Larry Ray Joseph Romero

On Sunday, June 25, 2023, retired Los Alamos Firefighter, Larry Ray Joseph Romero, 54, of Albuquerque, NM, passed away peacefully at home with his beloved wife, children and parents by his side after a 2 ½ year battle with cancer. Larry and the love of his life, Melissa married in June of 1991 and resided in Los Alamos and White Rock for more than 20 years. They had two amazing children, Christopher and Miranda. In 1990, Larry began his journey of serving others with a career in the Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD). This enabled him to pursue his dream of helping others with determination and enthusiasm. Larry worked his way through the ranks of the fire department to serve for many years as a Lieutenant, known fondly as just "LT". Larry was responsible for many different roles within the department, but his favorite was teaching younger generations of firefighters in the LAFD training department. He found deep gratifying joy in his work as a first responder and was dedicated to making a positive impact in his field, instructing his fellow first responders in Rope Rescue, Confined Space and Hazmat Safety, as well as serving as an instructor down in Socorro at the state's Fire Training Academy. Larry's unwavering commitment to his profession and brother firefighters was evident to all who knew him. In 2012, Larry retired from the Los Alamos Fire Department and moved his family to Rio Rancho and eventually to Albuquerque to start a new chapter in their lives. In 2013, Larry and Melissa started serving at Sagebrush
Church. Together, they played an integral part in the Guest Service ministry, helped heal broken marriages in the church's marriage ministry (Re-engage) and eventually started mentoring other Small Group leaders. Together, Larry and Melissa lived their lives in the service of God. Larry began his second career with International Protective Service, Inc. (IPS) and IPS Tactical in Albuquerque in 2018. He was a dedicated and active employee, helping the company in the Uniforms and Tactical Store, overseeing the company's Fleet Division and working on special projects with the Logistics Team. Larry made a lasting impression, constantly loving on his IPS family and priding himself on working for "the best of the best" in the security and investigations business.
Despite the challenges he faced in recent years, Larry approached life with unwavering courage, altruistic humility, and a positive spirit, always serving others in various capacities. Larry will be remembered for his deep and genuine love he held for his family and those around him. Larry is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Melissa Romero; his son, Christopher Romero; his daughter and son-in-law, Miranda and Brandon Medina; his beautiful granddaughter, Autumn Medina; along with his parents, Edward and Maria Romero; his brother, Marcos Romero (Heather) his father-in-law Levi Valencia; and his brother-in- laws James Valencia (Becky) and Matthew Valencia (Lisa); along with numerous nephews and nieces that loved him dearly. Larry always held all his friends from LAFD, Sagebrush, and IPS close to his heart. You'd often find him entertaining people in his orbit or helping them with anything or favor anyone asked of him. Larry's support and presence always brought comfort and joy to those who had the privilege of knowing him. A Celebration of Larry's Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, July 7, 2023 at Sagebrush Community Church located at 6440 Coors Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120. It will be a time to honor his memory and share stories of his remarkable life. We invite all who knew Larry to join us in paying tribute to a truly remarkable individual. Larry Romero will forever be remembered as a beacon of God's light and a source of inspiration. His positive outlook, service for others, and resilience will continue to live on in the hearts of those whose lives he touched. May he rest in God's eternal peace.