Obituaries for March 16

Acencion Rubio

Services: 10 a.m. Friday, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Clovis.

Acencion Rubio, 93 a longtime Clovis resident, died Tuesday, March 14, 2006, at his home.

Born Oct. 30, 1912, in Santa Rosa, to Julio Rubio and the former Josefita Montano, he was raised in Santa Rosa. He married Eufelia Lucero in Santa Rosa on Sept. 24, 1932.

He served in the U.S. Navy as a seaman second class. He was honorably discharged on Oct. 14, 1945.

He and his wife moved to Clovis in 1944. A carpenter, he was employed with the Clovis Municipal Schools maintenance department.

He was a member of American Legion Post 25 in Clovis and Knights of Columbus Council 3205, a Fourth Degree Knight, a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church where he served as a Minister of the Eucharist and on the Church Food Committee. His family said he loved to hunt and fish.

He was preceded in death by his children Erma, Gene, Guadalupe Lopez and Erma Guerra.

He is survived by his wife; five sons, Antonio A. Rubio (and wife, Lucy), Julio Rubio (Esther), Alfredo Rubio (Gloria) and Eddie Rubio (Viola), all of Clovis, and Alberto Rubio (Christine) of Portales; a grandson raised as a son, Mark Rubio (Frances) of Clovis; three daughters, Cleo Duran, Clara Gonzales (Reyes) and Marina Sullivan (Jeremy), all of Clovis; a granddaughter raised as a daughter, Carolyn Rubio of Clovis; 47 grandchildren, 105 great-grandchildren and 67 great-great-grandchildren.

Frank, Mark, Stephen Acencion, Arturo and Julio Anthony Rubio, Francis Duran, Reyes M. Gonzales and Daniel Saiz will serve as pallbearers.

Honorary pallbearers will include Jeremy Sullivan, Thomas Bodine, Lalo Montano and his grandchildren.

The rosary will be said tonight at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.

Father Sotero A. Sena will officiate services. Burial will follow at 3 p.m. at St. Joseph Cemetery in Santa Rosa.

Arrangements are by Chavez Funeral Home, Santa Rosa.

Melvin Carrol Fitzgerald

Services: 2 p.m. Friday at Kingswood United Methodist Church, Clovis.

Melvin Carrol Fitzgerald, 81, of Clovis, died Tuesday, March 14, 2006, in Clovis.

Born Aug. 21, 1924, in Tokio, Texas, to John E. and Dillie Smith Fitzgerald, he grew up on a ranch near Plains, Texas. He graduated from Plains High School and attended Texas Tech College. He married Bettie Kathleen Starnes on April 25, 1943, in Tokio.

He joined the Army, and served with the 1279th Engineers in the Philippines and in Japan during the occupation following World War II. He farmed and ranched for several years near Plains. He worked for Clovis Production Credit Association for 20 years, retiring as president in 1984.

He was a member of Kingswood United Methodist Church. Family members said he loved his church, his family and his country, and his wife was the love of his life.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Johnnie; a nephew, Mike Loe, and a great-niece, Haley Helms.

He is survived by his wife; his son, Vic Carrol Fitzgerald (and wife, Kathie) of Zellwood, Fla.; his daughter, Sherri Kathleen Shipman (Garry) of Muleshoe, Texas; three sisters, Winnell Loe (Bob) of Canyon, Texas, Martha Palmer (Jack) of Plains and Linda Huddleston (Cordell) of Canyon, Texas; nine grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Melba Fitzgerald of Plains, and numerous nieces and nephews

The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Brad Reeves, Mark Scott and Rev. Ross Dunn will officiate services. Burial will be at 11 a.m. (CST) Saturday at Plains Cemetery.

Grandsons and grandsons-in-law Kent Reynolds, Sean, Tim and Todd Shipman, Steve and David Fitzgerald, Lance Coers and Jon Register will serve as pallbearers.

Memorial donations may be made to Kingswood United Methodist Church Memorial Fund.

Arrangements are by Steed-Todd Funeral Home, Clovis.