Patricia "Debbie" (Montoya) Gallegos

The Rosary for Patricia Gallegos, 67, of Portales, will be recited at 9:00 AM, Wed., Nov. 23, 2022 at St. Helen Catholic Church.  Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 10:00 AM by Fr. Francisco Carbajal.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Leo Gallegos, Gene Sena, Daniel Montoya, Luis Estrada, Querino Montoya and Anthony Gallegos serving as pallbearers.

Martha Patricia Gallegos, known to many as Pat and to others as Debbie, was born Jan. 9, 1955 in Fort Sumner, NM to the home of Martina (Lopez) and Querino Montoya and died early on the morning of Nov. 18, 2022 in Las Cruces, NM following a brief illness.  Mrs. Gallegos grew up primarily in Melrose.  As a teenager, she moved to Clovis where she met Manuel Gallegos, and the couple was married at St. Helen Catholic Church in Portales on July 29, 1979.  They made their home in Portales where Mrs. Gallegos had a number of jobs, including driving a school bus before attending classes at Eastern New Mexico University where she eventually earned a Bachelor's Degree.  For a number of years she was employed at the University in the Registrar's Office.  Since her retirement several years ago, she was employed for a time as the housekeeper for the priest's residence at St. Helen Church.  She was an animal lover, and was especially fond of Chihuahuas which she bred and raised.  She also enjoyed birds, and currently had a Cockatiel.

She is survived by Manuel, her husband of more than 43 years of their home; a son, Manuel Gallegos of Tulsa, OK; a daughter and son-in-law, Delores and Tomas Estrada of Plainview, TX; seven grandchildren, Luis and Marlene Estrada, Anthony, Mia, Daniel and Abbey Gallegos and Lucas Ramirez; a brother, Querino Montoya of Santa Rosa, NM and a sister, Rosa Sisneros of Tucumcari, NM.  She was preceded in death by both of her parents.

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