JESUS AGUSTIN HERRERA VELARDE May 23, 2024

Jesus Agustin Herrera Velarde better known as Dad, Tata or Chewie entered into the arms of our Father, Thursday, May 23 in his Sierra Vista home in Arizona and was laid to rest with his family on Saturday June 1 at the Rivera Memorial Gardens.

He was 85 years old and is survived by his wife, seven children, 31 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren all of which were his motivation, his greatest joy, and the purpose of his being.

He grew up in Los Alamos to Miguel [Estrada] Velarde and Loretta Isabel Herrera the second born in a family of 11, he was always busy and working towards a better life for his brothers and sisters. No stranger to mischief and getting in trouble he would often play practical jokes at the expense of his siblings, parents but most often the blessed nuns at the Catholic school he attended.

It was during one of these practical jokes on a mining trip to Bisbee, Arizona that one of his pranks landed him right into the arms of his future wife, nurse Alondra Ismael Suarez. He would fake injury and visit her four more times in the hospital before she agreed to marry him. He would move to Bisbee, Arizona and start a family but his heart remained in Los Alamos, New Mexico and now his body returns to Los Alamos to find peace and rest amongst his family and friends.