FRED JR. Born March 11, 1924 in Albuquerque and died July 25, 2012, he was 88 years old. Fred is survived by his wife, Carmen Rodriguez Chavez; his three children: Fred G. (Carol) Chavez, Vincent C. (Linda) Chavez, and Cynthia (Tom) Cordova. Also surviving are two "adopted" daughters: Irene (Hollis) Bond and Marie (Michael) Adkins. Surviving Fred is brother, Edwin (Mercie) Chavez. Fred was the proud grandfather of Michael (Marta) Chavez, Shelly (Gary) Harwood, Matt (Jean) Chavez, Ben (Caley) Cordova, Victor (Courtney) Cordova, Daniella Chavez, Jonathan Chavez, Erica Gibson, Kristen Bond and great-grandchildren of Tom Harwood, Geoffrey Chavez, Ricky Harwood and Quinn Chavez. Fred is also survived by his Silva nephews and nieces along with more than one-hundred and fifty members of the Rodriguez "clan" who became Fred's immediate family the day he married Carmen. Fred loved people! Fred was very active in the community. One of Fred's first good deeds was to begin serving as a Scout Leader for St. Therese and MacArthur school scout troops; he served as a Precinct Leader for the Democratic Party and a Precinct Chairman for the Griegos area. He was very active at St. Therese, serving as an usher for over sixty years and liked ushering at the 12 o'clock masses. He served on the church's finance committee. He and Carmen received the St Francis of Assisi medal from Archbishop Michael Sheehan for their service to the community. Fred served as chairman of the Post 72 VFW Finance Board and on several frail elderly committees. Fred was an active member of the Fraternal Order of Police and he was a strong supporter of the Brother Matthias homeless efforts. Fred proudly served his country during W.W.II. He volunteered for the C.B. Construction Battalion and was stationed in Guam. He was discharged December of 1945. Having graduated from Browning Business School, Fred loved to work with mathematics. He worked at several different financial institutions, among them was the Fidelity National Bank, the Bank of New Mexico, the New Mexico Tax and Revenue department, and served on the Property Valuation Board for many years. Fred was the State Representative for the North Valley for eight years. He retired from the City in 1986. Fred enjoyed visiting with friends and neighbors, reading his paper, playing poker at the North Valley Senior Center, visiting the nearby casinos, and trading in land and real estate. He was also an avid collector of rare coins and other memorabilia. The Fred Chavez, Jr. family wishes to thank all their friends and relatives for their support and prayers during Fred's illness with special thanks to the Cordova Family; the staff and EMTs at the Fairwinds Retirement Center; Jesse Ybarra; the staff Caregivers at The Beehive Chessman; and health aide, Rebecca Herrera. With the most heartfelt thanks, Carmen and family wishes to thank our first and oldest grandson, Michael and family for the love, devotion and dedication to their Grandfather throughout his lengthy illness. Pallbearers will be: Michael Chavez, Geoffrey Chavez, Quinn Chavez, Tom Cordova, Ben Cordova and Victor Cordova. Fred's honorary pallbearers are his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Valerie Cordova's cancer recovery fund. Checks payable to Valerie can be sent to 1623 Van Cleave NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87107; or donate to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Grand Central Station PO Box 4777, NY, NY 10163-4777. Fred's Life Celebration will begin with a Rosary at St. Therese Catholic Church, 300 Mildred NW 87107, on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday at 9:00 a.m. followed by a Reception at the parish hall. A private interment will occur at a later date. Please visit Fred's online guest book at: www.Reflectionoflife.com REFLECTIONS Funerals & Life Celebrations Louis & Gloria Salazar 2400 Washington Street NE 884-5777
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