Juan 'John' Francisco Gallegos

30 March 1936 — D. 21 July 2022

US Naval Veteran (23 June 1955-18 June 1959)

Beloved Father, forever Loved

Born March 30, 1936, in Taos, N.M. Died July 21, 2022, in Turlock, Calif.

Mother, Guadalupe (Lupe) “Lupita” Anglada (D.) and father, Florestino Gallegos (D.) of Saguache, Colo.

One of six siblings: Claude Carmel Gallegos (D. 1999), LeRoy “Ray” Ramon Gallegos (D. 2017), Gilbert Gallegos (D), Augustine “Bernie” Gallegos, Mary Ann Vigil (Gallegos) (D), Lawrence Gallegos and Geronimo “Jerry” Gallegos (D. 1993).

Father of three: Alicia Duffy (Gallegos) of Turlock, Calif., Anthony Gallegos of Modesto, Calif., and John F Gallegos (D. 2011).

Grandfather of seven: Jennifer Guzman of NC, Nicole Guzman of Calif., Kylie Duffy of Calif. and Zackary Duffy of Calif., Derrick Wawrzyniak of Wash., Jordan Gallegos of Calif., Arianna Gallegos of Wash.,

He was a favored Uncle and cousin to many in Colorado and California.

He was known as John by friends, coworkers and loved ones. He was raised in the San Luis Valley of Colo. He lived in Saguache and Moffat most of his life. He grew up in a full household and did chores to help feed and care for the family. He fondly recalled drinking milk straight out the bucket, warm and sweet. He graduated high school in 1955 (Hooper, Colo.) and went into the US Navy right after graduation.

John served aboard the wooden minesweeper, USS Energy. He worked in the boiler room and was designated as a rescue swimmer even though he never learned how to swim. He was Honorably Discharged on 18 June 1959.

John went to work for the US Postal Service in Hayward, Calif. He married Anne Rice in 1967. He divorced Anne in 1973. He retired from the Postal Service and worked several jobs. He worked with his brothers, Ray and Claude, doing tile work and he worked as a truck driver.

John returned to Saguache in the late-80s and lived in town for a while. He bought a small ranch near Moffat, Colo., and made that his home.

John was determined to be fully disabled form the US Navy from exposure to asbestos. He suffered permanent hearing loss from working the boiler rooms. John’s health declined and he moved to Turlock, Calif., in 2019 where his daughter, Alicia (Charlie), cared for him around the clock for three years. John became more infirm and eventually could not recover. John passed away in his sleep on the afternoon of July 21, 2022.

John did not want a service and he requested that he be cremated. John wanted to be spread on a mountain top overlooking Saguache and the remainder of his ashes will be interned in the family area of Chicago Cemetery, West of Saguache, Colo.