Robert Ruiz-Esparza

Robert Ruiz-Esparza, 97, passed away in his home surrounded by family on September 18, 2022. He was born in 1924 in Barelas in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Petra & Jesús Ruiz-Esparza. He grew up with older sisters Lupe & Bernie, and later his brother Manuel and sister, Martha. He was the loving husband of Isabel, his wife of 63 years, who passed in 2018. He is the father of Christina, Andrea, Amanda, and Rob.

During the Depression his parents moved the family to Bernalillo in Las Cocinitas. WWII started. In '43, Robert enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served as a gunner on B-17s, stationed all over the country, achieving the rank of S. Sgt.

After the war and discharged from the military, Robert returned to Bernalillo. He credits the GI Bill for the means and his brother-in-law, Elias Telles, for the inspiration to pursue a career in education at UNM.

Between 1950-1958, he earned his BA and MA. He was hired to teach and coach at Bernalillo HS, later becoming Principal. 1954, he and Isabel met at the Fiestas in Santa Fe. They married the following year. His hard work took them to Albuquerque where he taught, coached, and was promoted to principal. By the mid '60s he was in Santa Fe working as the Dir. of Secondary Education, which had him traveling all over New Mexico.

1968, UNM through USAID hired him as a curriculum specialist serving in Bogotá, Colombia assisting their Ministry of Education. 1970, he returned to Albuquerque to teach at UNM's Dept. of Education. 1972, he accepted a job working for UNESCO in Quito, Ecuador on various secondary education projects.

Robert & Isabel loved living in Latin America. They were bilingual in Spanish and English. They had always loved trips to Mexico. In Colombia & Ecuador, they traveled all over. Great ambassadors of the USA, they presented how diverse we are. They often had great parties to entertain both their American and Colombian or Ecuadorian friends. They also soaked up the cultures.

In 1974, the family moved back to Albuquerque. He taught Education at UNM for another year. In 1975, New Mexico Dept. of Education hired him as Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Santa Fe.

1979, the World Bank in Washington, D.C. hired him as Educator & Project Officer for Latin America & the Caribbean. He led and participated in project development missions to Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Belize, Brazil, Uruguay, Nicaragua, & Panama.

He and Isabel loved Virginia and life around the East Coast. They took advantage of the area to enjoy the cultural opportunities like the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center. They visited Civil War sites. They traveled to Pennsylvania to see the Amish. They went to New York City, Boston, and Atlantic City. They enjoyed the beaches, leaf peeping in the fall, & touring azaleas blooming.

Robert's last work with the World Bank before he retired was as a consultant in education project development that took him back to Honduras, Guatemala, & Colombia. He also had an unusual opportunity in that role to go to Jordan.

He and Isabel retired in Albuquerque. While they still could, they enjoyed being involved in a group that celebrated the Latin mass. They traveled. They had fun going to Las Vegas.

He was a music lover, particularly classical music - especially classical and flamenco guitar. He and Isabel reveled in the memory of seeing Louis Armstrong at Tingley Coliseum in 1963. He listened to "Live from the Met", and attended a few live performances at Santa Fe Opera and Opera Southwest.

Robert loved to read mostly history and usually about the Civil War or WWII. He loved Patrick O'Brien's novels. He also read and listened to lectures on philosophy. The Economist and the NY Review of Books were his favorite periodicals. He always read newspapers wherever he lived or traveled and the news every evening.

His love of animals was constant. He had dogs. He raised pigeons. Later he raised finches. He put seed out for all kinds of wild birds and prepared nectar for hummingbirds coming to his yard. The occasional visits by woodpeckers and roadrunners added to his joy. At the end, he was comforted by his son's dog, Magpie.

Robert is survived by his children. They miss him. Their gratitude and love are infinite.

He will be interred at a private ceremony at the Santa Fe New Mexico National Cemetery. Robert and Isabel will be together again forever. There will be a memorial service October 3 at 2PM at FRENCH-Wyoming in Albuquerque.