Willie Archibeque

Willie “Bill” Archibeque of Greeley died Monday, April 3, 2017 at Garden Square at Westlake. He was born on March 20, 1924 in Eaton, Colorado to Matias and Mary Agnes (DeHerrera) Archibeque. When he was 2 months old, his family moved to Pierce, Colorado where he attended schools.

Willie joined the Army Air Corps on September 28, 1943, serving in WWII in the South Pacific. He earned the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one Bronze Star, a World War II Victory Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. After his honorable discharge on February 4, 1946, he returned to Pierce. To commemorate Willie’s service, in the fall of 2008, Willie and his son Bill went on the Honor Flight to see the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C., a trip of a lifetime for both.

Willie met Mollie V. Martinez at a neighborhood party and they were married on December 1, 1947 at St. Peter Catholic Church in Greeley. They were married just shy of 66 years, when Mollie passed away on November 22, 2013. After the wedding, Willie and Mollie moved to a two-room house that Willie built on the family farm. As they welcomed each of their children, Willie added a room at a time, to the house, to accommodate their growing family. The family enjoyed many holidays and family gatherings there until 2011, when Willie and Mollie moved to Greeley.

In the early years, Willie continued to help on the farm, saving his money to buy a truck for hauling sugar beets. During the off-season, he hauled construction equipment to and from job sites for L.J. Hesser, who saw in Willie a smart, hard worker, with great potential. With encouragement from Mr. Hesser, Willie gave up farming and sugar beet hauling and began a 55-year career in the construction business. He was part owner/operator of M&A Construction with Kenny Muirhead, and later with his wife Mollie and sons Bill and Howard. Willie was very proud of the company and could recount just about every construction project they ever worked on, when and where. All you had to do was hop in the car with Willie, and the tour began.

Willie was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Mary’s Mission Church in Ault and served on the board. He also served on the Pierce Town Board for 16 years, and was a lifetime member of the Ault VFW.

Willie was a loving, caring father, not only to his children, but also to their spouses. He would say that he and Mollie “…didn’t have daughters-in-laws and a son-in-law, they had daughters and sons”. He was very proud of his family and his family looked up to him and Mollie as an example to everyone of a loving, kind, welcoming, and accepting couple.

Willie will be missed by his friends and family, but his memory will live on in the many memories and the love we hold in our hearts for him. When someone would tell Willie, “see you later”, he would say, “God willing and the creek don’t rise.” God was always willing, and the creek didn’t rise, until today. Today we once again say “see you later Willie.”

The family extends a heartfelt thank you to Garden Square at Westlake for their friendship, compassion, and support of Willie over the last six years.

Willie is survived by sons, Bill (Linda) Archibeque, Russ (Tammy) Archibeque and Howard (Karen) Archibeque; daughter, Linda (Dan) Trimberger; grandchildren, Daniel (Melissa) Trimberger, Courtney Archibeque, Lauren Archibeque and Zane Archibeque; great-grandchildren, Tre and Kellen Trimberger; sister, Florence Maestas; brothers, Tony Archibeque, Eugene Archibeque and Matias Archibeque, Jr. and many brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Mollie, sisters, Della Romero, Cora Chavez and Nina Gonzales and brother, Charles Archibeque.

Visitation will be from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at Stoddard Funeral Home. Recitation of the Rosary will be at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 6, 2017 at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. Interment will be at Eaton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church or St. Mary’s Mission Church in Ault, both in care of Stoddard Funeral Home, 3205 West 28th Street, Greeley, Colorado 80634.