Marcelino "Max" Vega

Marcelino “Max” Vega died peacefully in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Thursday, September 26, 2019. At age was 90. Born in the coal mining town of Dawson, New Mexico, his parents, Reyes and Rita later relocated to the La Cueva/Mora, NM area. He grew up exploring the verdant meadows, water mills and farms with his siblings Antonio, Roberto, Luis and Salvador. He joined the US Air Force before graduating from high school.  He reported to Roswell, NM, received teletype training in Langley, Virginia and reported to San Francisco. Athletic and outgoing, he played baseball on military teams, traveled by ship to Hawaii (Oahu), the Panama Canal, Japan (Tokyo), England (South Hampton Port), and Germany (Celle).  He participated in The Berlin Airlift (1948-49) as a teletype supervisor in communications in  occupied Celle, Germany, a former Nazi (Luftwaffe) training air base.  He received an honorable discharge as a sergeant. After his service, he attended Highlands University and worked for the Las Vegas Optic newspaper. He married Conferina Padilla in 1952, began to have a family and accepted a job at Los Alamos Labs. He later obtained a teaching certificate.  He developed an interest in accounting and graduated from Saint Michael’s College in Santa Fe with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration on May 29, 1957.

He spent his career as an Internal Revenue Agent in Santa Fe before accepting a promotion in Albuquerque. He divorced in 1965 and remarried Emma Contreras in 1969. Upon retirement for thirty years of service, he opened his own small business as an accountant, continued to play on senior baseball leagues and enjoyed nature and gardening. Marcelino also volunteered as treasurer of the American Legion Post 99. He maintained a love for beautiful fast cars, racked up speeding tickets and loved road trips to visit his relatives in California. He loved hot green chile and New Mexican food.  He is survived by his brother Luis, his children Max Paul (wife Bernadine), Nancy, Rita Maxine (husband Adrian) and his grandchildren Leonard, Amanda, Amalia, Juan Rangel and Luz Andrea. His great grandchildren are Estevon, Kobe and Bryant. He hopes to reunite with his son David who passed in 1983. Marcelino lived a full life and loved people.