Barbara Baca

Barbara Gertrude Nichols Baca, age 79, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on September 15, 2022 after a long battle with dementia. She was born on February 25, 1943 in San Antonio, Texas to William and Claudine Nichols. Barbara attended elementary, junior high and High School in Houston, Texas and in 1960, married Leroy Baca, of Socorro, New Mexico. Barbara and Leroy had 4 children-Leroy, Eric, Monica and Natalia. They lived in Socorro, NM for several years where Barbara worked for the Welfare Department and New Mexico School of Mines as a secretary. In 1976, she and Leroy moved to Gallup, NM where she worked as a legal secretary for Joseph Goldsmith. Esq., and Shuelke, Wolf and Rich, P.A.. She also worked several years as an escrow officer at Gallup Title, until her retirement in 2005.
Barbara loved her children and grandchildren and they all adored her. Barbara always made the Holidays special with her traditions, hand made decorations and baked treats. She was an avid golfer and often boasted that she was the Club Champion at the Gallup Municipal Golf Course and that she had 3 hole-in- ones. She was a voracious reader who cherished her classic book collection and who read every night before she went to bed. She enjoyed gardening and embroidery and loved to sing and dance, especially in her later years. Barbara and Leroy were proud of their large family and spent a great deal of time visiting their children and grandchildren. They enjoyed traveling and often took weekend golfing and fishing excursions to Arizona and Colorado.
Barbara is survived by her husband of 62 years, Leroy Baca, of Gallup, New Mexico; her four children: Leroy Baca, Jr. (Cheryl) of Tucson, Arizona; Eric Baca (Yvonne) of Gallup, New Mexico; Monica Baca (Richard Neal) of Albuquerque, New Mexico and Natalia Betanbough (Brian) of Lubbock, Texas; 12 grandchildren: Erica, Mallory, Melissa, Brian, Adam, Nicholas, Rachel, Chandra, Darren, Estevan, Lauren and Jordan; 8 great- grandchildren: Will, Jadon, Weston, Emma, Skylar, Joshua, Elijah and Evelyn Marie; Her siblings: Bernice D'Agostino (James) of Roswell, New Mexico; Jude Nichols (Luise) of Alabama; Linda Johns (Keith) of Florida and Noel Swan of Georgia and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Claudine Nichols; her brother Billy Nichols; her sisters Sylvia Romano and Evelyn Marie Nichols and her great-grandson, Maverick Weigl.
Barbara was beautiful, hard-working, intelligent, witty, fun, kind and compassionate to all who knew her. She will be dearly missed.
A private celebration of life service will occur at a later date at French Funerals in Albuquerque. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Barbara's name to the Alzheimer's Association New Mexico Chapter-Albuquerque.