Lucy Jaramillo turns 100

Five generations attended the 100th birthday party for Lucy Jaramillo on Jan. 28 at the Our Lady of the Guadalupe Church parish hall in Conejos. Photo by Diane Drekmann

CONEJOS — Jan. 28 was a special day — Lucy Jaramillo of Conejos turned 100 years old. She still lives on her family farm, Jaramillo Vista Ranch.

The parish hall at Our Lady of the Guadalupe Church in Conejos was filled with five generations to celebrate the milestone. Relatives came from New Jersey, Florida, New Mexico, Georgia, and Colorado to celebrate Miss Lucy's life.

Jaramillo's children were there with their families — Virginia Lujan, Roberta Pacheco, Theresa Jaramillo, Lisa Atencio, and David Jaramillo. Son Tony was unable to attend. Miss Lucy's husband Ray, and sons Edward and Juan preceded her in death but were there in the stories shared by the families.

Music has always been a big part of her life. She plays guitar, accordion, piano and harmonica and is a member of Our Lady of the Guadalupe Church choir. She also is a member of the Christian Mothers, SPMDTU, the American Legion, and the Knights of Columbus.

Jaramillo's music is recognized nationally. In 2020, Lucy Jaramillo received the Hilos Culturales lifetime music award, Premio Hilos Culturales. She wrote two songs that are in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

Her music recordings are in the archive collections of the International Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, N.M., the J.D. Robb Center for Southwest Research, and the special collections at the University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library.