Filimon (Phil) Aguilar

Filimon (Phil) Aguilar, age 91, passed away in the comfort of his home on Sunday, October 30, 2022. Filimon was born on October 11, 1931, in Waldo, NM to Filimeno Aguilar and Bernardita Roybal Aguilar. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather (Papo), great-grandfather, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and uncle.

Filimon graduated from the Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Schools in Bernalillo, NM, where he learned to play the saxophone and played in a dance band.
He served his country in the United States Navy as a Radio Communications Operator on the USS Silverstein and is a Korean War veteran. He met Alice (Alicia) Crespin at a baseball game and they were married in March 1953, in Bernalillo, NM. Together they had 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.

Filimon embarked on a long career in the beauty/cosmetology industry as a Hair Stylist and ran his own salon for many years. He won numerous awards for the styles he created using his beautiful wife as his model. After he retired Filimon continued to utilize his creative skills and became a Master Santero. His carvings (also known as Bultos/Santos) of Catholic Saints and images became extremely sought after and he was a regular at the Santa Fe Spanish Market for over a decade. His Bultos are in museums, churches, and the homes of collectors all over the world. His "San Lorenzo" was gifted to The Santuario de San Lorenzo in Bernalillo, NM. Each year the Santo is paraded around the streets of Bernalillo during the annual Las Fiestas de San Lorenzo. Filimon won numerous awards for his Bultos. In 1997, he won first place at the New Mexico State Fair for his "Baptism" and in 1999, he won the prestigious Spanish Market Poster Award with his "Santa Librada".

Filimon was a lifelong learner and a lover of knowledge. He regularly read the dictionary and encyclopedias for fun. He used to joke that he would always get in trouble at school because by the 4th grade he knew more than the Franciscan Brothers teaching his class. He was an expert storyteller, he always had a story or tale to entertain with, and up until his last few weeks on earth, he was still regaling his family with his stories. He loved to pass on his knowledge; his knowledge was endless. His family often called him to answer questions because if nobody else knew "Papo" would, he was the family lifeline. He loved to tell jokes, play magic tricks, and solve puzzles, he solved the crosswords from the newspaper every day. He loved to grow veggies in his garden and would diligently take care of his plants and the many turtles that called his garden home.

Filimon was preceded in death by his parents, Filimeno and Bernardita; his brothers and sisters, Molly, Paul, Rita, Mary, Tony, Ray, Eddie, Jennie, and Leroy; and his granddaughter, Jacklynn.

Filimon is survived by his wife, Alice of almost 70 years; his 4 children, Ronald (Cristal), Lorrie (Tim), Cindi (Andy), and Karla (Larry); his 10 grandchildren, Nickole (Lawrence), Filimon (Ashley), Christina (Mike), Lorenzo (Nicki), Jason (Stanton), Mark (Lauren), Audra (Brian), Jessyka (Steven), Marissa, and Jarred (Shelly); and his 20 great-grandchildren, Isabella, Lauren, Marcos, Lilian, Aubriee, Knox, Elijah, Viviana, Sophia, Landen, Finley, Lorenzo, Ezra, Adam, Aliyah, Ezekiel, Wyatt, Sloane, Reyah, and Avery.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Vanessa, Filimon's caregiver.

A Catholic Funeral Mass will be held Saturday, December 3, 2022, at 11:00 a.m., Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church 301 S. Camino Del Pueblo, Bernalillo, NM 87004. Interment will be held at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital; http://www.stjude.org to donate to donate.