Orly Lucero, a longtime resident and public figure in Cortez, will be celebrated and remembered at the Cortez Recreation Center on Friday, March 21 at 10 a.m.
“In death as in life, Orly was casual and would like everyone at his service to be casual,” his obituary reads. “Everyone is encouraged to show up comfortably, feel free to wear anything Dallas Cowboys to honor Orly.”
Afterward, he will be buried at the Bayfield Cemetery. His family asked that in place of flowers, people donate to the American Cancer Society.
When Lucero, 67, died on March 7, “Cortez lost a dear friend and esteemed community member,” City Manger Drew Sanders said at the March 11 City Council meeting.
“Everyone that knew Orly knew that grass never grew under his feet,” his obituary reads.
Matt Keefauver, who served with Lucero for four years on City Council, echoed this.
“He probably knew more people than all the council members combined,” Keefauver laughed. “You’d see him outside council at all the events in town. He was just a really incredible guy.”
“He loved attending any event to just visit with people,” and he was “always kind, always helpful, always dependable,” said City Clerk Linda Smith.
“He dedicated his life to public service,” said Cortez Mayor Rachel Medina. “Any time I heard about a board, he was on it.”
“When you hear about ‘The same 10 people,’ he’s one of them,” said Medina. “And he did it all while having a full-time job.”
For more than 30 years, Lucero worked as a staking engineer at Empire Electric Association Inc.
And he underwent everything he did, each project, with a similar “zest,” his obituary said. “Although the project he loved most was being an incredible father to his daughter, Felice.”
Aside from community involvement, Lucero was known for elaborately decorating his home during the holiday season, and for passing out candy canes to some of the children that came by, admiring the display.
“He’d always joke how even though he worked for Empire, he wouldn’t get a discount for his Christmas lights,” Medina laughed. “He spent like $1,000 a month on those lights.”
Keefauver called the display “the best light show in town,” and remembered joking with Lucero about how all the lights were giving him job security.
“He was always smiling and joking,” he said. “And the thing about him was everyone loved him as soon as they met him.”
Lucero’s ability to “inject humor into otherwise serious things” made him a great mayor.
“He made everyone feel at ease because he was funny and fun,” Keefauver said. “He made people feel comfortable and welcome so they could speak freely without judgment.”
In addition to his work with Empire, Lucero served on several boards around town, including the Cortez Fire Protection District, Housing Authority and the RE-1 School District, to name a few.
From 2002 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2022, Lucero was a member on the Cortez City Council. From April 2004 to April 2010, he was mayor, and mayor pro-tem from April 2018 to April 2020.
“He did the maximum,” Keefauver said. “He was really, really great.”
