Thomas “Tommy” Gutierrez Salas January 16, 1948 ~ November 27, 2020 (age 72)

Obituary

Funeral services for Tommy Salas, 72, of Portales will held at 2:00 PM, Fri., Dec. 4, 2020 at the Portales Church of God with Pastor Don Hay officiating.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Adam Pacheco, Steve Salas, Douglas Lucero, Shane Shallenberger, Treston Shallenberger, Joel Lucero, Jasmine Diaz and Sonya Montoya serving as pallbearers.  His great-grandchildren and all of his nieces and nephews will be honorary pallbearers.

Thomas Gutierrez Salas, known to family and friends as “Tommy,” was born Jan. 16, 1948 in Hatch, NM to the home of Inez (Gutierrez) and Samuel Salas, and died Nov. 27, 2020 in Albuquerque, NM.  The Salas family moved to the Arch community when he was 10 years old.  Tommy had to quit school after the 10th grade to work to help support his family.  On July 15, 1965 in Portales, he was married to Dolly Pacheco.  Tommy worked at Selected Casings in Portales until 1976.  He joined the National Guard in 1972.  When he left the Casings plant, he went to work in the oil fields as a surveyor for Halliburton.  Through the years, the company changed names several times.  By the time he retired in 1997, he was a seismographer.  After he left the oil field work, he was employed by Southwest Canners, and later by the City of Portales at the Convenience Center.  His last employment was with Mesa Ingredients, a company associated with Southwest Cheese.  He had been retired since 2004.

Tommy was a faithful Christian, and a member of the First Church of the Nazarene in Portales.  He loved to go fishing, and enjoyed watching television, especially westerns.  His greatest enjoyment was found in spending time with his family.

He is survived by Dolly Salas, his wife of more than 55 years; two daughters and sons-in-law, Kathy and Shane Shallenberger of Rio Rancho, NM and Sandy and Douglas Lucero of Portales; three grandchildren, Jasmine (Daniel) Diaz of Lubbock, TX, Joel (Gennesis) Lucero of Portales and Treston Shallenberger of Rio Rancho, NM; two great-grandchildren, Vianne Diaz and Jace Lucero; a brother, Lucio Salas of Roswell, NM; and three sisters, Emelia Salguero, Cindy Romero and Josie Encinias all of Portales.  He was preceded in death by his parents four brothers, Keim, Mike, Adolfo and Frank Salas, two sisters, Connie Romero and Kathy Grijalva; a son, Timothy Lynn Salas who died in 1968, and a great-grandson, Kalvin Vargas.