Eddie Roybal left us to be with our lord and savior on October 4, 2017 surrounded by his loving family at the San Luis Care Center.  Eddie was born on April 24, 1941 to Juan B. Roybal and Clorinda Lobato Roybal on the family farm in Blanca, Colorado.  He lived his life in the foreshadow of our majestic Mount Blanca in Blanca, Colorado.  Eddie married Margaret Gallegos Roybal on October 6, 1962 and the couple would have celebrated 55 years of marriage.   Together they raised three children Roberta Minchaca of Blanca, Colorado; Eddie Jon Roybal (Tiffany Weaver) of Pueblo West, Colorado; and Walter Roybal (Emma Valdez) of Fort Garland, Colorado.  Ed loved his grandchildren Dariana Roybal, Lukadio Quintana, Chelsea Roybal, Randy Roybal, Nathan Roybal, Sofia Minchaca, and Anikah Roybal.  He recently welcomed the birth of his great granddaughter Miyani Woods.  

Eddie grew up on the family farm in Blanca, Colorado where he established his strong work ethic.  Eddie worked for local farms as a young man, owned a transportation business, worked as a mechanic at Blanca Equipment and as a small engine mechanic and floor salesman at H&R.  He worked 26 years for Wright Valley Oil delivering fuel in Costilla County and Northern New Mexico and loved visiting with and telling jokes to his customers.  After retirement from Wright Valley Oil, Eddie went on to serve as Costilla County Commissioner for a 4-year term.  He believed in community service and served several years as a Town of Blanca Trustee and on the Blanca Fire Department.  Eddie loved to work on cars, hunt, fish, gather wood and spend time with his family and friends.  He adored his nieces, nephews and grandchildren and he and his wife Margaret opened their home to all who came to visit.

Eddie is preceded in death by his mother Clorinda, father Juan, sisters Eloisa, Emma and Madeline, and his brother John.  He is survived by his siblings Ernesto (Aurora) Roybal of Pueblo, Orlando Roybal of Blanca, Dr. Evangeline Sena (Val) of Golden, Gloria Covarrubias (Phil) of Westminster, and his sister-in-law Marcella Roybal of Blanca.  

A rosary service will be held at the Holy Family Church in Fort Garland at 6:00 PM on Sunday, October 8th.  Funeral mass will be held at the Holy Family Church at 1:00 PM on Monday, October 9th with burial at the Blanca/Fort Garland Community Cemetery to follow.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in the name of Eddie Roybal to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org/donate.asp. The care of arrangements have been entrusted to Romero Funeral Home of Alamosa.