Rolando Sena was born on March 23, 1926, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. His parents were Jose Herculano Sena and Florentina (Flora) Fajardo. He was raised in Pintada, New Mexico.
Our dad’s trademark was his hat. He always wore a “FEDORA HAT!” He started wearing hats when he was young, and continued that tradition until the day he passed away. Our mom always laid out his clothes for him every morning. He always dressed up and was a professional business man.
This is a picture of my handsome Daddy.
Dad worked as a security guard at the Pueblo Army Depot and he also sold life insurance for over 25 years. He was a great salesman. He sold shoes, blankets, luggage, and just about anything he could, to support his family. He drove a taxi and worked many other types of jobs. He never wanted our mom to work outside the home. He always said that his “job” was to take care of his wife and kids. Mom had her hands full with eight children.
This picture is of Daddy, Rolando Sena, and his little brother, Horacio Sena. This picture was taken when they lived in Pintada, New Mexico. Notice his hat! They are so cute!
He instilled in his children our work ethic, the importance of family, and always putting family first. Daddy had many, many friends, but he always reminded us that “FAMILY” came first!
Another thing we all do when we are around each other is say, “MY dad.” I guess it’s a New Mexico thing. You know, “mi daddy!” Sometimes people say, “Why do you say, “My Dad?” We all laugh and say, because he IS my dad!
I asked my siblings to help me honor our father for Father’s Day. I wanted them to give me a few paragraphs about their relationship with Daddy. That’s what his hijas called our padre.
My parents had eight children and were married for over fifty years!
In order of birth are:
1. Victor: My dad was Rolando Sena, and my name is Victor Sena. I am the oldest of eight children. Three boys and five girls, me being the “favorite.” Ha! Ha! Ha! (We all say that!)
My dad was my best friend, my hunting and fishing partner, but mostly my “teacher!” I was taught to be responsible, a hard worker, and a caring person. As a family, we were taught to love and care for each other, unconditionally.
This is one of my favorite pictures of me with my dad, my two uncles and two of my cousins, on one of our hunting trips. We hunted elk and deer. Left to right: Cousin Eddie Lobato, Jerry Lobato, me (Victor Sena), Bob Wolf (a friend of Jerry’s), Uncle Juan Lobato, my dad, Rolando Sena, and Uncle Herman Lobato, kneeling.
Our dad always told little jokes or had different sayings/quips that would make us laugh. To this day, his jokes and sayings come out of our mouths. Dad always worked two jobs to ensure our family did not do without.
Our family was always dancing, listening to New Mexican music, playing volleyball, horseshoes, and baseball. We spent a lot of time with cousins and extended family, and continue to be a close-knit tribe.
I have 3 daughters, 1 son, 5 grandchildren, 1 step-daughter, 4 step-granddaughters, a step-grandson, and 1 step-great grandson, Romeo or Moe as we call him.
2. Martin: There are many, many stories to share about Dad! The one I still tell to this day, took place at San Isabel Lake, in Colorado! It was a fishing day. While walking around the lake, Dad saw a small garden snake wrapped in a fishing line on the edge of the lake. I watched him take out his pocket knife, pick up the snake, and gently cut away the fishing line. He then placed the garden snake back on the edge of the lake. The snake then followed us a few feet-we were both amazed! Dad said, “Even a snake can be thankful!”
Here I am with my dad and my two brothers. From left to right: brother Victor, Dad (Rolando), me (Martin), and brother Sam. This was taken in Albuquerque, NM.
I have one daughter, and two grandsons.
3. Dianna: Whenever we were at a wedding, family party, or at the New Mexico dances that were held in Pueblo, the daughters would fight to dance with our dad. Since there are five daughters, Dad would take turns dancing with all of us. Mom loved that, because she loved seeing her daughters dancing with Dad. As Mom got older, her knees started to hurt and she couldn’t dance as much. When Dad passed away, our brothers: Victor, Martin, and Sam took over. To this day, we still dance with our brothers.
This picture is of my parents at their 50th wedding anniversary dance. We had over 400 guests attend this celebration. It is one of my most memorable occasions with so much family and all of us having such a great time.
I have 2 sons, 6 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. I also have one adopted step-granddaughter and two step-grandchildren.
4. Sam: I feel that I am most like my dad. My siblings say that I look like our dad, have his mannerism, and his outgoing personality. When I was a teenager, I bought a 350cc motorcycle; so, Dad bought one too! Sometimes after work or on weekends, we would go cruising on our bikes. We always had a great time and many, many laughs. There are so many stories I could tell, but I would need to write a book. My dad was pretty hard on me as a teenager, as I was always getting into some sort of trouble. Nevertheless, he always supported me, and stood by me, no matter the situation.
I have 4 daughters, 15 grandchildren, 1 great-grandson and 3 great-granddaughters.
5. Lynda: My story is about Daddy teaching me about my career, education, finances and saving money. I think I am the daughter who most took his advice. Dad always said, “Save your money, don’t spend it all in one place, make sure you have something to show for your hard work in life, don’t quit your government job, and don’t be a follower, be a “leader.” Well, I have to say that I am glad that I listened to him! I think he would be so proud of me and my accomplishments. I didn’t quit my government job; and I too, worked two jobs, went to college, and was in a career field. I saved money so I could live comfortably in my retirement. I moved back to Pueblo; like he and Mom wanted me too. I sure miss you Daddy and Mom. You are always with me in my heart and soul.
One of my favorite pictures of Daddy was taken at a party in September 2006. He was pretending to drink a bottle of wine. I love his smile and the twinkle in his eyes. Daddy was actually very sick; but he never really complained about his health. He passed away November 10, 2006. I wasn’t ready to see him leave us. He was always so full of life!
6. Yolanda (twin 1): These are a couple of my fondest memories: When my kids were young and in sports, Dad and Mom would to go to most of their baseball games. When my daughters would hit the ball real hard or catch a fly ball, Dad would always yell out, “That’s my granddaughter!” When my daughters would hear their Grandpo, they would have a huge smiles on their faces. It was one of the nicest memories of my parents supporting their grandkids.
In the evening time, when Dad would come by to visit, he and my husband Dennis would sometimes have a shot of tequila. Dad would ask my daughter, Denise to give him two fingers. She didn’t understand what two fingers meant. She was supposed to put her fingers going the width of the shot glass, but instead she put her fingers “long ways/up and down/perpendicular” which gave him a triple shot! She would then pour tequila in the shot glass for him, and it was more tequila than he wanted! He and my husband would tell jokes to each other and enjoyed their time reminiscing about life.
This is one of my favorite pictures of my daddy: