Florentino Carlos Gallegos

Florentino Carlos Gallegos was born on Sept 27th 1948 in Amalia, New Mexico to Elsie and Robert Gallegos. He was the 4th child of 8. He met Ethel Rivera in church when she was 15, and he was 14: they became high school sweethearts and later married in 1968 in Amalia. He had many sweet, loving names for his little chiquita. He loved and cherished her.

In 1969, Florentino was drafted into the United States Marine Corp as a Machine Gunner and small arms technician. He received a National Defense Service Medal as well as a sharp shooter badge. He was honorably discharged in December 1969. In 1971, they welcomed their first child, Shelley, and they moved to Denver shortly after her birth. That same year, he started working as a busboy for The Original Mexican Café; shortly thereafter, he worked construction for Perlmac Co. and learned many trades in home building. Later, he found his niche and got a job at Adolph Coors company in Golden, CO: after working different positions, he eventually was promoted and was classified as a Brewery specialist. He loved his job and continued on in his position as a specialist until his retirement.

In 1977, he and Ethel welcomed their next daughter, Luann: she was a preemie, which back then was considered a miracle. Tino and Ethel loved to travel and he took his family on a lot of road trips to a majority of the 50 states. He and Ethel were able to travel to many places together including Mexico and Aruba, but their favorite was Hawaii: hence his 15 favorite Hawaiian shirts. They traveled to the islands on 5 different occasions and loved it each and every time.

Tino loved flowers and he loved to garden: he had to have a perfect yard. People would stop by and ask him what his secret was to growing such a lush, green, glow in the dark grass. He had a stockpile of fertilizer in his shed always. He was a little obsessed, well, not a little, but a lot obsessed with cleanliness. He had impeccable yard, cars, and home: he would not rest until it was done. This trait has been carried over to his son in law Desmond and they have many memories spent together talking about cars and yards.

He was so proud of and greatly loved his grandchildren. Tino had 5 grandkids: Deven, Desi, DJ, Destiny, and Teddy. He loved each of them for their individuality and their loveable personalities. He carried a picture of each of them with him to keep them always close to his heart.

A part of Tino’s heart belonged to New Mexico, and he and Ethel would return there often to visit. Eventually they purchased his parents’ home and made it into their summer home. Although we all loved New Mexico - his two grandsons, Desi, and Teddy, and his son-in-law Damian, truly loved it just as much as he did, as they would go a few times a summer. He would visit, and loved to reminisce with his family and friends by the dozens. While visiting, he would go fishing, ride his ATV, have lunch at the senior center, and enjoy the beauty of nature. He enjoyed the outdoors and he loved fishing, camping, and hunting. His life was grand, and consisted of a loving family, memories, and Jesus. He loved the Lord above: he trusted and gave his life to Jesus.

We were so blessed to have him for so many years. He was the life of the party when we would all get together. Holidays were the best for him! If it was your birthday, it was his too: he wanted to open presents with you. On Easter, he loved coloring eggs with the kids; his favorite were the plastic shrink wrappers. He would get so excited to find eggs and candy. Around Christmas, he would go all out with the lights and decorations inside and out. He loved going to see the lights through the neighborhoods. He was like a little kid opening presents and singing along to the christmas music.

Tino loved watching cowboy movies, watching King of Queens, Animal Planet, and nature shows. His favorite restaurants were Red Lobster and Applebees. He loved eating ice cream and german chocolate cake. He looked forward to seeing his best buddy Link, and to note, Link is a dog. Ethel would ask, “What about the grandkids?” and he would say, “I’ll see them too.” He and Link had a special bond. He loved the families two other dogs, Sammy, and Dolly too. They all played together.

He and Ethel enjoyed attending church and seeing all of the friends they had gained over the years. Through all of his struggles and trials with health, he would remain faithful. In February 2016, he had the privilege of being baptized by Pastor Fernando Ortiz: that was truly a highlight for him. Thank you “Mi Amigo.”

Tino will forever be remembered as a wonderful husband, "PaPa", and the love of Ethel’s life. The life they shared has been amazing. Thank you for showing us how to have a strong marriage. He taught us how to be hardworking, faithful, generous, and compassionate. We loved his sense of humor and will continue on with his kind joy in our lives. We will have great comfort in knowing he is renewed, because he was a man of God. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We love you, until we meet again.

That they wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk; and not faint. Isaiah 40:31