Willie Daniel Lopez

Willie Daniel Lopez, born October 25, 1939, unexpectedly passed away on June 23, 2024. Born in Galisteo, New Mexico, Willie was the third eldest of 12 children to Herman and Angelita Lopez. Willie was preceded in death by his brothers Herman, Manuel, and Jesusito, as well as his sisters Mary, Cruzita, Theresa, and Consuelo. His remaining brother, Tony, and sisters Sylvia, Alice, and Erma will miss him greatly. Willie leaves behind his beloved wife of 67 years, Olivia; their three children, Dennis (Kathy), Denise, and Eddie (Carrie); his 12 grandchildren Brandon (Melissa), Paul (Danielle), Christopher, Niccollo, Lauren (Michael), Loren (Christoper), Cristianna (James), Kalani, Olivia (Jadan), Rachel (Travis), Willie, and Valentino. He also had eight great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, other family members, and friends who will miss him dearly. Willie was baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness in the early 1960s and faithfully served God’s will. Willie firmly believed in Jehovah’s promise of an everlasting life on a paradise earth and shared his beliefs with as many as he could. Willie reflected his teachings as a Jehovah’s Witness in his devotion to his family and friends and his patient and compassionate demeanor. Throughout his life, Willie held many jobs and pursued various careers. In the early days, he worked the fields across Southern Colorado with his parents and siblings. As a teenager, Willie found his way to California, where he laid train tracks for the Santa Fe Railroad, among other jobs. Upon returning to Colorado, while working as a truck driver, Willie drove the interstates, learning the fastest routes throughout the American Southwest. Willie always had fond memories of these interstates of his youth and always sought to return to traveling them with his family and friends. Willie also worked for and with lifelong friends, the Jim and Dennis Cardinal family, in auto body shops throughout Pueblo in the 1960s, further fueling his lifelong love for classic cars. Later, Willie started and ran a successful family janitorial business, with the help of his brother Herman, that serviced numerous department stores across Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Finally, in the years before retirement, Willie helped run a pair of family-owned full-service car washes in Pueblo, Colorado. Family was the cornerstone of Willie's life, and he cherished every moment spent with his loved ones. Willie’s wife and children have fond memories of their days vacationing and road-tripping across the country in RVs he built from the ground up. The grandchildren have special memories of being picked up and going to his favorite morning stop, Daylight Donuts on 6th street in Pueblo, stopping at truck stops during the many road trips to buy moon pies and his favorite road trip snack (a bottle of Coca-Cola with peanuts added), meeting Willie’s large family at various family events, helping him push his project cars around his yard, and going to all his favorite car shows with him. Willie’s passion for cars was renowned. While he appreciated all things automotive, he was especially fond of vehicles made before 1960, often remarking, “They don’t build them like they used to.” Willie was an old-school hot rodder through and through. You could point at an old car, and Willie could tell you the year, make, and model, whether the engine was original to the car, or what modifications had been made to make the car qualify as a custom. He always had projects he was working on and loved discussing and planning the work that needed to be done on those cars. His projects often spanned years, if not decades, showing that his love for classic cars was a lifestyle. If you’ve lived in Pueblo at any point in the last 60 years, you’ve quite possibly seen him cruising around town in his cars. “They were made to be driven,” he would say, and he lived by these words, often driving his big yellow 1929 Ford school bus, better known as the Bedrock School Bus, for his daily routine errands such as getting his morning coffee and donuts. Willie always greeted every wave, smile, thumbs up, or picture taken with a smile from him and an AWOOOGA from his horn. For those special friends and spiritual brothers, we, as his family, recall in Willie’s life: Norbert Archuletta, Richard Robling, and Frank Madril. Those of us remaining in Willie's wake will forever be grateful for the time we have been blessed with such a loving husband, father, grandfather, sibling, relative, and friend. Willie Daniel Lopez, we love you.

Willie Daniel Lopez

October 25, 1939 - June 23, 2024