Nelson Rodarte

Nelson Rodarte Sr of Rodarte, NM, age 78, unexpectedly passed away August 16, 2024. Nelson Rodarte Sr. was born on August 11, 1946, in Taos, NM.

  Nelson is preceded in death by his children Maggie and Nelson Jr., the mother of his children Eva Griego, and his parents Julio and Mary Rodarte. 

  He is survived by his daughters SaraLee and Angelica Rodarte, his grandchildren Antonio, Klarissa, Mackayla, Briona, Monique, Leandrea and Kathleen. He has 3 great granddaughters Melanie, Aislynn and Estrella, and many extended family and friends.

  Nelson was a long-time resident of Rodarte, NM. Nelson served in the Army from 

1966-1968 in the Vietnam War. After serving in the military, he worked at the Questa mines, after working for the mines he attended college in El Rito then obtained his electrical journeyman through IBEW. He worked many years in Los Alamos until he retired. After his retirement he could be found fixing fences, caring for his many cows, chickens and at one time peacocks. He spent many summer months tending to his fields to ensure he had adequate hay to bale come bailing season, he attended many cow auctions either auctioning his cows or buying cows. Antonio was his only grandson whom he helped raise. Antonio also referred to Nelson as his daddy. Don’t worry about the cows Nelson, Antonio will take it from here. His companion and caretaker Lugarda whom he referred to as Lou worked side by side with Nelson during the last 14 years of his life. From what I have heard from her stories they had many mishaps like getting stuck in the mountains on several occasions and having to get Leo to go pull them out of the snow or jump a dead battery. 

  During the cold winter months, he enjoyed making puzzles which he hung several of his finished puzzles in his sunroom. He kept a warm home and plenty of snacks on the table. He enjoyed baking but his specialties were pies and bread. Nelson had a greet thumb which was evident with all the beautiful plants. He enjoyed having a beer or 2 with his amigo Conrado passing jokes and talking about life. To say Nelson was a resilient man is an understatement. He worked through anything from falling off the roof of his 2-story house while building it, to getting trampled by his tractor. I have no idea how that story went but he just kept on going once he was able to move around again. He had a knee replacement recently but that didn’t stop him from fixing a fence a mere few days later. Nelson had his cowboy hat always hanging by the door, he never walked out the door without it.

  He was a simple man with few words and a heart of gold. He worried about his children and when his daughter Sara was struck with an illness that took her almost 2 years to recover enough to come back to her own home. He worried about her and always told her to hurry and get better. If Sara wasn’t calling her daddy to check on him, he would be calling her to ask why he hasn’t heard from her and if she was ok. He would take a trip to Espanola to take her a treat even if it was just an ice cream from Dairy Queen. When visiting Nelson’s house, you can see the love he had for all his kids. He had many pictures of his kids and grandkids throughout the house. There was a special cabinet he had in his sunroom with pictures of just Jr and Kathleen. He tried to attend as many of Kathleen’s school functions and games as possible. He kept a teta for Estrella in case she stopped by for a visit and he had a few toys for Aislynn and Estrella to enjoy. On several occasions when I would go with Sara to her dad’s house, he would shake his head and say I don’t know about you girls, you sure know how to pick the cream of the crop. Of course, that always made me laugh cause in a way he was right when it came to our relationship selections.

  Nelson, you lived a full life with many celebrations, countless heartaches and a will to live each day to the fullest. You are in heaven rejoicing with Maggie and Jr. I am sure you and Jr have gone for a few horse rides already, your smile, laughter and love will remain in our hearts. Rest in paradise and keep an eye out for us as we continue to live this thing we call life.

  There will be a family visitation on Tuesday August 27, 2024, at 6:00 pm at the Rivera Chapel of Espanola and a mass at the San Antonio De Padua church on Wednesday August 28, 2024, at 10:00 am, Interment will be at the National Cemetery at 2:00 pm in Santa Fe, NM.

Serving as pallbearers; Antonio Rodarte, Klarissa Medina, Mackayla and Briona Duran, Monique Rodarte, Leandra Martinez, Kathleen Gonzales and Leo Martinez.