Paul Edmond Baca

Paul Edmond Baca, 98 years old, was born on September 23, 1926, in Mosquero, New Mexico, Paul was granted his angels wings at home in Thornton, Colorado on July 16, 2025.

During his first 18 years of life, Paul worked on the family ranch; roping, riding, branding and other tasks associated with a working ranch, an endeavor which brought him much satisfaction and enjoyment. Paul will always be remembered as the last original cowboy from the ZO Ranch in Harding County, New Mexico.

Paul was a veteran of WWII and served in the U.S. Army for two years. He was part of the occupation forces in Japan from 1944 through 1946. His duty assignment was on one of the main islands known as Honshu near Nagoya, Japan. During his assignment he often talked about how he learned to ski on Mt. Fuji. Additionally, he and some of his buddies found horses to ride while in Japan, which was one of his greatest pleasures.

After moving the family from New Mexico to Denver in 1956, Paul worked at the U.S. Air Force Academy, which was located at Lowry Air Force base (Denver, CO), while the new Academy facilities were being built in Colorado Springs. Paul transferred to the Colorado Springs area once the new Air Force Academy campus was completed. In 1963, Paul transferred to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Denver, CO where he finished his career with the Department of the Army.

After completing 22 years of service as a federal employee, Paul worked for the Colorado Department of Labor as a criminal investigator investigating fraudulent labor claims. Paul retired from the Department of Labor after 14 years of service.

After retirement, Paul enjoyed frequenting the gaming areas of Cripple Creek, Central City and Blackhawk. His favorite games were the $5 slot machines. Like anyone else he won some and lost some but was lucky one time and did hit a $40,000.00 jackpot.

In his later years, he spent much of his time and energy tooling around on his electric scooter shopping at a nearby Target and visiting his favorite stores such as Barnes and Noble, Tasty Crème Donuts, and Wells Fargo.

Paul is survived by two sisters; Beatrice Collins and Margie Trainor, his daughter, Ginny Marvin (Brent), his son Philip (Sylvia Sich), six grandchildren Addie Johnson (Ron), Phil, Paul (Jenna), Erin Rolek (Alex), Andrea Thompson (Mark), Michael Faltot (Andrea), and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews and many friends. He was preceded in death by his wife Elise A. Baca, his parents Eufracio Baca and Florencia Del Valle and brothers Eloy, Louis, and Theodore, as well as his sisters Tomie, Lucy, Pita, and Flora.

Services will take place at Horan & McConaty Mortuary 9998 Grant St. in Thornton, CO on Friday August 15, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. A reception/luncheon will immediately follow.

Internment will take place at Ft. Logan National Cemetery on August 20, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. with full military honors.