A.V. Wall

A.V. Wall passed away on December 28, 2021. He was born in La Mesa, Texas, on April 27, 1928, to Ima and M.O. Wall.

He is survived by his sister Imogene, brother Bill, two sons Kirk (Tracy), Kent (Jacque), granddaughters, Grace (Anthony), and Annelise, great grandson Archer and nephews, Dargin, Covey, Brian, Greg, Michael, Cash and their families.

A.V. was a musician.  He learned to sing and play piano by ear in church and in Gospel-singing camps. After serving in the Korean conflict, he attended Eastern New Mexico University and received a B.F.A. in music education and an M.F.A. in voice. During his undergraduate studies he married Barbara Ann Johnson in 1957 and was devoted to her until her passing in 2018. He worked as a choral director and administrator for the Albuquerque Public Schools, directed a number of church choirs, and sang many musicals, operas, and oratorios. He and some friends established Albuquerque Opera Theatre, which is now Opera Southwest, in order to give local singers more opportunities. He also sang in a group called the Company, a musical theatre ensemble that performed locally and toured nationally.

Most notably, A.V. was a hardworking man, who worked in the fields as a small child, made the living for his family for a decade starting at the age of 16, served his country, gave up smoking after 20 years to stay alive for his family, worked a full career as a musician, and devoted his life to loving and taking care of his wife and sons.