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GALLEGOS -- Joe I.A. Gallegos, a loving and generous father and grandfather and a lifetime resident of Albuquerque, died on Saturday, December 30, 2006. He was born on February 1, 1922, and he lived a full and joyous life. After graduating from Albuquerque High School in 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served three years in India during World War II. During his service, he flew the Hump (over the Himalayas) to send supplies into China. Although injured during a bombing raid on his barracks, he declined the Purple Heart, believing the honor should be bestowed on those more seriously wounded. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Inter-American Studies in 1950 from the University of New Mexico. After graduation, he lived for a period of time in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He returned to New Mexico and worked at the Santa Fe New Mexican. In 1953, he became an announcer with KABQ, a Spanish-language radio station - then one of the most popular radio stations in the state. During these years, he became a local celebrity and eventually hosted his own television program where he helped launch the careers of many musicians and other entertainers. He married in 1957. In later years, he became a regional manager of a national chemical company, traveling extensively around the country. Eventually, he founded Sandia Chemical Corporation serving New Mexico and other southwestern states. He relished the simple pleasures of life: the company of his children, the laughter of his grandchildren, a good cigar, and trout fishing. He is survived by his children, Pia Gallegos, Yolanda Gallegos, Ruben Gallegos, and Victoria Gallegos and their spouses; and his ex-wife, Dolores Gutierrez Gallegos, who is the mother of his four children. He also leaves behind his sister, Rosemary Armijo; and eight grandchildren, Luna, Alma, and Che Manuel Olavarria Gallegos, Marina and Ingrid Hartzell Gallegos, and Catherine, Ramon, and Ruben Gallegos. Services will be held Friday, January 5, 2007, 1:00 p.m., at French Mortuary, Wyoming Blvd. Chapel. Entombment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. French Mortuary, Inc. 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE (505) 823-9400
        Published on: Fri January 05, 2007