Ernest Orona

ERNEST JOSEPH ORONAErnest was born in La Constancia, NM on October 5, 1942. He was a member of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Tome, NM until 1961, when he moved to the Thomas Aquinas Newman Center at the University of New Mexico. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe Baca Orona and Maria Melinda Orona of La Constancia; and his brother, Tony Orona of Albuquerque. In 1962, he joined Peace Corps Colombia III and was assigned to work in Community Development in Bogota, Colombia, as well as the Laubach Literacy Foundation throughout the country. In 1968, he received a BA in Latin American Affairs at the University of New Mexico. Upon return from the Peace Corps Service, he married his beloved wife, Margaret Guinan Orona in De Witt, Iowa on August 22, 1964. They had two daughters, Mary Melinda Orona (1965) and Marie-Jeanne "Shani" Orona (1968). Ernest is survived by his loving brothers and sisters, Margaret (Amarante) Zamora of La Constancia, Tom (Drucilla) Orona, Raymond (Joyce Murdoch) Orona, of Placitas, NM, Lou (Walter) Reed, of Chandler, Arizona, Ana Lourdes (Don) Dean of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Joe Orona and Raece Johnson of Albuquerque. Ernest was a commercial real estate broker and a member of CARNM and the Albuquerque Board of Realtors. For years he was a building contractor, having built the apartment houses La Reine Marguerite, La Contessa and other smaller housing projects. Rosary will be recited on Friday, November 16, 2012 at 6:00 pm at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Tome. Refreshments will be served at the home of Margaret Zamora following the Rosary. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 10:00 am at the Aquinas Newman Center, UNM Campus. Interment will follow at a later date in De Witt, Iowa.