Joe DeLeon

Joe DeLeon, 88, passed away Feb. 16, 2012. He is preceded in death by his parents, Nicolas and Guadalupe Santos-DeLeon; his wife, Angelina; siblings, Russell and Santiago DeLeon, Mary Torres, and Victoria Montelongo; and in-laws, Fidel and Valerie Arriaga, Francis Urrutia, Juvie Munoz, Paul and Robert Arriaga. Survived by his children, Dave (Andrea), Lewis, Valerie, Tim and Lori DeLeon, and Kenneth (Michele); grandchildren Kim (Richard) Wallace, Ryan DeLeon, Danielle DeLeon, Celeste Saldana, Dana Velez, Jenna Baca, Brianna DeLeon, Cierra DeLeon, Antoinette Ramos, Angelina Ramos, Shawna Mangan, Shelly Chavez;great-grandchildren Symone DeLeon, Vanessa Saldana, Lisa Saldana, Nathan Saldana, Zachary Saldana, Devyn Velez, Desirae Velez, Jayden Baca, Jasmine Garcia, Jayven Carrero, Jason Wallace; and great-great-grandchildren Dominik Vidana, Danielle Vidana, Aiden Gutierrez, Isabelle Saldana, Kayden Saldana, Ahlias Velez, Nevaeh Velez.

He is also survived by brothers Frank DeLeon, Fred DeLeon and Nick DeLeon and sisters-in-law Helen (Ed) Montoya and Esther Herrera;numerous nieces and nephews including Lupe Beltran and Eleanor Gutierrez, and special friends Paul Perez and Tom Santos. Joe retired from the Pueblo Army Depot after 42 years of service as General Foreman of Ammunition. He loved being with friends and family and loved all who knew him. He enjoyed volleyball, bowling, horseshoes, and was a great pool player. He enjoyed watching the Broncos and also loved watching westerns. Although his education was limited to the 9th. grade, he was a walking encyclopedia and dictionary because of his love for reading. He had a relationship with God and lived the Beautitudes, exemplified by his enormous love for his family and generous giving to others. He definitely passed the torch on to the next generation. He was always so caring and concerned for everyone. He was most known for his delicious cooking and made numerous deliveries to all of his good friends. Everyone enjoyed his burritos, enchiladas, jarred chilies, and tamales. He was the gate keeper of the culture, passing on the tradition of favorite recipes to his family. He enjoyed and loved all the time he spent with his children and grandchildren. He was a man of all trades with a Christian work ethic. He leaves this legacy to his family. Visitation 4 – 7 p.m. Wednesday at Imperial Funeral Home. Funeral Mass 10 a.m. Thursday, St. Francis Xavier Church. Interment, Imperial Memorial Gardens.