Emilio Rigales Sr.

Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, son, brother, father-in-law, uncle, friend, and all around good guy, Emilio Rigales, Sr., 79 left this earth surrounded by his loving family at home, as he wanted. He left to be with our heavenly father in the big "Casino" in the sky where he can play forever, where every machine is guaranteed to win the jackpot and every scratch-off ticket is a winner. Emilio was born in Las Cruces on November 27, 1929 to Luis and Ramona Rigales and went to heaven on Wednesday, February 11, 2009. He was a hard working, proud, strong and humble man. He was the pillar of our family. Emilio will always be remembered by his bright smile and generous spirit. He was a retired painter but he had many other building skills. He loved to work and enjoyed adding his personal touches to any new project. He was known for all the work he did in the building trades and was a great artist in his craft. Emilio was always ready to lend a helping hand. He was proud to help his children when they were ready to build or remodel their homes. He even took months off from his own job to help. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge and teaching anyone willing to learn. He was so proud to see that his grandchildren carried on his legacy, Joey by picking up his "jack of all trades" building skills and Luciano picking up his engineering ways. Emilio's knowledge and skills were taught to others. He took a farmer/mechanic, Mario, and taught him a bit of this and that, and now he's an all around handyman. And of course, proud to work with his son in his son's company, wanting Emilio Jr., not himself, to be licensed and run his own painting business. Emilio instilled in his children important things in everyday life: God, "the man upstairs" first, take care of your family, take care of your reputation, keep your word, always have good credit, and get your education