Vicente Tomas Padilla

Vicente T. Padilla (Tomas), passed peacefully at the Casa Rael, on Saturday, June 2, 2018.

Mr. Padilla was born in Cerrillos, NM to Fedela Montoya and Antonio Narvaiz on February 18th, 1926. He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings. Mr. Padilla was a single man without children. In his younger days he would help his parents with their farm by herding sheep and goats. He was a very simple and humble man who did not believe in today’s modern age. He would have liked for the time to go back to when he was a young boy and the world was simpler. A horsing accident left him disabled in his youth and caused him to fall behind in attending school and furthering his education. After his parents passed, he was placed in the care of the State of New Mexico and he came to live with Mrs. Antonia Salazar in Espanola for over 55 years. When Mrs. Salazar was unable to care for him in her golden years, due to her health, he stayed with Mrs. Salazar’s daughter, Mrs. Minnie Naranjo. Mrs. Naranjo cared for him until he was placed at Casa Real in February 2018. He left a lasting impression on anyone who had the good fortune of meeting him. His true hobbies were working on his drawings and playing his instruments, which he taught himself to play. At the end of each day, he would fill and smoke his pipe and enjoy the evening before going to bed.

Services are scheduled for Friday, June 8, 2018, at 11:00 AM at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Espanola, NM with Father Dominic Pierson presiding. Burial will follow at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cemetery.