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Longtime Legislator Fred Luna Dies at 79Oct 16, 2010 (Albuquerque Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Fred Luna, a former member of the state House of Representatives and one of New Mexico's longest-serving lawmakers, has died at age 79. Luna, a lifelong resident of Los Lunas, died Wednesday at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque. He will lie in state in the rotunda of the Capitol on Monday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gov. Bill Richardson ordered flags around the state to be flown half-staff on Monday and Tuesday in honor of Luna. "Fred spent a good part of his life serving the people of his district and around New Mexico in the Legislature, and his many accomplishments have had a lasting impact," Richardson said. Luna, a Democrat, served in the House from a Valencia County district from 1971 through June 2006, when he resigned for health reasons. At that time, he had been in the House longer than any other lawmaker. Now, he ranks as the third-longest-serving House member, and the fifth-longestserving member of the Legislature, since statehood. He was the longtime chairman -- from 1987 to 2006 -- of the powerful Business and Industry Committee. He chaired the Appropriations and Finance Committee in 1983-84 and was a member of that panel for a dozen years. His wide range of committee assignments over the years also included the Judiciary, Consumer and Public Affairs, and Government and Urban Affairs panels. And he was a longtime member of the Mortgage Finance Authority Act Oversight Committee. Luna, who owned a roofing company, was active in his community and was a member of the local school board for 26 years. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Consuelo Vallejos Luna; four children; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at San Clemente Catholic Church of Los Lunas. Burial will be at San Clemente Catholic Cemetery. To see more of the Albuquerque Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.abqjournal.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Albuquerque Journal, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). |