Cecilia Archuleta

On Friday, December 22, 2023, Cecilia R. Archuleta, passed away surrounded by her loved ones at the age of 76 after an unexpected and brief illness.  Cecilia was born in Del Norte, CO on June 29,1947, to Edwardo and Alexina Serna.   Cecilia was very close to her family and especially adored all her beautiful grandchildren with whom she spent an abundant amount of time with through the years.

Cecilia lived in Espanola, NM, until 1952, when the family moved to Leadville, CO, then to Climax, CO, until 1962 when the Serna family returned to Espanola. Cecilia graduated from Espanola Valley High School in 1966.  She married the love of her life, Joe I. Archuleta in July 1970.   She worked for the State of New Mexico as a Department of Finance & Administration Data Entry supervisor until her retirement January 1, 1997.

Cecilia was a music enthusiast in her early years having seen “The King” Elvis Presley at his finest.  She was an avid reader & shared her love of music with her four children taking them to see legends Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. & Julio Iglesias. Cecilia loved to dance and never missed a beat be it country, Spanish or Jitterbug.  Travel was her middle name when sisters Vicky & MaryAnn came calling. Breath taking sights in Spain, relaxing sunsets in Florida & Mexico graced her vision as did the sparkling glint off the Colorado Rocky Mountain snow. Cecilia had a knack for not only fishing, but ice fishing as well.  She was a well-rounded lady of many talents and a lover of coloring, painting, & baking with her grandchildren.   She rallied behind her children as a Broncos fan while they played school sports & was a familiar voice in the stands when her grandchildren performed as well.  She leaves behind her legacy of loving each other to the very best of our ability, always striving to persevere regardless of circumstance.   

Cecilia is preceded in death by her lovingly devoted husband Joe I. Archuleta; parents Edwardo and Alexina Serna; brother Jake Serna; sister Mary Ann Woods; sister-in-law Louise Sanchez (Max); brothers-in-law Eugene Gonzales (Vicky) and Raymond Martinez (Amy); and son-in-law James Archuleta (Veronica).

Cecilia is survived by her four children Michael Archuleta (Abriana Martinez) of Albuquerque, Veronica Archuleta (James) of Espanola, Joseph Archuleta (Doreen) of Espanola, and Crystal Archuleta of Espanola.  She has six grandchildren:  Joleen Alexina Archuleta, Jesse-James Archuleta, Christy Archuleta, Sierra Rodriguez-Archuleta, Trinity Archuleta & Joseph Ray Ignacio Archuleta and two Goddaughters Brooke Bridge & Ashley Serna.

She is also survived by two sisters Vicky Gonzales of Leadville, CO, and  Amy Martinez of Colorado Springs, CO; brother Edward Serna (Yolanda) of Espanola; brothers-in-law Richard Woods of Evergreen, CO,  Chris Gallegos (Audrey) of Las Vegas, NM, Tino Gallegos (Gloria) of Sapello, NM, Jimmy Gallegos (Dolores) of Espanola, Alex Gallegos of Espanola; sisters-in-law Cathy Bailey (Carl) of Espanola, Della Serna (Jake) of Espanola, Benita Korda of Ventura, CA, Ann Serrano (Abel) of Portland, OR, and several loving nieces, nephews & friends who all played an important part in her life’s joy & memories.

We were blessed to have Cecilia. We cherish our memories forever and look forward to the time when we can be with her again.

Rosary to be held on  Thursday, February 1, 2024, at the Sangre de Cristo Chapel in the DeVargas Funeral Home at 6:00 pm.

Catholic Mass to be held on Friday, February 2, 2024, at Santa Cruz de la Canada, Santa Cruz, NM at 11:00 am.   Burial will follow at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM, at 1:00 pm.

The family of Cecilia Archuleta has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the beautiful Espanola Valley.   www.devargasfuneral.com   505-747-7477