80° and Clear
Gerald Richard Stallberg was born May 12, 1944, in El Paso, Texas to Lloyd Richard and Zetty Marie (Pitts) Stallberg. He has one brother, Curtis "Wayne", born two and one half years later in Alamogordo. When Gerald was about 4 or 5 months old, they moved to Tularosa. Gerald attended first, second and part of third grade in the Red Brick School in Tularosa and played with his favorite cousin Margie and bother Wayne. The family then moved to Alamogordo to the farm west of 1st Street that turns into Alamogordo Dr. where Gerald has been living since.
Gerald quit high school after the eleventh grade in Alamogordo in 1961 at the age of 17 to join the Navy. He had Basic training in San Diego, CA. He was on a ship most of the time after that: the Constellation, Lexington, Princeton, and Kitty Hawk for a couple of weeks. During his time in the Navy, Gerald was mainly in Japan and the Philippines. He was also a short time in Okinawa, Singapore, Tiawan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Some of his jobs were "Plane Captain", which was to help the pilot buckle up in his seat, plug in and pull-out safety pins for bombs and landing gear. He was a forklift driver and when on shore, he would drive officers to Officers Clubs. When it was time to be discharged, Gerald was overseas and had to wait three months until the ship came back to the US. He did get his GED in the Navy and got out in 1965 when he was 21 years old.
After Gerald was in the Navy, he worked at the Tularosa Cotton Gin making the bales and pressing them. He met Dalene Woolf, where she was working at the C and C Café in Tularosa. They were married May 11, 1968, at the First Baptist Church in Tularosa. The reception was at Dalene's Granny's house. This was the first wedding of the Associate Minister. At the reception someone asked Gerald if he paid the minister, which he had not. So, he asked the minister how much he owed him to which the minister said, whatever he could pay. So, Gerald, being generous, gave him $10. At the time of Dalene's passing, August 16, 2014, they had been married 46 years. Gerald figured Dalene cost him almost 22 cents a year and he said she was worth every penny.
Gerald and Dalene welcomed their only son, Steven, in 1976. Gerald promised Dalene they would only live in the house, thought to be a stagecoach spot, for only a couple of years. Well after a couple of years, another promise of another couple of years, until 27 years later when Gerald hit the Trifecta at Ruidoso Downs in 1995 and built her a new home.
Gerald was very attached to his land and farmed it first with his father, then his wife until he couldn't. Gerald raised Alfalfa, Oats, and Barley along with sheep, horses, and cows.
Geralds favorite things were playing Poker on Thursdays and Sundays at Inn of the Mountain Gods, in fact, he didn't miss a tournament until recent hospitalization. Having coffee at Alamo Grill with his friends, his Monday morning phone calls from his Arizona girls, visits from his family and friends, and being ornery.
Gerald was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Marie Stallberg, and his beloved wife, Dalene. He is survived by his son, Steve Stallberg of
Alamogordo, NM; brother, Wayne Stallberg (Linda) of Lake Jackson, TX; nephews, Lance Stallberg (Sarah) of Conroe, TX, Chad Stallberg (Clara) of Clute TX, Paul Stallberg (Samantha) of Richwood, TX, Michael Nix of Tucson, AZ, Joey Nix of Albuquerque, NM, Tammy LeBlanc of Tucson, AZ, Jeanie Pike of Tucson, AZ; nine great nieces and nephews; cousins; close friends, Randy Arrone and Elizabeth Gutierrez.
