John David Trujillo

John David Trujillo

September 9, 1971- August 9, 2021

Please indulge us while we tell you a little bit about our son, brother, uncle, and friend, John David Trujillo. We were not given the opportunity to say our goodbyes on August 9, 2021 and the 49 years we had with him will never be enough. While we will never understand why John was taken from us we attempt to find comfort in the person John was and the way he lived his life.

John was kind, generous, gentle, genuine, dedicated to his family and friends, a wonderful son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend. We all know and remember John for his multi layered sense of humor. From his in-depth intellectual talks with individuals to his enthusiasm for trash TV, his humor was never lacking. John also had a playful, mischievous side which included him and cousin Christopher as preteens taking a canoe for a joy ride without the owner's permission down the El Rito river.

John was born in Long Beach, CA on September 9, 1971 and grew up in El Rito, NM. We all knew that the city life was calling to John and after graduating in 1989 from Mesa Vista High School, John moved to Albuquerque and attended the University of New Mexico where he studied accounting. While attending college John was blessed to have met his lifelong friends who became his family; celebrating birthdays, weddings, successes, and helping him to shoulder his grief after the passing of his dad, Robert. While expanding his friendship circle John remained close to his childhood friends and often reminisced about the “good old days.” John earned his degree in Accounting from UNM’s Anderson School of Business and began his career at Arthur Andersen. John eventually began studying for his Certified Public Accountant Exam, passed, and began to “move up the ladder”. His hard work and sacrifices had paid off.

John was an avid traveler and took great pride in the numerous countries he visited, the lessons he had learned, and the fun he had. John took his first trip to Europe when he was a sophomore in high school. Not many of us can say that we would pack up, travel alone, meet up with a group of strangers, and travel Europe for a month at 15 years of age. This trip was the beginning of John's love for travel. Although John had travelled the world he had always hoped to live in Spain. John made that dream a reality. He lived in Spain for 7 months before returning home to Albuquerque, his family, and his job at PNM.

While busy building his career with his second family at PNM, John never shied away from doting on his nieces and nephews, his parents, and his sisters. John could often be found planning a surprise trip to LA, NYC, or Vegas to take his family to a concert and a long weekend getaway where he spoiled us. It wasn’t just his family and friends that John looked after, he gave to those in need, never wanting any recognition or thanks. He gave because he could and it was the right thing to do. John volunteered with the Girl Scouts of New Mexico and served on their board, something he was very proud of. As an employee of PNM for 17 years, John served as the Chief Auditor. He made lifelong friends at PNM and cared for his employees deeply. While John was caring and compassionate with all people, it was his family and friends that were at the receiving end most often. We joked that if there was something John had that we liked, it was not wise to say so because that was all it took for him to turn it over to whomever commented. He took great pleasure in taking care of his mom and dad. He made sure that his dad had the best care possible and that his mom was comfortable and well taken care of while learning to adjust to life without his dad. He was his nieces and nephews biggest cheerleader, always supporting them and providing unconditional love. It was Uncle that they often called when they needed an ear, advice, or just a kind word. All of his nieces and nephews fought over who Uncle loved the most. While our world darkened on August 9, 2021 our love for our John will shine brightly forever. We will work to live the life he lived, be the people he would want us to be, and remind him every day how much he is loved and missed.

John was greeted with a big embrace from his dad Robert who was taken from us 8 ½ short months before John and our hope is that they will guide us through life providing the care, comfort, and protection that they did while they were here. John left behind countless friends, family, 7 nieces and nephews- Sandra, Alicia, Nicholas, Christopher, Loryn (Bunny), Carrie, and Casey, 3 great nieces and nephews- Isabella, Allie, and Ryder, his sisters Aniesa and Anna, his brothers in law Fred and Lorenzo whom he loved and loved him, and his greatest love, his mom, Gloria.

Our family asks that every so often you just say hello to him to let him know that he is not forgotten. We thank you for the kindness and goodness that you have extended to our family and appreciate the kind words you have shared about John. He truly was a gift.

Services for John will be at 10:00 am, Wednesday, September 8, 2021 at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, 5712 Paradise, Albuquerque, NM.