David M. Ortiz

David M. Ortiz, 79, died peacefully on Saturday, December 26, 2020 in his Chamita, NM family home. David was born December 21, 1941 in Santa Fé, NM to Isabel “Belle” and José Ortíz. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Ricardo “Chick”, his father-in-law Fidel Sánchez, and one of his best friends Tommy Tafoya.

David is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Cecilia; his mother-in-law Bernie Sánchez, his children, Letitia “Tish” of Waveland, MS; Richard of Albuquerque, NM; David, Jr. (Valerie) of Albuquerque, NM; Debbie Boyll (David) of Denver, CO; Patrick Martínez of Edgewood, NM; Lisa Mae Martínez of Chamita, NM; Louie Levi Martínez of Albuquerque, NM; his 14 grandchildren, Joshua, Tasia, Carl, Tomas, Adrianna, Annalysia, Andres, Jordan, Jared, Crisanne, Cameron, Curtis, Sigfredo, Savannah; his 4 great-grandchildren; his siblings Marcella Gonzalez (Rudy), Rita Rosacker (Buddy), Carlos, Linda Serna (Donald), Tommy (Nancy); lifelong friends Mac Lopez, Philip Roybal, Sam Mendoza; many cousins, nieces, nephews, several friends, and extended family members.

Being raised in Santa Fé, David grew to love the many outdoor activities available to the area, such as camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding, and later spread that love of the outdoors to those of us he loved. Many seasons he was out hunting for deer, elk, antelope, and other big game. One time he and Mac hunted down a black bear in the mountains near El Rito, NM.

On January 20, 1959, David enlisted in the US Navy for active duty at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, CA. During his enlistment, he was stationed around the country, in duty stations including: Anchorage, AK, Memphis, TN, and Pensacola, FL. Working as a Naval Aviation Mechanic, he had the privilege to build components of the Saturn V rocket that went on to launch Apollo 11 to the moon. He was honorably discharged from the US Navy on January 20, 1965.

After his military service, David began attending the Worldwide Church of God and then became a baptized member in March 1966. He was later ordained as a Deacon on April 26, 1989 and continued to serve in that position upon entering the Philadelphia Church of God in 2002, until his death. David is fondly remembered as: a father who provided very well for his family, a loving husband, having a friendly smile, patient, always on time if not early, a hard worker, generous in nature, honest, a builder, considerate, a humble salt-of-the-earth person, thoughtful, a forward-thinker, kind, a good neighbor, modest, a man of few words who would only give advice if asked, wise, decisive, always willing to help others, having his actions speak louder than his words, dependable, a patient teacher by his example, a trustworthy man of his word.

As a member of UA Local 412 Plumbers & Pipefitters, David completed his Plumbing Apprenticeship program in the late 1960’s and was employed with Yearout Mechanical in Albuquerque until the early 80’s, when he began his own successful Mechanical Contracting business, 21st Century Mechanical. In 1976 David moved his family from Santa Fé to Chamita, where he learned how to farm and ranch. At that time he was also commuting to Albuquerque for his job as a Journeyman Plumber, and worked on many important New Mexico projects, such as the Very Large Array (VLA) radio astronomy observatory near Magdalena, NM. David was an active member of the Acequia de Chamita Association, which was established in 1598.

Second to searching God’s word in his Bible to do what He commands; David’s passion was raising cattle to provide his family with premium beef. Along with managing his apple orchard & other fruit trees, growing vegetable gardens, maintaining the cattle pasture, raising horses & other farm animals, and mending fences, there was always plenty of work for David and his family to enjoy doing together. Although he retired from his business in the early 2000’s, he continued working hard, running cattle with his friend Sam, chopping firewood, bailing alfalfa & hay, and serving as a humble leader in his congregation until his last day. His mind was always focused on the return of Jesus Christ to bring the Kingdom of God on the earth. His daily routine included rising early before the sun came up to pray and study his Bible, and his last words were “Let’s pray”.