Mary Diane Gallegos

Gallegos, Mary D
Mary Diane (Lopez) Gallegos, was born on March 25, 1959, in Springer, NM to the proud parents of Tom and Mary Frances Lopez. Mary Diane was the eldest daughter of 5 children.  She is survived by her Father, Tom Lopez, her two sons Santiago (Jimmy) Gallegos III and Thomas Gallegos; one grandson, Lucius Chewiwi. Her siblings: brothers Pete Lopez Sr., Jimmy Lopez, sisters Elma Lopez and Mary Helen Schmidt.  She also had other brothers and sisters by marriage; Tina Lopez and Kathleen Lopez and Paul Schmidt. She is preceded in death by her mother Mary Frances Lopez. Mary Diane attended Highland High School and graduated in 1977. Mary Diane’s career started just as computer technology started to boom.  She got a job and began working as a data entry operator, in the early 80’s to the mid 90’s.  She has held valuable positions at Honeywell and Sunsoft Corporation. She then moved on and started working for Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court as a clerk until her health no longer allowed her to work.  Mary Diane was married in 1981 to Santiago (Jim) Gallegos Jr., for 24 years and they went their separate ways in 2005.  During that time, Mary Diane had two amazing sons; Santiago “Jimmy” Gallegos III and Thomas Gallegos, who she referred to as her loves.  Mary Diane was a big collector of shoes, watches and clothing. She cherished and kept every item that her sons, nieces, nephews made for her, from cards and notes to gifts and trinkets.  She loved to dance and tried to do this often.  In the late 90’s she was involved in old west reenactments, where she could dress up and portray different historic characters.  Her other hobbies include fishing, sewing and embroidering.  She was very generous about sharing her beautiful work. Mary Diane has made keepsake blankets for each of her children, nieces and nephews as well as other beautiful items such as personalized Christmas stockings.
In September 2013, Mary Diane suffered a heart attack but her strong will helped her to recover and continue with her beautiful life. It would be a year later that she would be diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer and undergo treatment.  Mary Diane battled the cancer and underwent aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatments that left her very sick and incapacitated.  In October of 2014, she decided not to continue with treatment; once again her strong will and determination allowed her to recover and enjoy her life.  On October 7, 2015, she could no longer fight the disease, and was called home to our Lord. Her strong will, loving heart, and beautiful spirit will be missed by family and friends; she brought joy and happiness to everyone she met. Services will be held on Friday, October 16, at 10:00 am, at Charity Baptist Church 5501 Obregon Road NE, Rio Rancho, NM. Meal to follow, Burial will be held at 1:00 pm at Fairview Cemetery.  
In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to the American Cancer Society, In Honor of Mary Diane Gallegos. To view information or leave a condolence please visit www.danielsfuneral.com  
Daniels Family Funeral Services
3113 Carlisle Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
505-884-1188