey of prayer, study, and discernment. “It wasn’t about adding another title,” he said softly. “It was about surrender—about learning to serve the Church with a humble heart.”
Today, Deacon Eddie is on a two-year loan from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to serve at St. Anthony Catholic Church in his hometown of Questa. He continues to give back as a commissioner for the Llano Irrigation Company and as a long-time member of the Questa Economic Development Board, where he works to create new opportunities for local families and businesses.
Most recently, he achieved another milestone—graduating from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business Latino Executive Program in November 2025. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself,” he admitted with a smile. “It’s a blessing to be surrounded by such inspiring Latino leaders who share the same heart for service and community.”
Through every season of his life—from the mountains of Questa to the classrooms of Stanford—Eddie has carried one truth in his heart: that life’s greatest honor is not found in medals, titles, or degrees, but in service.
“What gives me the most peace,” he says, “is simply the chance to serve. A servant leader—that’s what I am, and what I hope always to be.”
