Remembering Ernesto Portillo and his favorite town
It has been brought to my attention that some citizens of Patagonia are not aware that my husband, Ernesto Villalobos Portillo, passed away last Nov. 2 in Tucson. He loved our weekend home for more than 30 years, in this quaint little town of Patagonia, so very much. He loved it so much that many years ago he bought burial plots in the cemetery up on the hill that has beautiful sights beyond Patagonia and into México, where he was born. Ernesto served in the Arizona National Guard for seven years and left as a Staff Sergeant E6. Therefore, he was given a military burial. He must have loved to be buried in his favorite Town of Patagonia.
Julieta Bustamante Portillo
Tucson
Pete Robbins: One of a kind
A sad goodbye to Pete and the Robbins family legacy … the Little Outfit Ranch in the San Rafael Valley.
My friendship with Pete extends back many years, and while our interests diverged way back when, I have very fond memories when we had been closer.
From our trip to New Orleans to promote “Alicia Sub” — Pete’s submarine project named for his only daughter —- not long after Katrina clobbered the city; to riding the ranch land with my sons on Pete’s personal armored personnel carrier; to sipping some champagne at the Mountain Oyster Club for my engagement party* (when it was on Stone Ave., waaay back when).
* Luckily for my fiancé, she had enuf time to think things over and decided neither I nor Patagonia would be in her future.
Ahhhh —- the memories … the good, the bad and the ugly, and this, of course, is neither the appropriate time nor place to recount more stories. Enough to say I will miss Pete! He meant a great deal to me. I’m glad that I was able to pass some time with him in Tucson not so very long ago. I was in town working on my East Santa Cruz County docutale project, but I made a point of reconnecting with Pete at his memory-care home, where he was well taken care of. I know that I surprised him when I showed up unannounced. While Alzheimer’s is an extremely cruel disease, Pete and I were still able to spend some quality time —- shared a few chuckles and even a few tears.
Pete is now at peace, joining his folks along with special ranching friends like the Hales of Harshaw, the Sharps of the San Rafael Cattle Co., and more.
Godspeed, Pete!
Brock Fuller
New Mexico
Social Security solution
The health of Social Security is important to the health of everyone in the Patagonia area. We all share in a stable and healthy solution. This problem will have a solution in which we all participate. The balanced solution includes removing the income cap for paying payroll tax. Raise the retirement age. Remove the income ceiling for paying payroll taxes. Adjust up payroll taxpaying immigrant numbers. Raise future benefits. Provide a universal, basic income floor. Make all income subject to payroll taxes. Expand the base for payroll taxation to cover more forms of compensation. The solution is visible and doable. The balance can be set. We all benefit doing it together.
Larry Spears
Sonoita