Funeral services for Mildred Lopez, 72, of Portales, will be held at 2:00 PM, Thurs., Dec. 11, 2025 in the Wheeler Mortuary Chapel with Pastor Don Thomas officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Joseph Ornelas, Jay Carillo, Robert Tapia, Gilbert Manzanares, Dazjohn Preston and Adrian Chavez serving as pallbearers. All other family members and her many friends will be honorary pallbearers.
Mildred Andrea Lopez was born May 2, 1953 in Taos, NM. Much of her childhood was spent in Portales at the New Mexico Baptist Children's Home. She was married to Severo Tapia in 1971. The couple had a son and daughter before they divorced in 1996. During those years she and her husband were both employed at the Levi Strauss plant in Clovis for a time. Later she worked as a waitress at the Portales Inn. Her last employment was as a caregiver for the elderly. In 2000, she married Gilbert Lopez. They later divorced, but remained good friends.
Ms Lopez enjoyed arts and crafts, especially making beaded necklaces, and sewing. She loved Christmas and decorating for the holidays. Another source of enjoyment was dancing to good Mexican music. She was a very affectionate grandmother. Ms Lopez was a devout Christian, and through the years had attended a number of local congregations, and spent a great deal of time in prayer.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Eric and Billie Tapia of Las Vegas, NV; her daughter and son-in-law, Yvette and Gilbert Manzanares of Portales; eight grandchildren, Eli and Emilia Tapia, Alysia and Savannah Sotelo, Jasmine Tapia, Joseph Ornelas, Jay Carillo and Nala Manzanares; two great grandchildren, Adrian Chavez and Aryana Sotelo; her mother, Rose Garcia of Grants, NM; and six sisters, Doriann, Janet, Abby, Della, Mary and Delores. She was preceded in death by a brother, Ivan.
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