Marian Fernandez Chambellan

Marian Fernandez Chambellan, 68, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on November 18, 2025. She was a cherished sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

Marian was born in Taos, New Mexico to Gustavo and Teodora Fernandez.

Marian is survived by her husband Curtis; daughters Amy (Aaron), Renee (Sean), and Cheryl (Deryk); her beloved grandchildren Hugo, Octavia, Connor, Chace, and Devyn; her sisters Alice and Teresa, and brothers Patrick and John. She was predeceased by her parents, sister Marian Isabel, and brother Gustavo.

Marian graduated from Taos High School after which she attended New Mexico State University on a tuition scholarship. She graduated with a degree in Special Education. NMSU is also where she met her husband and love of her life Curtis. Following graduation, they moved to Brownfield, Texas where she taught the children of migrant farmworkers for the Brownfield Schools. They later moved to Albuquerque where Marian taught special education at Washington Middle School. After their first daughter was born, Marian chose to become a full-time homemaker. Twin daughters soon followed, and more recently grandchildren. Marian was dedicated to family and spent countless hours volunteering at her kids’ schools. She also taught catechism, vacation bible school, and baptism classes, and worked with refugees for many years. A creative force, she was known for her elaborate party themes, interior decorating, and artistic flair. As a child, books ignited her imagination, so it’s no surprise that she believed in making everything magical, and no dream was too big. She enjoyed traveling and anything Disney and her goal was to keep her passport filled with stamps. Her most recent trip was to Japan, and of course Disney Tokyo.

Her humor, passion, and warmth brightened every room she walked into, and her presence will be deeply missed. Despite her petite stature, her presence was giant, and she was not afraid to say what needed to be said. She firmly believed that every person deserved care and dignity and would have fed every child in the world if she could, so her family requests that her memory be honored with a donation to the Storehouse New Mexico or a charity of the donor’s choosing in lieu of flowers. A Rosary will be held on Thursday December 11,2025 at St. John XXIII at 1:00 P.M with a Mass to follow at 1:30 P.M.