Placido Trujillo

Placido Trujillo passed from this life at his home with his family on April 28, 2011. He was born July 16, 1924 in Belen, New Mexico to parents Juan N. and Amalia (Molly) Trujillo. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife of 65 years, Sally Sanchez Trujillo. Placido and Sally moved to Las Cruces in 1947, where they quickly became active and involved citizens of the community. The couple had six children, Doris C. Trujillo Kistenmacher, J. Martha Trujillo Chavez, Leonard G. Trujillo, Rebecca C. Trujillo, S. Mark Trujillo, and John E. Trujillo.Placido served his country in the United States Army during World War II and, after completing a tour of duty in Dutch New Guinea and the Philippines Theater of Operations, was honorably discharged in 1946. After relocating to Las Cruces, he began work at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in 1948. During his tenure at WSMR, he worked on the V2 Missile Project (Hermes Project) under Dr. Wernher von Braun. Prior to his retirement in 1978, he served as Director of Engineering and Maintenance for all of WSMR, where he was involved in the development and construction of many of the test sites that remain in use today. Always active, in 1980 he began a second career at the Physical Science Lab at New Mexico State University (NMSU), where he continued his work until his second retirement in 1995. Placido was a lifelong and devout member of the Catholic faith, where he worshiped first at St. Genevieve Church, and then later at Holy Cross Church. His involvement at Holy Cross Church was extensive and included lay-minister, greeter, usher, and sacristan. Placido served on both the environmental committee and the building committee and was a founding member of the pastoral council. Always a faithful servant of God, he spent countless hours preparing the church for various religious holiday celebrations, and he hand-crafted many of the icons used by the priests he assisted. In 1992, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez presented Placido with the "Instrumento de Paz" award. Other community activities included Serra Club, where his involvement included many officer positions, and the Knights of Columbus, Council 1226. Additionally, Placido was a involved member of the National Association for Retired Federal Employees and VFW Post 10124.While his work and community involvement were important parts of Placido's life, he was truly devoted to his wife and family. Family trips, Easter picnics, and hiking into his favorite spots in the Organ Mountains were a true passion and are among those memories that will long remain with his family. He was also an avid hunter, a pursuit which he enjoyed his entire life, and which he shared with his sons until only recently. Survivors include children: Doris Kistenmacher, and her husband Glen, of Dallas, TX; J. Martha Chavez, and her husband Bernard, of Santa Fe, NM; Dr. Leonard G. Trujillo, and his wife Jane, of Greenville, NC; Sister Rebecca Trujillo SNDdeN of Matagalpa, Nicaragua; S. Mark Trujillo, and his wife Melinda, of Las Cruces; and John Trujillo, and his wife Amelia (M.D.), of Springfield, VA. Grandchildren are Yvonne M. Capoldi, Yvette M. Lucero, Fabian Chavez, Sarah Beth Trujillo, Jordan Trujillo, Suzanne Estrada, Shannon Ligon, Shelley Macaw, Marissa Trujillo, and Katie Necochea. Placido is survived by six great grandchildren along with many nieces and nephews. Survived by his brothers, Johnnie Trujillo, and his wife Ronnie, of Anaheim, CA; Philip Trujillo, and his wife Delia, of La Puente, CA; Louie Trujillo, and his wife Pat, of Ontario, CA.; his sisters, Priscilla Morales, and her husband Thomas, of Los Angeles, CA; Mary Ann Sanchez, and her husband Carlos, of La Puente, CA; and his brother-in-law, Alex Cruz of La Puente, CA. Also survived by niece, Grace Gutierrez of Santa Fe, NM. Preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sally. Also preceded in death by his sisters, Bessie Tarin and her husband Dan; Sarah Sedillo and her husband Max; Predy Cruz; and by his brother, Wilfred Trujillo. A visitation will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 13, 2011 at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda, where the prayer vigil will follow at 7 p.m. The funeral Liturgy to celebrate his life will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2011 also at Holy Cross Catholic Church with Monsignor John Anderson officiating. Rite of Committal and burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery. PDF Printable Version