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Edward Joseph Benavidez peacefully passed on from this life at the age of 78, on Sunday, August 10, 2003, and left surviving him his daughter, Rosella Garcia, husband, Frank, and his son, Edward Frank Benavidez, Esquire. He was preceded in death by his son, Michael Anthony Benavidez, and his sister, Cleotilde (Tillie) Block. Mr. Benavidez was well-known for his devotion to promoting the cultural heritage of his native Northern New Mexico ancestry and was a founding member of Los Caballeros de Vargas and the Santa Fe chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and enjoyed lifetime membership benefits in La Union Protectiva de Santa Fe. His military service included serving in an infantry unit during World War II and the Korean Conflict, and he was decorated for bravery during the Battle for Normandy; he was a founding member of the honor guard unit of American Legion, Carlisle-Bennett Unit, Post 13. He was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on December 13, 1924, and, during the Cold War era, from 1946 to 1967, he was employed with the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the United States Atomic Energy Commission where, as an electronics technician, at nuclear explosion test sites in Mercury, Nevada, the Pacific Johnson Islands, Antarctica and the North and South Poles, he assisted with the retrieval and examination of instruments placed from each explosion s"ground zero". Also surviving Mr. Benavidez are grandchildren, Michelle Rodriguez, husband Donald, David Anaya, Michael Anthony Benavidez, Kimberly Lorenzini, husband Massimo, Phillip Anaya, Mario Benavidez and Javier Benavidez, Misty Duran and Donald Duran, Jr. His great-grandchildren include Candace Payne, Anthony, Matthew, Elyxus, and Sheyane Anaya, and Anthony Michael Benavidez. Mr. Benavidez children, Rosella and Edward, and his brother Armando and sister Mary, invite his many relatives and friends to join them in celebrating his passage from this life at memorial services which are to take place as follows: Tuesday, August 12th, 2003, 7:15 p.m., San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church, Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque, NM; reception to immediately follow at the San Jose Mission Parish Hall, Los Duranes Community Wednesday, August 13, 2003, 11:00 a.m., Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Agua Fria and Sandoval Streets, Santa Fe, NM; meal to be served immediately following at the BPOE Elks Lodge, Old Taos Highway.
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