TRUJILLO, Manuel Albert (Pecos)

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Wednesday, June 11, 2014 Manuel Albert "Pecos" Trujillo went home to the Lord our Savior and to be with his beloved wife on June 6, 2014. Born on Oct. 8, 1914, in Magdalena N.M., Albert was the youngest of six children. He came to live in Prescott, Ariz., at the early age of 5, when his dad went to work driving a mule train for the construction department at Fort Whipple (the Veterans Hospital). Albert grew up in Prescott, attending Washington Elementary, Prescott Jr. High and Prescott High School. In the early days, Albert spent his spare time rounding up the wild burros and horses that used to populate the Prescott area. At 15, he entered his first pony race at the Prescott Frontier Days rodeo and eventually started riding bareback horses and started putting on little rodeos in Jackass Flats (Prescott Valley) and South Gate of Prescott (where Yavapai College sits) with his best friend Earl Hendricks. In 1936, Albert entered his first big rodeo, the Prescott Frontier Days 4th of July performance riding "Man O' War." Albert also spent time working on the many ranches that populated the Prescott area and even tried his hand at acting in some of the Western movies with the likes of Tom Mix and Tex Ritter that were being filmed in and around the Prescott area. During the Depression, Albert took a job with the Works Progress Administration to help support his parents and siblings. A musician at heart, Albert grew up playing the guitar and banjo. Around 1938, Albert was persuaded to head to California with evangelist Ray Boatright to play gospel music and help open up new churches, but the love of Prescott soon brought him back home where he worked for a short time as a stationary engineer with the Santa Fe Railroad before being told to report to Uncle Sam. During WWII he was assigned to Patton's 3rd Army 807th Tank Destroyers Division where he was trained as a medic and received two battle stars for fighting in the European conflict. In 1943, prior to being shipped overseas, Albert married the love of his life, Stella Martinez, on Nov. 30, in Yuma Ariz. While overseas, Stella stayed with her family in California and gave birth to the first of their three children, Irene. When Albert returned from the war he immediately moved his wife and daughter home to Prescott, where he and Stella had two more children, Frank and J.C. During this time, Albert also went to work at Fort Whipple helping to run the powerhouse. He worked at the VA until he retired after 29 years of service. From the time that Albert moved his family back to Prescott, he and Stella devoted their lives to raising their children. They would spend their off-time taking their children and many of the other kids from Prescott to countless rodeos. They also enjoyed fishing, camping and enjoying all the great things rural Prescott had to offer. Albert spent many hours team roping and often found himself "sitting" on a saddle so his good friend George Phippen could use him as a model for his art work. The Western way of life was something that Albert not only lived, but a tradition that he lovingly passed to his children down to his great-great grandchildren. Albert would spend hours reciting Western poems, singing the old cowboy songs and telling the true stories of his youth. After retirement, he and Stella joined the Fraternal Order of the Moose and began to travel to Mexico with close friends from the Moose. It was not long before they both fell in love with Kino Bay, Mexico, where they built their winter home. He and Stella would travel to Kino until they could no longer travel. Albert never met a person whom he did not like or have a kind word for. He will always be remembered for his passion for life, his smile and his wisdom. In March of 2013, Albert and Stella moved to the Peridot Assisted Living. In April of 2014 his "first" wife of 70 years, Stella, passed away. A month and half later, Albert left us to be with her. Albert is also preceded in death by his father Joe, mother Raquel, brother Frank, sisters, Mary, Alice, Frances and Josephine, and many uncles, aunts, and cousins and dear friends. He is survived by his daughter, Irene Trujillo Jenkins; son and daughter-in-law Frank and Anie (Wayman) Trujillo; son and daughter-in-law J.C. and Margo (Growney) Trujillo; niece Margaret Ann (Craig) Migasi; 11 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren. A celebration of Albert's life will be Friday, June 13, 2014, at the Hillside Community Church of God, 937 Ruth Street, Prescott, with graveside service to follow. Donations to the Church of God on Ruth Street appreciated. I lo watcho Grandpa. Information provided by survivors. ~~~~~~~~~~~ The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Thursday, June 12, 2014 Manuel Albert "Pecos" Trujillo, 99, of Prescott, Ariz., born Oct. 8, 1914 in Magdalena, N.M., passed away June 6, 2014, in Prescott, Ariz. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, June 13, 2014, at Hillside Church of God, 937 Ruth St., Prescott, with graveside services following. Please visit www.hamptonfuneralhome.com to sign his guestbook. Information provided by survivors.