Elizama (Sam) Lopez

Elizama (Sam) H. Lopez, 73 resident of Santa Fe, passed away on May 30, 2020. He was born in             Embudo, NM on February 06, 1947 to Priscilla Lopez & Louis Lopez.

He is preceded in death by his mother; Priscilla Lopez, father; Louis Lopez, Gisela (Gigi) Rehm-Lopez, daughter; Lori Lopez, brother; Marvin Lopez and sister; Yvonne Lopez.

He is survived by his brother; Larry Lopez, sons; Steven Lopez & Ricardo Lopez, granddaughters; Shural Pacheco, Danielle Lopez & Ashley Lopez, Giselle Romero, grandsons; Riley Lopez & Samuel Soveranos, and great granddaughter: Gia Laur.

Sam was born in Embudo, NM in February of 1947 to Priscilla and Louis Lopez. He attended Penasco High School and graduated in 1965. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army with the 101st Airborne Division. While stationed in Germany, he met Gigi and they were then married. Shortly after his marriage, he was sent to Vietnam where he served until late 1970 and gained accolades in the form of the Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. His first son, Steven Lopez, was born just prior to his return from Vietnam. In 1971, Sam was honorably discharged from the Army.  Sam and Gigi then had Ricardo and Lori while living in Chamisal, NM.

While living in Chamisal, Sam had many occupational ventures but ultimately gained employment with the Los Alamos Fire Department. While working as a fire fighter, he also attended technical vocational school in pursuit of his machinist qualifications. Upon completion of his education, he worked at both Los Alamos Fire Department and the Los Alamos National Laboratories. Sam later took up sole employment with the labs as a Machinist. During this time, he moved his residence to Santa Fe where he lived out the remainder of his years.

Sam was a very kind and big-hearted man. He had many friends and family that he was always willing to drop everything for and assist them in any way he could. He loved attending sporting events in which his children participated, never missed a game, and always was in attendance for any kind of family celebration or occasion. He was also a member of the VFW and American Legion and enjoyed spending time with his fellow veterans.

Sam will be interred at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe.

 A Memorial Service will be celebrated at a later date.