OBITUARY
of
Rudolpho Prudencio Archuleta
(May 18th, 1954 – September 7th, 2023)
St. Joesphs Catholic Church in Folsom, NM will host services on September 22, 2023, starting with a Rosary at 1:30 PM followed by a Mass with internment at nearby St. Josephs Cemetery.
After the previous ceremonies, at approximately 3:00, all are invited to the old Folsom Inn, for a celebration of life. Food will be served. At that time the Obituary will be read. Guests will be encouraged to share their stories about Rudy.
Rudy was born May 18, 1954, and was overtaken by cancer on September 7, 2023.
Rudy was preceded in death by his parents, Candido and Eliza Archuleta.
Rudy is survived by his wife Alicia Susan Archuleta of Des Moines, Son Alexander Archuleta of Trinidad, Grandson David Alexander Archuleta of Florida, Granddaughter Annabella Peace Archuleta of Des Moines. Sister Rebecca Cruz Skutca of Cypress, Texas., Brother Candido Archuleta III and his wife Cindy of Raton New Mexico. Many nephews and nieces and countless cousins.
Rudy grew up on his much-loved historic Archuleta Ranch on the edge of Sierra Grande Mountain and the Crowfoot, just below Johnson Mesa. He Attended Des Moines Public Schools and graduated in 1972.
He attended NMSU and Eastern NM University, where he studied Agriculture and Partying. He was accomplished in both.
Rudy was an avid hunter; he loved the joy of others experiencing the hunt and the camaraderie that hunting provided. He enjoyed the sport of Rodeo, which he participated in at an early age. Unfortunately, he was severely injured in a Bull Riding event which ended his Rodeo career. He remained a big fan of Rodeo and its culture.
Susie Augusto came to Des Moines as an exchange student from Peru, South America. She caught Rudy’s eye and a courtship led to marriage and their family.
Ranch life meant financial hardship, which forced them to leave the ranch life for greener pastures. Rudy became a finish carpenter, usually in shopping malls remodeling or new construction of Dillard stores. The work required him to travel job to job around the southwest. He enjoyed the work, but the demanding schedules and 80-hour weeks trying to meet job deadlines got old fast.
The opportunity arose to go to Peru and work Susie’s family ranch. They were off to the mountains of Northern Peru for an experience of a lifetime. After a few years in Peru, they decided to return to the USA. Rudy found his perfect job with a development company building golf course housing subdivisions in Florida. Usually, the
subdivisions would have 2- 18-hole golf courses intertwined with about 2500 homes.
Rudy was involved in many aspects of the projects but excelled at Project Management.
Over the course of 16 years in Florida, he became indispensable to the company. He also served on several boards inner facing the subdivisions, homeowners, and municipal entities. A group of people working with the development company were hunters. Rudy was invited to join them, and he found himself hunting in Africa for another lifetime experience. In 2008 when the financial market and housing markets crashed, his company of over 200 employees began laying people off as required to remain financially sound. When layoff time came for Rudy, there were only seven employees left to answer the phone. It was time to come home to Sierra Grande Mountain.
Rudy spent the last 15 years at home working on the Des Moines Ranch. He remodeled the original house which has one room over 150 years old. At great difficulty, he built a water system halfway up Sierra Grande Mountain providing livestock water to locations never reached before. His pride and joy, was the restoration of the Old Church, which many decades earlier had been moved from Johnson Mesa to the ranch. The church became Rudy’s office and a mini museum of Western memorabilia, as well as a great place to reminisce over a shot of whiskey.
All will miss his smile and humor.
