SENATE MEMORIAL 113

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Carlos R. Cisneros

A MEMORIAL

HONORING LILY GONZALES FOR HER OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, "Though she be but little, she is fierce!" is a quote from William Shakespeare that aptly described Lily Gonzales, a five-foot tall former Santa Fe police officer and probate judge who died on February 20, 2019 in Santa Fe; and

     WHEREAS, Lily was born on June 20, 1934 in Santa Fe; and

     WHEREAS, Lily's parents were deaf, so Lily learned to sign to communicate with them and never forgot the importance of tight family bonds; and

     WHEREAS, Lily was resourceful and learned to make her own clothes and valued taking care of people; and

     WHEREAS, Lily was a trailblazer when she became a Santa Fe police officer in the early 1960s; and

     WHEREAS, Lily was the first female officer with the Santa Fe police department to make law enforcement a career and was the first woman to retire from the department with about twenty years of service; and

     WHEREAS, Lily was an investigator, a dispatcher and a community liaison with the department, jobs that exposed her to some horrific crime scenes as well as the rewards of interacting with schools and community organizations; and

     WHEREAS, through her long law enforcement career, Lily never had any issues with being small and making arrests; and

     WHEREAS, in 1998, Lily was looking for a new career when a friend mentioned the county probate court judge was about to retire; and

     WHEREAS, Lily entered the race, was elected, and served as probate judge for twelve years; and

     WHEREAS, as a probate judge, Lily officiated at weddings at the Santa Fe county courthouse and even hosted some weddings in her home in the Bellamah neighborhood and at fancy venues; and

     WHEREAS, seeing the complications that often ensued when someone died without a will and the estate had to be probated, Lily always stressed the importance of having a will; and

     WHEREAS, Lily was preceded in death by her sons, John and Leonard C de Baca; and

     WHEREAS, Lily is survived by her husband, Miguel Gonzales; her daughter, Miquela Gonzales; six grandchildren and eleven great-granchildren;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Lily Gonzales be honored for her dedication to New Mexico and her many years of public service in law enforcement and as a probate judge; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the family of Lily Gonzales.

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