Armando Ornelas Reyes passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, June 9th, 2026 at the age of 94. He was a loving, kind, patient and gentle son, husband, father, brother, grandfather and great grandfather. He will be dearly missed. He was dedicated to his wife Myrna until his final days. He is preceded in death by his father Jose Ornelas, mother Josefina Lorenza Reyes de Ornelas and sister Berta R. Linggi.
He is survived by his wife Myrna Chavez Ornelas, loving children Armando Ornelas Jr., (Jenny Brekhus), David Octavio Ornelas (Delores Ornelas), daughter Clarisa Gardea (Hugo Gardea), and Gabriel Ornelas (Anna Lisa Muniz); his sister Alicia Bridges and brother Jose Jesus Ornelas. And, grandchildren Teresa Maria Gardea (Tom Hand), Isaac Antonio Gardea, Marisa Isabel Gardea, Joseph David Ornelas, Eliana Ornelas, and great grandchildren Timothy Antonio Hand and Lucy Marie Hand.
He was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in 1932, studied at UNAM in Mexico City, served in the US Army, and spent his professional life working as a chemist and fire assayer. He had a wry sense of humor and enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling to see his children, maintaining his home, following the news and sports, and listening to music - from Los Panchos to The Cars and Jackson Browne.
A Vigil Service will be held Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 11:00 am, with a funeral mass to follow at 11:30 am at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 2709 Alabama St, El Paso, Texas 79930. the committal will follow at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, 401 S Zaragoza Rd, El Paso, Texas 79903.
