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Augustine J. Sanchez, 87, a lifelong resident of the State of New Mexico and a loving father and grandfather, died in the Albuquerque Lovelace Hospital on Friday, May 26th, following a brief illness. He was born in Alcalde, NM on April 20th, 1913. He is survived by his devoted wife of over 70 years, Ophelia; three sons, The Reverend Harold and spouse, Audelia of Albuquerque, Frankie and spouse, Carolina of Espanola, Carlos and spouse, Pat of Cincinnati, OH; two daughters, Florencia Howe of NYC, NY, Edith O'Farrell and spouse, Dale of Tijeras, NM; two adopted sons, Delano of Albuquerque and Loel and spouse, Debra of Los Angeles, CA; and some 25 grandchildren, the same number of great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews, and other relatives and friends. For some 30 years, Augustine Sanchez worked in a dude ranch where he constructed a number of adobe fireplaces. The ranch became an animal farm from horses to cows, farm goods to feed the raising of chickens, ducks, hogs and guineas plus breeding and caring of animals. The small dairy of eight to ten milking cows relocated and grew to some 35 to 40 milking cows becoming the Riverside Jersey Dairy; this operation came to include the pasteurizing and homogenizing of milk and the making of milk products and delivering them. Along with his spouse he operated the first Espanola Valley Drive-In, namely the El Camino Drive In. After getting Q clearance he worked in Los Alamos for over eight year as a carpenter. Then he went to work in carpentry and maintenance in Los Angeles, California, returning from there to the Espanola Valley as an appointed Home Missionary by the National Division of the then Evangelical United Brethren Church now United Methodist, Board of Global Ministries. He was assigned to the McCurdy EUB staff as maintenance supervisor and he served there for over 20 years. A special project he took on was supervising and directing the building of a new Spanish-Pueblo style United Methodist chapel in El Rito using adobe and latillas with the assistance of some volunteers including UM leaders! Services were held in the Espanola Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 25th, with the Funeral at 1:00 p.m. on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th at the Loma Vista Community United Methodist Cemetery in Alcalde. He was interred in the cemetery cross section reserved for home missionaries of the United Methodist Church. In death Augustine Sanchez returned to be buried next to mission location of the then known Alcalde United Brethren in Christ Church where he'd been a member for many years; there he and his spouse had grown up!
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