Geralda Chacon

Our beloved Mother and Grandmother, Geralda Miranda Chacón, passed away peacefully, fittingly surrounded by her devoted family.  Geralda (Mom, Mama, Grams and Geri) was 96 years young in mind and spirit, and worn-tired from a life well lived. She was an exceptional woman who devoted her entire life to God, her faith, her family and was meticulous about her work both in her home and her professional career.

She was born to Emilio and Francisca Madrid Miranda in the village of Lincoln, New Mexico.  She felt deeply blessed and was ever grateful for the gift of loving-devoted parents, a happy home and being eighth of twelve siblings, eight girls and four boys.  She remembered each of her sisters and brothers with a birthday card that she sent well into her 90’s and until her last day, always included her parents and each sibling in her morning and evening prayers.   Her large family provided a lifetime of love, happiness, and security.  Fulfilling a promise to their Mother to keep the siblings close, the Miranda Family Reunions became a tri-annual event lasting two days with upwards of two hundred children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in attendance. For over four decades the reunion tradition continues to be a much anticipated family event.  

Mama was a good student and a voracious reader her entire life.  She attended elementary through 8th Grade in Lincoln, graduating as Class Valedictorian.  Upon her parent’s retirement to Las Cruces, she returned to Lincoln and lived with her Sister Ofelia’s family, helping with her much beloved nephew, Arturo.  She graduated from Capitan High School.  Mama was a product of the Great Depression and World War II.  She often said that while her family didn’t have a lot, they had the essentials and she never felt poor.  She worked hard all her life beginning with chores at home, helping her father in the post office and helping her Grandmother Lorenzita, plant, hoe and weed her garden which provided essential produce for their large family.  As a teenager, she babysat her younger siblings, nieces and nephews, and neighbor children.  After graduating, much to her regret, she did not attend college.  She said, “I wanted to go to college, but I knew Dad would do everything possible to help me financially, and I didn’t want my younger sisters and brothers to do without”.  She moved to California to work with Western Union during the war and lived under the protective eye of her oldest Sister Neli and brother in law, Cipriano. She forged a close bond with her young niece, Marcia, taking care of her, sharing her rationed coupons to keep Marcia in shoes and cringing at Marcia’s tattle tale antics with Mama’s dates.  Their special relationship grew and carried through Mama’s passing.

Mama enjoyed a long and successful career.  She began her career in 1949 as Assistant Post Master in Cebolla, New Mexico.  In 1953, she began working at the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in Los Alamos, NM, an important post war federal agency in charge of the nation’s security during the Cold War.  She started as a File Clerk and Clerk Typist and quickly rose in rank in the Visitor Control & Badge Unit.  Visitor Control was responsible for researching credentials and processing all domestic and foreign visitors (scientists and personnel) to and from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and all national laboratories across the country.  Her job required the highest level of U.S. government security clearance. Eventually, she became a Security Specialist and was trained to interview and investigate personnel that were possible security risks and those applying for clearances.  Her greatest honor was being selected one of three women in the nation for an additional security detail, that required training and qualifying with firearms and assisting in detainment.  She was required to be in uniform and assist with all presidential visits.  She retired as a GS-9, on February 29, 1980 with 26 years of faithful service to her country. Mama enjoyed her career and met many lifetime friends in the workplace and across the United States.

Mama’s most treasured accomplishment was her family.  She was married to Charlie Chacón for 75 years, until his death in 2020.  Mama fondly remembered arriving in Cebolla on the mail/passenger bus to meet her new family, to find the entire town of Cebolla all dressed up in their Sunday best waiting to meet and welcome her!  She fell in love with the community and the people of Cebolla.

They were blessed with three sons, Carlos, Claudio, and Gerald and their daughter, Dina.  Together, they raised our family and through hard work and much sacrifice they followed their passion for ranching and purchased our ranches one place at a time, buying the first piece, The Piñavetal, from our grandparents, Maximiana and Patricio Chacón, and over time buying additional properties, including The Esperanza, the farm in Espanola, and the cattle.  Mama and Daddy held down two full time jobs and worked tirelessly to support us children and maintain and grow our operation, driving from Los Alamos or Espanola to Cebolla on Friday evenings, to work cattle, tend to horses, build fences, irrigate, maintain the houses and back again late on Sunday evenings to be ready for work on Monday.  Mama was extremely organized and made the endless number of trips with kids, dogs and plenty of groceries.  She paid the bills, kept the books, prepared the taxes, and meticulously maintained her filing system until a few years ago.  Daddy told us the story of a young man who asked him how he had managed to purchase the ranch and the farm, and Daddy proudly said, “My wife worked!”  It was a true partnership.

The greatest gift our Mama and “Grams” gave us was her unconditional love. Each time we called her or walked through her door, she was always cheerful and happy to see us.  We knew without a doubt that we were the most important people to her.  She encouraged us to be independent, but we knew she was there for us, and we always had a home to come back to.  She fiercely defended us.  Our Mama loved us equally and taught us not to be critical of one another, but to love and take care of each other.  In the last days of her life, she thanked each of us children and told us we were the joy of her life.  She asked Dina to take care of her brothers, and her sons to take care of their sister.  

She was loving, kind, cheerful, optimistic and generous with a touch of orneriness that made her FUN and REAL!  She loved sweets (all sweets), a shot of Canadian Mist now and then, she tolerated the production of mud pies on her porch and maintained bottomless cookie and pickle jars for her grandchildren.  An avid obituary reader, Mama made us promise not to embellish the truth by saying she enjoyed cooking and making tortillas for her grandchildren.  The truth is, she preferred to roll down a hill of grass with them, go out for hamburgers and ice cream, teach them how to whistle by blowing through their hands, how to stick out their tongues and blow raspberries, or watch Alaskan Bush People and Naked and Afraid “Los Empelotos” on TV together.  

In her 60’s Mama had a dream she was lying sick in a bed and her parents were visibly sad holding her hand on each side of the bed.  Her Grandmother Lorenzita walked into the room and said, “Levantate, Geralda, todo via no acabas tu tarea” meaning, “Get up Geralda, you have not finished hoeing your row (your task).”  She woke up immediately, and thought it was her grandmother telling her she had not finished her work on earth.  “Mama, ya acabaste su tarea.”  Rest in Peace.  We will miss you until we see you again.

Geralda is survived by her children, Carlos Chacón and wife Mary Tony of Rio Rancho, Claudio Chacón and Mary Lou Goodman of Espanola, Gerald and Frances Chacón of Espanola, Dina Reitzel and husband Jim of Albuquerque, and Carmen Chacón, Las Vegas, NV.  Her surviving grandchildren are Carlos Chacón, Angela Bernal, Reyna Guevara-Corral, Alejandro Chacón, Crista Chacón, Marisa Guaderrama, Felicia Frost, and Elizabeth Reitzel-Choy.  Her great grandchildren are Kristina, Claudia, Amanda, Laycie, and Adrian Romero Chacón, Gabriella and Dominique Guevara, Nicolas Chacón, Raquel Chacón, Andres, Miguel and Joaquin Guaderrama, Emma and Kohen Frost, and Mateo Choy-Reitzel, and one great-great grandson, Chrysanthos Romero.

Surviving siblings are Beatrice Melendrez, Dolores Faglier, Frances Gallegos, Gustavo Miranda and many special nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her husband, Charlie Chacón, and two Grandsons, Matthew Reitzel and Damian Chacón, her parents, Emilio and Francisca Miranda, and siblings, Neli Trujillo, Ofelia Salas, Max Miranda, Gilbert Miranda, Mabel Ramsey, Lucila Arguello, and Henry Miranda.

In lieu of flowers, please make gifts in Mama’s memory to the Matthew David Reitzel Scholarship, payable to the NMSU Foundation, PO Box 3590, Las Cruces, NM 88003-3590.

Services will take place in Espanola, with a family viewing set for Thursday, October 6th from 9-11 am at Rivera Funeral Home, Rosary and Mass at 11:30 and 12:30, Sacred Heart Church, and lunch to follow in the Parish Hall.   Burial will follow at 4:00 pm at the Chacón Family Cemetery, Cebolla, New Mexico. 

The family of Geralda has entrusted the gentle care of their loved one to Rivera Family Funeral Home in the beautiful Espanola Valley. We invite you to post a condolence, a thoughtful message, a photograph or share a memory for the family to read on the guestbook.