Fortunato "Fred" Everisto Cordova

The Rosary will be recited for Fortunato “Fred” Cordova, 86, of Portales, at 9:00 AM, Wed., Dec. 4, 2019 at St. Helen Catholic Church.  The Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 10:00 AM by Fr. Francisco Carbajal.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Felipe Aranda III, Jonathan Cordova, J. J. Gonzales, Eric Saenz, Mario Cordova, Dominic Soria, Emilio Aranda and Gabriel Montano serving as pallbearers.  All of his other grandchildren will be honorary pallbearers.

Fortunato Evaristo Cordova, known to family and friends as Fred, was born Nov. 29, 1933 in Sombrio, NM to the home of Estefanita (Baca) and Carlos Gravriel Cordova, and died at his home in Portales on Dec. 2, 2019.  The family first moved to Encino, and then to Portales in 1939.  As a boy, Fred worked on the local farms harvesting sweet potatoes and picking broomcorn.  On Nov 13, 1956 in Carlsbad, NM, he was married to Maria Adelina Baca.  Mr. Cordova worked for several years at a local cotton gin.  From 1971 until 1973, he moved his family to Longmont, CO where he worked at the G. W. Sugar plant.  Later he began working in construction at Cannon Air Force Base where he helped to build the base housing units, as well as the Clovis hospital.  In 1980 he began working for the City of Portales where he was employed until 1995.

Mr. Cordova was an accomplished guitarist, and always enjoyed hearing his family sing together.  He also enjoyed playing Bingo and going to the casinos.  He was a faithful member of St. Helen Catholic Church.

He is survived by Maria, his wife of more than 63 years; four sons and a daughter-in-law, Manuel Cordova, Augustine Cordova, Gabriel Cordova and Adolfo and Veronica Cordova all of Portales; four daughters and two sons-in-law, Regina and Jimmy Gonzales of Lubbock, TX, Angela and Phil Aranda of Lovington, NM, Estefanita Cordova of Clovis and Maria Cordova of Amarillo, TX; 20 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Elevello Cordova of Roswell, NM and Joseandres Cordova of Portales.  He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, Carlos, Ben, Luis and Ezequiel Cordova, two sisters, Estefanita Baca and Rosa Salas, and by an infant daughter, Manuelita Cordova who died in Mar. of 1958.

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