Ryan Vasquez

Ryan Vasquez, 16, of Malaga, New Mexico, passed away Friday, March 15, 2013 at Carlsbad Medical Center. Visitation will be 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Tuesday, March 19, 2013, at Denton-Wood Funeral Home. Funeral services are scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, 2013, 10:00 AM, at First United Methodist Church, 207 N. Halagueno St., with Pastor Tim Funchess of Faith Baptist Church officiating. Interment will follow in Carlsbad Cemetery, Carlsbad, New Mexico. Denton-Wood Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Ryan Vasquez was born on July 29, 1996, in Carlsbad, NM to Jimmy and Angie (Roper) Vasquez. He was adventurous and always wanted to be surrounded by his family and friends. If you wanted to find him, odds were he was in the backyard at Nanny and Papa's roping the dummy steer. Team roping was his passion. Ryan began roping at a very young age and if you ever watched him perform, you knew he was a "natural". He also liked to hunt and fish around his house in Malaga. Every day, Ryan loved watching George Lopez. He could watch the same episode over and over, and still laugh for hours. Ryan was a dedicated and dependable employee of the family business, Black River Trucking. He worked hard every day and enjoyed learning new things. Even though he was only 16, his desire to succeed was visible to everyone. Ryan was planning to graduate from Faith Christian Academy in May. Tim and Elsa Funchess made a huge impact on Ryan's life in the past few months. His confidence grew immensely and the advancements he made using the alternative education delivery from Faith Christian Academy was phenomenal. We know Ryan would want to give back unselfishly to them as they did to him. For that, in lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate your contributions to Faith Christian Academy in honor of him. Please send your gift and include Ryan's name to 2415 Florida St., Carlsbad, NM 88220. Ryan was very proud of his accomplishments as were his family. He will be remembered for his beautiful brown eyes, long eyelashes, bright smile, quirky sense of humor, ability to make everyone laugh (even when they didn't want to) and his unconditional love for his family. Ryan will be greatly missed by all those who were privileged enough to be a part of his life. Survivors are his parents, Jimmy and Angie Vasquez of Malaga, NM; sisters: Chanlee Vasquez and Jostyn Vasquez, both of Malaga, NM; maternal grandparents, Terry and Kay Roper of Carlsbad, NM; paternal grandmother, Emma Irizarry and husband, Ruben of Carlsbad, NM; paternal grandfather, Juan Vasquez of Loving, NM; great-grandparents, Homer and Allene Roper of Carlsbad, NM; aunts: Shannon Vallejos and husband, Gabe, Teresa Messer and husband, Tray and Debbie Walker; uncles: John Vasquez and Lyle Ellerbach; cousins: Rocky, Trystan, Randy, Traelyn, Rayen and Emmy; best friend and love of his life, Storme Cartwright; and numerous extended family. Pallbearers will be Leo Bojorquez, Felipe Vasquez, Rudy Vasquez, Rocky Beal, Randy Beal, Drew Lowe, Steven Vasquez and Michael Methola. Condolences may be expressed at dentonwood.com.