Robert "Bobby" C. Medina, 93, of Las Cruces was called home on Thursday September 7, 2017. He fell peacefully to sleep surrounded by his loving family. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 67 years, Mary Louise Medina in February 2015; his parents, Jesus Heredia Medina and Petra Cisneros Medina; and his siblings, Enriqueta "Katie" Valdez, Jesus "Chuchie" Medina, Lucy Zamarripa, Juliette Bernal, Lydia Telles, Ernest Medina, and Rosenda "Nena" Medina. Robert is survived by his six children, Carol P. Maze (Richard) of Phoenix, AZ; Agatha Ann Rodriguez of Baltimore, MD; Catherine M. Salcido (Felipe) of Las Cruces, NM; Robert Mark Medina of Las Cruces, NM; Peter M. Medina (Karen) of Las Cruces, NM; and Rose Sharon Galgay (Dave) of Portland, ME. He is also survived by one brother, Samuel "Sammy" G. Medina of Las Cruces; sister-in-law Lillian P. Medina; nine grandchildren, Lucas Maze, Sharla Nance, Cassandra Pawling, Monica Garcia-Alley, Kelly Medina-Lopez, Audrianna Garcia, Diego Medina, Melinda Medina, Robert Steven Medina, and seven great-grandchildren. Robert was born on February 11, 1924 in Las Cruces. He was the third youngest of nine surviving children. The family lived at 304 San Pedro Street, an adobe home built by Robert's father in 1906. The home still stands in the Mesquite Historic District of Las Cruces. Robert attended Grand View Elementary School, Central School, and Las Cruces Union High School, graduating in 1942. After graduation, he studied at New Mexico State University (NMSU) for one year before leaving Las Cruces to go live with his sister Juliette in Los Angeles, CA. Robert returned to Las Cruces in 1946 and in early 1947, after passing an engineering aide exam, he went to work with the Department of the Army at the newly opened White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). In January of 1948 Robert married the love of his life Mary Louise Medina and again moved to Los Angeles. By the middle of 1949 Robert returned to Las Cruces to work for WSMR and remained there until 1981 when he retired after 33 years with the federal civil service. After retirement Robert worked another ten years as a substitute teacher with the Las Cruces Public Schools District. Robert was a devout Catholic. In his younger years, he served at St. Genevieve Catholic Church as an altar boy and then as an usher as the years passed. Eager to raise his children in the Catholic faith, he sent them all to Holy Cross School where he was very involved with the PTO, bingo, and the annual fiestas and bazaars. Later, when Holy Cross School moved from downtown to its current location on Miranda Street, the family became parishioners of Holy Cross Catholic Church. Robert remained active in the school's PTO, the church bingos, parish council, fundraisers, bazaars and fiestas; he was an usher and later became a Eucharistic Minister. Committed to his faith, charity, and service, in 1951 Robert became a Third Degree member of the Knights of Columbus Council #1226. In the early years, Robert held the office of Treasurer and was Chief Counselor for the Columbian Squires. From 1951 until 1954 he coached the Columbian Squires baseball team, and was bartender at the council for many years. In 1969 he was chosen as Knight of the Year, and later Robert was selected as the council historian. As council historian, he was tasked with writing and publishing two books that would bring to life the local history of the Knights of Columbus Las Cruces Council #1226. In 1981 he wrote and published Diamond Jubilee, and in 1997, he presented the council with an updated history titled 90 Years of Columbianism. Robert remained active in the Knights of Columbus throughout his life, and on August 28, 2004, he reached his goal of becoming a Fourth Degree Knight. Robert was never a person to sit idle. Perhaps his greatest legacy is his profound dedication to education and scholarship. While working at WSMR he returned to night school at NMSU and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977. During this time he began to write his first novel, Two Ranges. He edited and published the book in 1974 and founded his own press, Bilingüe Publications. He continued to write and publish books in both English and Spanish. His second book, Fabian No Se Muere (1978), is a Chicano hero's journey that argues Chicano culture never dies. Robert rewrote Fabian No Se Muere in English as Fabian Doesn't Die (1981) and as a screenplay. The self-described lover of words then turned his focus to documenting southern New Mexican Spanish in ¡CARAMBA!: A Southwest Spoken Spanish Composition (1999) and ¡CARAMBA! TWO (2016). Robert also published a monthly newsletter titled Cuento Books y Review which celebrated the achievements of various well-known Las Cruces natives, and contained Spanish lessons, dichos, terms, and reviews of other Chicano authors. Robert defined his life through his meaningful contributions to his family, faith, culture, and community, and his memory will endure through those whose lives he touched. Visitation will begin at 5 PM Sunday, September 17, 2017 in Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda where the Prayer Vigil is scheduled for 6 PM. Family and Friends will join together to celebrate the Funeral Mass at 9 AM Monday, September 18, 2017 in the same church with Monsignor John E. Anderson officiating. Cremation will follow and Inurnment of Cremains will take place at a later date in the St. Francis Columbarium.Serving as casket bearers will be his loving grandchildren, Lucas Maze, Cassandra Pawling, Monica Garcia-Alley, Kelly Medina-Lopez, Audrianna Garcia, Diego Medina, Melinda Medina, Robert Steven Medina. Honorary bearer will be Sharla Nance. Entrusted to Baca's Funeral Chapels of Las Cruces, 527-2222 Your exclusive providers for "Veterans and Family Memorial Care." For online condolences logon to www.bacasfuneralchapelslascruces.com