Edward Nestor Davila

1929-2019 Edward "Eddie" Nestor Davila, age 89, of Albuquerque passed away March 9, 2019 at home. Eddie was born on June 27, 1929 at his parent’s home in Los Lentes, NM. Eddie Davila was a man with a great sense of curiosity about his family’s heritage and the world around him. His mother’s family immigrated to Iowa from Eteimbe, France in 1851. The family was invited by Archbishop Lamle in Santa Fe to help settle the Rio Grande Valley. They followed the Santa Fe Trail in the 1860’s to New Mexico with stops in Kansas and Pueblo, Colorado. Arriving in New Mexico, they found the land south of the Isleta Pueblo to be rich and planted orchards and 50-60 acres of vineyards to provide wine to the church. During Prohibition some of the wine actually did made it to the altar. The wine press, copper funnels, ironstone crocks and other equipment brought from France are on display in the Albuquerque museum. Growing up during the Depression was tough everywhere. Recounting that time, Eddie’s sister Mary said, “We were poor but everyone was poor.” Even so, Eddie had some wonderful memories of his youth. He loved sleeping out on the porch under quilts made by his mother, and enjoying the sounds of the night. He loved pears and found a tree in the orchard to which branches from other varieties of pears were grafted. The four varieties ripened at different times so he could enjoy the fruits through late summer and fall. He was always quick-witted and sometime ornery - which sometimes got him into trouble. Eddie teased his little sister mercilessly until one day Delia had enough and took the lemon filling for the merengue pie she was making off the stove and poured it on her offending brother. His mother witnessing the incident, observed, “It serves you right”. There were quite a few other examples of Eddie’s mischievous behavior. As punishment, his devout Catholic mother, Molly, would send him with a bucket to water the trees in the southwest corner of the Los Lentes Cemetery, drawing water from the neighboring ditch. His misdeeds were numerous enough that he gave these now large, strong trees a good start on life. As a child Eddie spent a couple months each summer on the ranch of Uncle Ysidoro (Lolo) Davila and Eloida (Nelly) Delores outside Quemado, New Mexico. On the ranch, he played with his cousins, Joe, Frank, and Magdalena (Nan) learning to throw a rope, ride a horse, and serve as a ranch hand. His father owned a grocery store in Los Lunas in partnership with his brother-in-law Joe Tondre. Every few months his father would travel by train to Chicago and return with dairy cows. Many villagers would show up to help the family herd the cows from the rail station down to the store. After the long journey the cows needed milking and everyone left with as much milk as they could carry. Some of the cows were sold to local dairies and others were kept in a corral behind the store to sell as meat. In addition to cattle, the family raised pigs. They first did so behind the store in Los Lunas before moving to the ranch 1944. Eddie’s father would buy semitrailer loads of milo, wheat and corn for processing with a hammer mill at the ranch. He also grew pinto beans on his land and land he rented. Added to the diet, cooked pinto bean helped fatten the hogs faster. At the peak of production, they had about 600 pigs. This was during WWII and many of the pigs raised on the ranch were then sold on contract to the U.S. Army Eddie’s older brother Charlie did most of the butchering for the store and taught his younger brother the trade. About 1942 or so, Charlie graduated high school and he left for college in Salinas. That meant Eddie was promoted to head butcher at the age 13. He would cut up meat in the afternoon, working from 3pm to 6pm for sale the next day. In addition to work, Eddie loved to play sports and played competitive basketball in high school. After graduating from high school, Eddie attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces where he received a degree in Agricultural education. Education he used extensively for over several decades. After graduating, he went to work for the Burpee Seed Company in California. At that time they were experimenting with land in La Paz, Mexico located near the tip of Baja California on the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula. There they would grow a second winter crop to produce more seeds to sell. Eddie and his friend Johnny Saiz set up the farm’s huge fields, delicate seeds, the hearty zinnias and marigolds as well as cucumber and tomato hybrids. The land, 30 minutes over the mountains from La Paz, was rented from a Frenchman named Olivier Vilias Rias. Eddie and Johnnie would work the farm on the weekdays and spend the weekend in the city. One particular weekend, Mr. Rias invited them to attend a wedding. At the reception, Eddie noticed three or four girls having a grand time playing with a hat a guest left in the room. The girls, including Raquel Castro, his future wife, were laughing, trying on the hat, and carrying on as young people do. From what they said, they were sure the gringo sitting on the couch did not know Spanish. So when Mr. Rias came out and asked “Do you want to go?”, Eddie said yes and turned to the girls and asked in Spanish, ”Would you please give me my hat?” They paled. No, it wasn’t Eddi’es hat; it belonged to the Judge but he made an impression. Eddie courted the beautiful Raquel and they married July 15, 1954 and their eldest, Eddie was born nine months later. His sister Dilia joined the family in 1957. In the mid-50’s, a fellow named Bruce Crookshank came down to La Paz. Bruce’s father was in the meat packing business with Armour and had sold shares leaving Bruce with money to invest. He bought a farm with 200 papaya trees and hired Eddie to manage that and two other farms growing cotton and wheat. Farming went well but the beautiful beaches along the waters of Sea of Cortez looked promising. Bruce talked Eddie into building a country club. They had dug the cloverleaf shaped swimming pool and begun raising walls when a cyclone came though La Paz on September 9, 1959 wiping out everything. About that time Eddie received a call that his mother had a heart attack. He returned to New Mexico and started a job at the Los Lunas Hospital and Training School on the west side of I-25. With little left in La Paz, Eddie moved his family to New Mexico during the winter of 1959/60. As the Farm Manager at training school, Eddie raised pigs, and maintained a herd of 125 dairy cows. After 3-4 years he became the Director of Cottage Life entailed the hiring and firing of 120 people who worked with the kids. The best part of the job was taking the kids to the New Mexico State Fair. After riding the rides, the kids were brought to Roosevelt Park in Albuquerque where the kitchen department had set up lunch for the children. After lunch they would load them back in the busses and take them back home to the training school. Best day of the year. In 1968 the State of New Mexico took over the Los Lunas Hospital and Training School and several other hospitals throughout the state. The incorporation also created an opportunity. Fort Stanton Hospital and Training School, located 150 miles south east of Albuquerque, was initially created as a military garrison, later became the first tuberculosis hospital in the state, then an internment camp for German seaman during World War II. By the time Eddie was offered the job as the Administrator of Fort Stanton Hospital and Training School, it was serving people with developmental disabilities. His mission was to find and fire those stealing from the Hospital. Successful in his mission, he cleaned the place out. He found, documented and fired the thieving employees. Success brought him back to Albuquerque where his next job was managing the grounds of all the state hospitals. Then he asked himself a question, “I am 42, getting old. I could stay here but what else might I do?” So he took a leave of absence and never went back. His leave of absence brought him into the world of Real Estate and back to the land. First, he worked as a salesman and then, as a broker with his own shop, he sold houses and land. Finally, he worked as land appraiser for 23 years driving up and down the road he knew as a child - but now those roads were paved. His curiosity about the land and people never stopped. Genealogy research led him to find that his ancestors on his father’s side were Sephardic Jews who left Spain for the new world to avoid the Inquisition. This was a good decision for them, and the news sent Eddie on a spiritual journey. Raised Catholic, Eddie and his wife Raquel found a spiritual home with the local Adat Yeshua congregation about 10 years ago. This congregation brings together Jews and Gentiles into a dynamic fellowship which worships the God of Israel. They see Yeshua (the Messiah) actively involved in our midst to forgive the guilty, heal the sick, and comfort the depressed. They see him bringing spiritual reality and fulfillment to all who seek him. Many people lose their curiosity as they grow older. It was impressive to see how Eddie continually wondered about he world and never stopped asking why. He was preceded in death by his parents, Francisco Nestor Davila (August 14, 1898 – October 31, 1961); Mary "Molly" Josephine Tondre Davila (July 3, 1896 – April 27, 1964) and brothers, Charles “Charlie” Fredrick Davila (September 26, 1926 – May 16, 2001) and Frank Robert “Bobbie” Davila May 11, 2014) sister, Mary Amada Davila Smith (June 30, 1926 – March 24, 2001); and son Edward Charles Davila (April 13, 1955 – September 24 1992). Eddie is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Raquel Castro Davila; his daughter Dilia Mary Davila; his sister Delia Davila Garde, and his many relatives and friends. Eddie will be greatly missed by his loving family and by those whose lives he touched. Please sign Edward’s online tribute at www.romerofuneralhomenm.com Romero Funeral Home, 609 N. Main St. Belen, NM

Edward Nestor Davila

June 27, 1929 - March 9, 2019