Charles and Connie Pacheco celebrated 75 years of marriage on Jan. 22, 2026. Courtesy photo

Charles and Connie Pacheco on their wedding day on Jan. 22, 1951. Courtesy photo

Highlights from the 75-year marriage of Charles and Connie Pacheco:

Charles and Connie Pacheco met on May 20, 1949, when Connie graduated from high school in Taos, New Mexico. Connie’s cousin Tommy and Charles were good friends; he invited him to go to the graduation and that’s when they met. Her bother-in-law, Ken Wilson, worked in Los Alamos at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), (now called Los Alamos National Laboratory) and was hiring young people. He asked Connie if she was interested in working as a typist at the Lab. WOW! She was an A student in typing, so she applied and was hired. She came to Los Alamos in July 1949 and lived in a girl’s dormitory on Iris Street.

Connie was fortunate to have her cousin Tommy help her adjust to a very different culture  and to introduce her to people who came from different parts of the country and the world. She met Charles again and they started dating. In December 1950 they were engaged  and married on January 22, 1951.

Their first home in Los Alamos was a tiny trailer on the corner of Canyon Road and 15th Street. Connie worked for Shipping and Receiving in a building located at the original Technical Area around Ashley Pond. Charles worked at DP West in Electronics.

Charles joined the Naval Air Force during the Korean War and was stationed in Florida. Connie was pregnant so she stayed with her parents when their first child, Michael, was born. When Charles was sent to the Naval base in Millington, TN, Connie joined him. Michael was a few weeks old. They lived there for almost two years when their daughter Katherine was born.

Charles’ next assignment was in Oahu Hawaii. Connie was 7 months pregnant with their third child. She was able to join Charles on December 7, 1953. They lived in Nanakuli waiting for housing in the Naval Base. Patricia was born on January 18, 1954, at Tripler Army Hospital. Connie was still at the hospital when Charles was told that their new apartment was ready. It was quite a challenge getting settled with a newborn baby, but they made it.

In April 1955 Charles was discharged after four years of service. Because he was on military leave from LASL he still had his job in Los Alamos as an electronics technician.  It was good to be back home.

They have been blessed with five boys and five girls. Life was busy but with God’s grace they were able to meet the challenges of raising their large family. Connie had to organize the chores to make sure the housework was shared by the children. She had charts put together and divided them, so everyone knew who was responsible for which  chores.

They got involved in PTA, Connie was a Den Mother for 5 years when their younger boys were Cub Scouts,  Charles was Scout Master and Connie was a substitute teacher for 3rd-4th graders for 2 years. The children were involved in sports, etc. which kept them going.

The time came when their children all graduated from high school, went to college, and got married. Then it was time for Charles and Connie to expand their horizons. Connie took art classes and Charles got more involved in their church “Immaculate Heart of Mary”. Their priest asked Charles to consider the Diaconate. After much thought and prayer Charles decided to do it. They knew that Connie would be involved in some of the ministries and she was willing to support him. After 4 years of preparation Charles was ordained on May 20, 1978, at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, N.M. A week after his ordination he officiated at their daughter Patricia and Don’s wedding. Charles also baptized some of their grandchildren. It was a very busy time but also very fulfilling. He retired after serving the people of our Archdiocese for 35 years.

In 1989 Charles retired from the Lab. Now it was their time to travel. They took tours to Alaska, Israel, and Europe. Their trip to Italy with the deacons and wives to the Vatican was one of the most memorable. Now Charles’s dream had come true. He told Connie, “We are going to Spain for 2 years.” Connie said, “No way, 2 years is too long”. She finally agreed to go for 1 year and has no regrets.

They lived in Utebo, a village 12 kilometers from Zaragoza that a friend of Charles’ had recommended. His friend had lived in Spain and knew the Aina family who would help them find an apartment. Mr. Aina met them at the airport and took them to his home. His wife had fixed a delicious paella for dinner. After dinner he took them to their new apartment. They loved it, it was so nice and clean and comfortable.

It was hard to get around by bus, so they bought a car in Zaragoza and named it “Freedom”. Now they were free to go wherever they wanted.  They had a wonderful time meeting new people, learning about their culture, tasting good food and going to the best museums. They moved to Benidorm by the Mediterranean. They had a beautiful apartment on the 12th floor and a beautiful view. It was a few minutes from the beach. They stayed there for five months then went back to Utebo for the rest for their stay. From there they drove to Paris to visit some friends, went to Germany to visit a cousin of Connies, then to Austria, Switzerland, and Portugal.  . 

It’s 1990 and they are back home. In 1999 they did a home exchange for a month with a couple from Australia. They went right after Christmas with their friends, the Hesch’s.  They arrived in Sydney and stayed there for the New Year’s celebration. It was summer there and had beautiful beaches. It was a wonderful experience being there and something they will always remember.

It is year 2026 now, Charles is 96 years old, Connie is 93 years old. They look back at their lives and thank God for all the blessings that they have received. Their lives have changed but their love for each other has not. They have a wonderful family who take such good care of them. They have good friends that they enjoy going out with and celebrating birthdays together. It doesn’t get better than that. GOD is good.

Charles and Connie Pacheco, their children, and spouses gathered in January. Photo by Don Taylor

On January 22, 2026, they met with all 10 of their children and their spouses and spent 2-and-a-half days in a beautiful Airbnb in Albuquerque to celebrate their 75th anniversary. It was a wonderful time to reflect, share stories, play games and just be together. We all feel truly blessed to have such wonderful parents and role models to show us what true love is!