Ralph Gilbert Laumbach of Portales, New Mexico
October 23, 1948 – November 12, 2022
Ralph Gilbert Laumbach took his final ride home on November 12, 2022, surrounded by his family, while at home, in Midland, Texas. He and his beautiful wife, Elizabeth Laumbach, resided in Portales New Mexico and were previously in Clayton New Mexico.
SERVICES: Services will be held on Monday, December 5th at Holy Family St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Roy, New Mexico. Rosary will be recited at 10:00 AM and Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 AM with Fr. Chris Martinez as celebrant. Burial will follow in the Laumbach Cemetery South of Roy, New Mexico by Hass Funeral Directors of Clayton, New Mexico.
Ralph Laumbach was born on October 23, 1948, in Roy, New Mexico. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred Laumbach and Eleanor DeHerrera Laumbach. Ralph was born and raised on the family ranch which provided a blueprint for one of the hardest-working men around. His Mother would provide a spiritual foundation of faith and love for the Lord that Ralph reflected and taught his family and friends until the day he was called home. He met the love of his life, Elizabeth, at a flower shop in Springer, NM when Liz was 14 and the two were married just out of high school. After High School, Dad lived with his beloved Aunt Evalyn and Uncle Alfred in Denver, Colorado where he worked for IBM.
Ralph and Liz began their life at the family homestead of La Cinta then Ralph worked as a cowboy for Philmont Ranch.
The couple moved to Clayton, NM to start a family and Ralph took a job for the REA Coop. A few years later, Ralph took a position at PNM as a journeyman electrician. Ralph was later promoted to supervisor and worked at PNM until his retirement. The couple uprooted to retire in Portales, NM to be closer to their children.
Throughout the years, Ralph and Liz served their community and supported their children and friends. Ralph served as the school board president throughout the years in Clayton, NM.
He saw great potential in all children and did his best to help support them.
One of Ralph’s greatest hobbies was watching his children and grandchildren participate in sports. You could always find Ralph at a gym watching basketball games, and he loved spending his Friday nights under the lights.
He went to all the track meets, even the brutally cold and windy ones in Springer. If you know, you know! His hunting, fishing, and camping trips were abundant over the years and shared with his children and grandchildren.
Ralph was never one to shy away from a job. He cut trees and served as a handyman, with his children, on the weekends. If one of his teen children decided to stay out too late on a Friday, you can bet Dad made sure the Saturday morning work would come a little bit earlier and the day a little longer for “character building”.
After his retirement, he worked in a Dairy as a welder and handyman. Ralph taught others with patience and will be remembered for his generosity and ability to teach with profound love. But make no mistake, if it wasn’t “Hell for Stout”, you didn’t do it right and you were going to do it again. His sons-in-law will be the first to tell you that Ralph provided unmatched Fatherly love and guidance during the many house repairs, fence building, and trailer welding- whatever the project- that he gladly took the lead on. One example with his grandkids was the doghouse he built that was the size of one of the tiny houses you see these days. Pop built this monstrosity for Duke, a huge mastiff. All he had were his elementary-aged grandsons to move it off the trailer to the backyard. He engineered a pulley system to get it over the 6ft fence and then used large cedar poles to roll the house across half an acre to the porch. That was Pop. He wasn’t going to wait for the big guys Kory & Floyd to get home from work to help because that would be burning daylight. Nope, we all laugh and refer to it as Pop and his little mayans. Using only what was available to get the job done before the evening came.
Ralph and Elizabeth were members of St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Clayton, NM, and St Helen’s Catholic Church in Portales, NM. Ralph served with the Knights of Columbus while in Clayton, NM. Ralph loved the Lord and taught others to embrace their faith.
Ralph Laumbach is survived by:
Wife: Elizabeth Laumbach of Portales, NM
Son: Rafael and wife Angela Laumbach of Clovis, NM
Daughter: Angel and husband Kory Kirk of Lubbock, TX
Son: Michael and wife Sheri Laumbach of Michigan
Daughter: Amber and husband Floyd White of Midland, Tx
Son: Matthew and wife April Laumbach of Portales, NM
He was able to celebrate life with Grandchildren: Ashleigh Lennox, Braden Laumbach, Kale Kirk, Benjamin Laumbach, Abraham, and Christian Davalos, Kaleb and Elijah White, and Clayton and Josiah Laumbach.
Siblings: Lucille Gonzales, Pedro Laumbach, Rick Laumbach, Elizabeth Trujillo, Rose Monreal, Michael Laumbach Christina Laumbach
