Joe Filemon Hernandez

Joe Filemon Hernandez, 93, was born on March 21, 1932, and passed away peacefully on November 24, 2025. His beloved wife, Priscilla, died a week and a day prior to his own death. His father was Pablo Hernandez, from Durango, Mexico, and his mother was Magdalena Molina Hernandez, from Tortugas, New Mexico. He married Priscilla Nevarez, 14, at the age of 21, on May 23, 1953, with her family’s consent. He was one of eight siblings. He is survived by his siblings Benny, Sally Salazar, and Virgie Gallegos. Other siblings--Arturo, Albert, Paula Gonzales and Delia Montenegro—are deceased.

Joe enrolled at New Mexico State University on the Coop program, which permitted him to alternate work with college studies. After he married Priscilla in 1953, they lived in a trailer, which in those days served as student housing, on campus. Joe graduated from New Mexico State University with an electrical engineering degree, and he worked as an engineer at White Sands Missile Range for 45 years. He was for many years an esteemed member of the Knights of Columbus chapter in Las Cruces. He fathered two children, Laura Jean and Ronald Kevin, both of whom preceded him in death.

During their entire married life, Joe and his wife Priscilla were extremely generous with their time, money, and home. Their door was always open, and they hosted many family gatherings across decades of time. This generosity served as a welcome anchor for an extended family that, like many others in American society, was subject to multiple forces pulling families apart. Many family members will remember Joe, earnestly flipping hamburgers on the lawn on the fourth of July and other holidays.

In the face of family tragedy, Joe was stoic, disguising his deepest pain with favorite Mexican sayings, such a “puro pedo y dolor”—referring to a cavalier if not contemptuous attitude toward life found in many Mexican songs. He loved the Pedro Infante song “La Vida no Vale Nada,” and he had a strong collection of the songs of Cuco Sanchez, whose career matured during the 1950s when Joe was a young man.

The family would like to express gratitude to Blue Horizon, where Joe and Priscilla spent their last months. Their tireless care, sensitivity, and concern are deeply appreciated.

Funeral services will be held at Getz Funeral Home on Tuesday afternoon, December 2, at 1:30 pm. Services will include both Joe and his wife Priscilla. They will be buried next to each other and their children at Masonic Cemetery.