Charles Villa Obituary – (2021) – Albuquerque, NM

Charles (Charley) Juliana Villa

Charles (Charley) Juliana Villa, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, businessman, mentor and pal died Wednesday, February 17, 2021. He was born in Madrid, New Mexico on Thursday, January 8, 1931, to Charlie Villa and Edith (Edye) Juliana Villa. His father, who experienced immigrated from Strombino, Italy, was the foreman of the Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Firm Mine, and his mom was a homemaker, acquiring specified up her career as a schoolteacher soon after marrying. In 1935, next the untimely demise of her husband, Edye moved her modest household to Albuquerque. Widowed, with two compact boys, she labored really hard, and revenue was always scarce.

Charley began elementary school at Lew Wallace. In the fifth quality, he enrolled at St. Mary’s, graduating from superior school in 1949. Although at St. Mary’s, he played basketball and baseball (and a bit of tennis when he could borrow a racket) for famous Coach Babe Parenti, and together with many proficient athletes and superior humans who remained his lifelong close friends. A normal athlete, he liked to say he “loved some results” and he definitely did. Most memorably for the duration of his university days, he satisfied Shirley Eggert. Even though there is some discussion about when they to start with met, their initial date was Thursday, November 25, 1948, a day they celebrated collectively for 72 yrs. From that day forward, his story grew to become their tale.

Charley attended college or university at St. Joseph’s, where he once more played basketball and baseball, graduating in 1954, Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Enterprise Administration: Accounting and Economics. He worked his way via university on the Santa Fe Railroad, one of the previous firemen hired to do the job the coal-fired steam engines. It was difficult, loud, physical operate, with shifts that typically lasted by means of the night. And whilst his hearing was permanently diminished, and his abdomen by no means completely recovered from the wide quantities of coffee he drank, he attained more than enough money to pay out his tuition and buy an engagement ring. He and Shirley married Saturday, July 9, 1955.

They expended their to start with two married years in Kitzengen, Germany, in which Charley was stationed with the Initial Infantry, an accountant maintaining track of petroleum, oil and lubricants for the Seventh Military. Shirley labored as a civilian personnel in Unique Solutions, where one of her work opportunities was to cut the checks for the entertainers who done for the troops. They travelled in the course of Europe at every single option and relished a genuine journey.

Returning residence, Charley took a work with the New Mexico Condition Oil and Gas Fee. As the assistant to the Government Director, he labored directly with oil corporations working in just the state and served to set up reporting methods to guarantee assortment of all oil and gasoline royalties. In 1960, he still left that work and with the obtain of Bruno’s Liquors, understood his lifelong desire of running his have business enterprise. Generally a team, he and Shirley worked in the liquor retail outlet each individual day. In 1964, he modified the title to Cee Vee Liquors, included a compact grocery retailer, and eventually put in the initial self-support gas pumps in Albuquerque, irrespective of Shirley’s solid conviction that gals would not be inclined to pump gas. The point that the incredibly to start with customer was a lady grew to become a single of the most generally-instructed relatives business stories, and a supply of very good-natured teasing about her capability to forecast client conduct. A riot in the summer season of 1971 despatched the small business in a new way when the store was wrecked by fireplace.

In 1972, Cee Vee Liquors was awarded the food items and liquor concession agreement at the New Mexico State Reasonable and Cee Vee Concessions was born. For 22 many years, Cee Vee provided concession services through the Truthful and 12 months-round the Fairgrounds. From 1982 to 1988, Cee Vee operated the concession agreement at the University of New Mexico, servicing the Pit and the football stadium. On one particular November working day in 1985, with gatherings at a number of venues, Cee Vee furnished concession services to 75,000 people. The scope of the procedure was huge.

In 1974, Charley and Shirley opened High Midday Saloon in Outdated City. Born of Charley’s enjoy of Previous City and the requirement of relocating the liquor license that survived the hearth, High Midday went on to turn out to be the most enduring and recognizable of his business ventures and a beloved piece of Albuquerque history. To this working day, it demonstrates his hospitality and his focus to element, with a nod to his hometown hanging proudly powering the bar.

When he was not performing, he was a fantastic sports fan, with a individual adore of university basketball. A lifelong period ticketholder at UNM, he selected his seats when the Pit was just a gap in the floor. The years doing the job at the College forged potent friendships with many of the coaching workers and players, and he cherished and cultivated people friendships about years and across miles. His favourite trip was to the NCAA Final 4, and he took his family members, and lots of good friends to the event for 15 a long time. It was a bonus that the coaches held their conference at the Last Four, so he received to delight in good video games and a reunion of mates.

By means of the years, he served on a number of boards and committees, which includes the Mayor’s Host committee for the NCAA Finals, The New Mexico Constitutional Convention Study Committee, Albuquerque Conference and Visitor’s Bureau, Old City Assets Owner’s Affiliation, the Sussman-Miller Education Fund and the New Mexico Retail Liquor Dealers Affiliation.

A lifelong Catholic, Charley and Shirley were being lively customers of St Charles Borromeo parish for many years, exactly where Charley served on the parish council and various other committees. He was the lector at the 8:30 am mass for many decades. He also was a member of the St. Pius X College Board, and served as chairman of Challenge Pius, a profitable cash marketing campaign push.

He was identified and form, straightforward and funny. He cherished his family members and made specific that they understood it. He cherished New Mexico dearly, Albuquerque and Madrid exclusively. He was genuinely hospitable, which manufactured food stuff and beverage a excellent in good shape for him skillfully. His curiosity was limitless and his means to get and kind details was equivalent to his curiosity. He received extra completed in 24 several hours than appears to be humanly possible, and nonetheless he was always offered to help anybody who was in want. He leaves this earth greater for his obtaining been below, and significantly less for his leaving. In an posting printed Friday, May possibly 31, 1935, in the Santa Fe New Mexican created about the passing of his father was this quote: “his death is a severe reduction to his fellow citizens.” Genuine also, about his son.

Charley is survived by his wife of 65 several years, Shirley E Villa, his daughter Carla (Mike Bickel) Villa, and grandchildren Charley Bickel and Edie Bickel, his brother, Joe (Virginia Stanley) Villa and nieces Adrienne (Jon) Beyeler, Melodee (Phil) Witt, Carole (Danny) Sullivan, Shirley Sandlin, and nephew, Dan (Julie) Sandlin, and a lot of relations and mates. Donations could be created to the Carmelite Monastery, 49 Mt. Carmel Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505, Roadrunner Foodstuff Financial institution, 5840 Place of work Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 or to the charity of your alternative. The household would like to lengthen their deepest gratitude for the excellent and compassionate care that was presented by Dr. Suzanne Piñon.

Mass of the Resurrection will be reported Monday, March 1, 2021, 10:00 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 619 Copper Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM, with Father Juan Mendez officiating. Pallbearers will be Mike Bickel, Jon Beyeler, Edie Bickel, Daniel Sandlin, David Stafford, and Kevin Valenzuela. Please go to our on-line guestbook for Charles at www.FrenchFunerals.com.