In the end, it came down to family.
The crowds that paid tribute to Emilio Naranjo, first at the state Capitol on Nov. 15 and then at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Española on Monday, were largely composed of four generations of the Naranjo family. Sure, there were political faces from the state legislature, Rio Arriba County, the city of Española and the Democratic Party. Senator-elect Tom Udall made an appearance at the Roundhouse, as did newly appointed Appeals Court Judge Timothy Garcia and state Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings.
But a great many of Naranjo’s old friends and allies have left the political stage, either because of age or electoral defeat. There were more than a few gray heads and slow gaits at the memorial services. And when Naranjo was buried at Sacred Heart Monday afternoon, he joined his parents and all his siblings, who had gone before him.
“He’s the last of his generation,” his son Larry Naranjo said.
Relatives kept the focus on Naranjo’s humanity, but his outsized political legend kept growing. By Monday afternoon, rumors were swirling around Española that Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, Governor Bill Richardson and Udall had attended the funeral, arriving in a stretch limo. None of the men had actually come to Española.
The men who eulogized Emilio Naranjo at both services spoke repeatedly of his love for Northern New Mexico’s people, his gentleness and his honor.
Jennings said when he first came to the state Senate, he was surprised to find Naranjo so soft-spoken and gentle.
“I was told to be wary of Senator Naranjo because he was one of those Northern political bosses,” Jennings said. “‘You should be careful — they were very powerful, very political.’”
Like many who spoke about Naranjo, Jennings said he was one of the few people in politics who always held to his word.
“When he told you he would do something, he did it,” Jennings said.
Naranjo’s son Benny Naranjo said his father was offended when the press referred to him as a patron or boss. The people were always the patron, Naranjo said.
“He would run into you in the street and say, ‘Como estas, patron?’” Naranjo said. “He was not the boss — he knew you were the boss.”
Others tried to reclaim the title’s respectability. Udall said a man is called patron because he has a position of honor, respect and above all, responsibility.
“It was just a knack, I think, Emilio had — for understanding the little people, and the people not so little,” Udall said.
Likewise, Naranjo’s longtime friend Fabian Chavez said he uses patron in a complimentary way — to describe someone who fought for the people. Chavez had to pause and fight back tears during his remarks.
“We were young Democrats together,” Chavez said. “We fought a lot of battles together. We won some, we lost some.”
Victory in Final Days
Family members said Naranjo was fighting those battles until the end, supporting Hillary Clinton and then Barack Obama with his yard signs.
Benny Naranjo said his father badly wanted to go to one last Democratic national convention, so Benny applied to become a delegate for Hillary Clinton. Their dreams of attending the convention ended when Clinton conceded the primary, but Emilio became a staunch Obama supporter, Benny said.
Kenneth Salazar, Naranjo’s son-in-law, said Naranjo came over and watched the Nov. 4 election returns at the Salazars’ home in La Mesilla.
“He was elated that the Democrats won,” Salazar said.
In that election, Democrats picked up not only the presidency but also a Senate seat and two House seats in New Mexico. For the first time in decades, Democrats would hold all the five seats in the state’s federal delegation.
Naranjo died in his sleep eight days later, at his son Raul’s home in Albuquerque. Although he suffered from heart problems and had checked into St. Vincent Hospital in mid-October, family members said he was doing well as late as Nov. 12, the day before his death.
Larry Naranjo said he believes his father chose the time and place of his death.
“I just think he wanted to see this and it happened,” Naranjo said. “I remember as a kid, when (Republican Senator) Pete Domenici got elected. This was something my dad wanted to get back. He thought that all people representing New Mexico should be Democrats.”