Apolonio "Apple" Santillanes

Funeral services for Apolonio Santillanes, 70, of Portales will be held at 10:00 AM, Sat., Jan. 15, 2022 at the Third and Kilgore Church of Christ with Don Thomas officiating.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery With Josh Freemole, Leslie Rector, Roy Tivis, Sammy Villanueva, Dustin Morgan, and Randy MItchell serving as pallbearers.  All of RCEC employees and former employees will serve as honorary pallbearers.

Apolonio Santillanes, known to virtually everyone as "Apple," was born April 10, 1951 in Las Vegas, NM to the home of Amalia (Lopez) and Juan Ignacio Santillanes and died early on the morning of Jan. 12, 2022 in Albuquerque, NM.  He and his family moved to the Dora community when he was seven years old.  Apple was on the State Championship Basketball team in 1970.  He graduated later that spring, and went to work on the Van Ruiten Dairy.  Later he worked for Alvin Mead at his gas station.  On Aug. 20, 1971 in Portales, he was married to Judy Fay Terry.  In 1973, Apple went to work as a lineman for the Roosevelt County Electric Coop.  When he retired in 2009, after 36 years, he was the Line Superintendant.  Apple enjoyed just "piddling" with various things, but mostly he valued his time with his family.

He is survived by Judy, his wife of more than 50 years of their home; two daughters and sons-in-law, Sonya and Josh Freemole of Mesa, AZ and Cyndi and Dustin Morgan of Dothan, AL; five grandchildren, Hannah Freemole, Tristan Shaw, Megan Freemole, Julian Morgan and Dorian Morgan; one great-grandchild, Soraya Shaw; four brothers, Bob Santillanes of Albuquerque, Johnny Santillanes of Santa Cruz, NM, David Santillanes of Albuquerque and Michael Santillanes of Portales; and a sister, Gloria Santillanes of Albuquerque.  He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers Fred, Gilbert and Ray Santillanes, and three sisters, Lourdes Encinias, Priscilla Svanda and Kathy LaFrance.

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