Manuel "Manny" D. Romero

1952-2017 Manuel "Manny" David Romero a beloved, husband, father, grandfather, Godfather, padrino, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend went home to be with the Lord on November 3, 2017. Manuel was preceded in death by his son, Manuel David Romero Jr.; his parents, Juan and Palmiria Romero, and Alvaro and Daisy Maestas; his grandparents, Trinidad and Jesusita Gutierrez; his sisters, Clara Torres and Jeannie Kear; his brothers, Raymond Romero and Joe Gallegos; his nephews, Jeffrey Kear and Pat Garcia; and his great nephew, Christopher Montano. He is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Carol Maestas Romero; his adored children, Melissa and Mike Aragon, Matthew and Tanya Romero; his adored grandchildren, Michael Aragon, Ali Aragon, Mateo Romero, Caitlyn Cordova, Darren Romero, Kaitlyn Romero, and soon-to-be-born baby Romero. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters; Ruby and Adam Salas, Juan Jr. and Carmen Romero, Leroy Romero, Kenny and Nora Maestas, and Debbie Trujillo; and many nieces and nephews and friends all over the world. Manuel was born June 18, 1952 in Horse Springs, New Mexico, and later moved to Belen where, as a teen, he worked at Daisy's Grocery Store. He graduated from Belen High School, joined the United States Air Force, and married Carol, his high school sweetheart. They soon returned to Belen to raise their family. He worked in various trades before finding his calling in the prison industry–first as an officer at Central New Mexico Correctional Facility, while attending the University of New Mexico, where he earned an Associate’s degree in Correctional Studies, then a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. He worked his way up the New Mexico Corrections Department, serving as an Associate Warden at CNMCF, Deputy Director of Adult Prisons in Santa Fe, and Deputy Secretary and at times, Acting Secretary for NMCD. He played a key role in vacating the Duran Consent Decree during his tenure in the department. Manuel’s first language was Spanish, which served him well when he worked in the Puerto Rico prison system for a number of years as a court expert appointed by the United States District Court, and as a Warden/Complex Administrator in Ponce, PR. He continued his career in the corrections field, most recently with the New Mexico Association of Counties as a Loss Prevention Specialist; and built his own consulting practice over the course of the past twenty years, serving as an expert witness, inspector and auditor, providing his expertise nationally for the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, United States Marshals Service, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), amongst other agencies and in high profile legal cases in multiple states through the U.S. District Court(s) circuit over the years. His work has taken him to hundreds of prisons and jails in the United States and its territories, including some of the most notorious in the United States, such as San Quentin State Prison, San Rafael, CA; Rikers Island, Queens, NY; and Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, Lake County, Mississippi. He was also the court expert for the Metropolitan Detention Center, McClendon Case in Albuquerque. He has contributed to the creation of new policies for prison conditions and security, requiring implementation by the investigated institutions. He also wrote chapters for several textbooks and training manuals for the prison industry and garnered several multi-million dollar federal grants for programs he developed and implemented, including the first pre-release model in Puerto Rico, and a program at CNMCF to reduce recidivism through a parenting skills program for inmates and their families, which was eventually adopted as an ongoing program at the prison. Manuel approached life and work with compassion, kindness and integrity. While he clearly established himself as an accomplished professional in his field, more importantly, he dearly loved his family and made every moment, big or small, special for those surrounding him. Even though Manuel worked so hard, he always found time to attend family functions, sporting events and activities of his grandchildren, often finding time to take them to school or pick them up. He is so loved and will be dearly missed by all. All services will be held at Our Lady of Belen Catholic Church. A Public Viewing will be held at 5:00 p.m., with a Rosary to be recited at 6:00 p.m., on Thursday, November 9, 2017. A Final Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m., with a Funeral Mass to be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., on Friday, November 10, 2017. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Belen Memorial Gardens. Please sign Manuel’s online tribute at www.romerofuneralhomenm.com Romero Funeral Home, 609 N. Main St. Belen, NM.

Manuel "Manny" D. Romero

June 18, 1952 - November 3, 2017