Pete Mendiola

Pete Mendiola

Peter, better known as Pete Mendiola, was born September 5, 1934, and passed away December 29, 2023. Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather was received into the loving arms of our heavenly father at the age of 89 where he was reunited with his loved ones who passed before him. Pete was born in El Paso, Texas and raised as a child in the San Francisco Bay area. He eventually moved to the Hondo Valley which is where his parents purchased Feliz Montafio Ranch. Pete met Gloria Fresquez, his future wife, at Hondo High School. After graduation he joined the Navy and was stationed at Moffett Field outside of San Francisco. Pete and Gloria were married on January 26, 1957, in the Bay Area where they both had family. Their first son Gary was born at Letterman Army Hospital while Pete was stationed at Port Hueneme, CA. Pete was then stationed in Argentia, New Foundland where their second son Dennis was born. For Pete's last assignment, he was stationed at Little Creek Naval base in Norfolk, VA where he was deployed to Cuba during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. After being discharged, the family moved to Roswell, NM where their daughter Melissa was born.

Pete's dream was to own his own ranch. He and Gloria purchased Bar Guitar Ranch & Farm in Picacho, NM from Gloria's father. The ranch, where both sheep and cattle were raised, has been in the family for generations. At the same time, Pete took a job with Texas Iron Workers where he worked during the week on missile sites around Roswell. Pete was fortunate to work on numerous building sites which included travel to Chile in South America where he helped to construct the world's largest observatory and Cloudcroft, New Mexico where he worked on the Sunspot Observatory. Pete retired from the Iron Workers at the age of 55 and became a full-time rancher. Pete had a great love for animals, especially his lambs, cows, horses, emus, and dogs. He was always smiling and laughing. He loved food, especially BBQ and seafood. He told some of the best stories that would last for hours. He loved deer hunting, riding his horses, and his ranch dogs. He had fond memories of his childhood hanging out with his cousins playing in a tree house. His most special moments were spending time with his family. He loved traveling to NY, CA, CO, TX, AL, and his favorite spot, Maine.

Pete is survived by his wife Gloria F. Fresquez of 66 years, his three children, Gary Mendiola (Beth) Picacho, NM; Dennis Mendiola (Brenda) Tuscaloosa, A; and Melissa Bernstein (Jon) New City, NY; grandchildren, Bianca, Nichole, Cristina, Lindsey, Lauren, Jacob, and Emma; and great grandchildren, Grant, Pierce, Chloe, and Cruz.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to the following: Poore Clare Monastery 809 E. 19^th St. Roswell, NM 88201 or Assumption Catholic Church 2808 N. Kentucky Roswell, NM 88201.

A memorial mass will be held at 10:00 am, Monday, January 8, 2024 at Assumption Catholic Church.