Richard Lee Handley

1945-2013 Richard Lee Handley, age 68, went home to be with Our Lord on Wednesday, September 4, 2013 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He passed quietly with his wife Susannah by his side in his Las Nutrias home. He was well known for his quiet sense of humor, his honesty and integrity and his love for the land and big engines. He graduated from Los Lunas High School and NMSU with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. After a few years with the Army as a research engineer and then in the oil field, he returned to the family farm in Las Nutrias in 1971. He loved raising his four daughters on the family farm. Besides his family he loved the land…the smell of new mown alfalfa, and the sound of corn growing in the breeze. He used to quote his own father saying, “on a still night you can hear the corn grow.” He loved the scent of the freshly plowed dirt as he turned it with his John Deere plow. He used his AG engineering degree to modify and build farm equipment. In the winters he loved working on old cars and hot rods, the bigger the engines the better. He was especially proud of his ’67 Cobra kit car and his 32’ Model B Ford. He was a member of the Rickshaw Car club in Albuquerque. He competed with his cars in many shows winning often. He was an avid skier and loved life. He will be missed. He was preceded by his parents, Ralph and Harriet Handley and his beloved sister, Barbara Pruett. Richard is survived by his wife, Sana; his four daughters and three step children, Juliet and Rob Gram and children Bryan and Lauren; Janis Allen and daughter Mariah; Jacquelyn and Will Roberts and daughter Lahna; and Jeanne and Mike Melancon and children Shawn, Jason, and Micaela; Frannie and Tom Miller and their daughters Elida and Zia; Kena and Alan Price with their children Aneka and Quinn; and Geoff and Brandi Decker with Lainee. The Celebration of his life will be held Saturday, September 7, at 4:00 p.m. at the Chihuahua Bible Chapel in Veguita, NM. The Family will receive friends beginning at 3:00 p.m. Interment will follow at the Chihuahua Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Rob Gram, Will Roberts, Jimmy Pareo, Shawn Melancon, Jason Melancon and Bryan Gram. Honorary Pallbearers will be Tom Miller, Geoff Decker and Alan Price. Flowers are lovely but a lasting contribution can be made in honor of Richard Handley to the New Mexico Cancer Center at 4901 Lang Ave. NE Albuquerque, NM 87109. Sign Richard’s online register book at www.romerofuneralhomenm.com Romero Funeral Home, 609 N. Main St., Belen, NM

Richard Lee Handley

June 12, 1945 - September 4, 2013