Gary Salazar

Gary B. Salazar a native of Tierra Amarilla was called home to our Lord on March 12, 2022. He is preceded in death by his father Victor Salazar, brother Lester Salazar and wife Donna Salazar, nephew Carl Manzanares, and great nephew Rowyn. He is survived by his mother Agripina (Grippie) Salazar, siblings; Debbie Manzanares (Carlos), Victor Salazar (Lori Walton), Sabino Salazar (Juanita), Giles Garcia (Shawna), Dawn Salazar (Joseph Quintana) and many nieces, nephews including great nieces & nephews. Gary was a graduate of Escalante High School and attended NMSU. Gary lived and worked at Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center for 20 plus years where he served as the Groups and Meetings Coordinator and made many life-long friends. There was no job Gary wouldn’t tackle to ensure guests had a memorable stay.  He was known to get up at 3:00 am to prepare a hearty breakfast for the Peregrinos making their pilgrimage for vocations, for helping in housekeeping if there was a quick turn around with guests arriving before all the rooms were clean and helping with search and rescue missions when a guest got lost on a hike. Gary had a love for bringing people together and extending kindness. He spread his wealth of knowledge through his service and commitment as a board member for multiple entities including, Chama Valley School Board, Las Clinicas del Norte Board, and Santa Nino Parish Council. His unbiased and common-sense approach in addressing issues helped him in his community leadership positions.  Gary was an excellent cook with a flair for trying new recipes. After leaving Ghost Ranch he worked as a hunting and outfitting camp chef for Rio Nutrias Adventures and Fishtail Ranch. His most recent employment was with United Country Northern NM Real Estate as an Office Manager where he continued to establish friendships and share his knowledge. Gary’s love of family had him volunteering to cater all the family functions, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Baptisms, Graduations, Family Reunions, Anniversaries etc. He supported his community by volunteering his time and amazing cooking skills for Santo Nino Fiestas, Mi Senora Del Carmel, La Morada de San Rafael in Ensenada, and for families in their times of need.  He was an uncle that was loved dearly by all his nieces and nephews, and he always found a means to connect with them in a manner that made them feel special on an individual level. Gary provided a spiritual guiding light to all his godchildren and made sure he was available to his parents, siblings, and extended family.  Serving as pallbearers are JJ Manzanares, Antonio Manzanares, Max Salazar, Gus Garcia, Jamie Salazar, and Dominic Casados. Serving as Honorary Pallbearers are, Andres Salazar & Michael Manzanares.  Services will be held on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at San Jose Parish, in Los Ojos. A rosary will be recited at 10am followed by a funeral mass at 11am, with burial to follow at San Jose Cemetery.