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Pedro (Peter) Ortiz y Pino, born June 17, 1918, went to his reward at the age of 88 on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 after a long, loving and productive life. He was preceded in death by his wife, Evangeline; and by all of his family of his generation: sisters, Virginia Ortiz, Reynalda Dinkel; brother, Arthur Ortiz; cousins, Frank Ortiz y Davis, Josefita Gomez, Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven, and Mela Martin. Pete leaves behind a large family whose sorrow at his loss is tempered by their knowledge that his values and his ideals will continue to shape our own work and lives. He is survived by six children, Gerald Ortiz y Pino and wife, Donna Bruzzese, Louise Stevenson and husband, Leroy, Michael, Roberta White, Loretta and partner, Callie Williams, Paul and wife, Jana; 18 grandchildren and step-grandchildren and 10 of their spouses; 22 great-grandchildren and step-grandchildren; brother-in-law, Edward Digneo of Santa Fe and his children, Vincent Digneo and Bernadette Gould; niece Judith Hasted and nephew Ronald Dinkel of Santa Fe; nephews Arturo and Nelson Ortiz and families of Caracas, Venezuela. Pete was born in Galisteo, NM in 1918 and was orphaned at an early age by the devastations of the influenza epidemic. He and his sisters were reared on the large family ranch in Galisteo by his grandfather, Juan, his aunts and his uncle, Jose Ortiz y Pino. Pete went to St. Michael's boarding school for his entire 12 years of education. He attended New Mexico A & M for two years, studying animal husbandry to improve operations of the family ranch and married Evangeline (Vangie) Blanchard in Santa Fe in 1941. A heart condition kept Pete out of the armed services during the War, so he turned to public service in state government instead, working initially for Victor Salazar at the Bureau of Revenue where he eventually assumed the position of Deputy Director. His expertise in state taxation policy stood him good stead when the winds of political change ended his governmental service in the mid 1950's. Pete began his own bookkeeping firm and within a few years was invited to join the operations of one of his major clients, Sabre Pinon, a company at the forefront of the new uranium mining industry in the state. Sabre Pinon over time and mergers became United Nuclear Corporation and he eventually retired from that company in 1978 after serving as treasurer and comptroller of the mining and milling division. Pete and Vangie moved to Albuquerque in the mid 1970's after bringing up their family of six children in Santa Fe. He and his son, Michael, at this time began a series of businesses in Santa Fe, including Medi-Car Auto Services and Los Campos RV Park. In his retirement, Pete became deeply involved with volunteer work at St. Charles Borromeo Parish and at St. Joseph's Hospital. At the parish he was a lector, a Eucharistic minister, and a member of the Holy Name Society and the Parish Council. Pete also joined the Serra Club, a Catholic men's organization that raises funds to support seminarians preparing for the priesthood. With the Serrans, he and Vangie traveled to meetings in Latin America and Europe. They also went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome led by Archbishop Sheehan. Pete was always a strong and vocal Lobo fan, possessor of season tickets for both football and basketball. Thus it was that on February 14, 1998, he suffered a serious stroke while watching a game at the Pit. Before he had fully recovered, he lost Vangie to a sudden, devastating cancer in 2000. Pete's last years were spent at Marler Manor, a small, personalized assisted care facility. Rosary will be recited on Friday, March 9, 2007, 7:30 p.m., at French Mortuary, Wyoming Blvd. Chapel, 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE. Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, March 10, 2007, 9:30 a.m., at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 1818 Coal Place SE. Interment will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Pete's name to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe's Serra Club, the organization that he was so active in establishing, 4000 St. Joseph's Place NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120. French Mortuary 1111 University Blvd. NE 843-6333
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