Mary Louise Krebbs

We are saddened by the death of our mom, grandma and great-grandma, Mary Louise Krebbs. Yet we find comfort in knowing that when she died on the morning of May 2, 2025, the pain she endured from her long struggle with cancer had come to an end.

Mary Louise, aka Maria Luisa, was born to Gregorio and Rosa S. Gonzalez on February 4, 1937, in Trinidad, Colorado. Though her family was of modest means, it was rich in love and support. Mary Louise was the only girl, the middle sibling between two older brothers (Fred and Issac) and two younger brothers (Albert and Richard). While her brothers protected their “Sis,” she often noted that they also made her tough and independent, taught her to stand up for herself, and to overcome adversity, attributes that served her well throughout her life, and which she passed on to her children. In adherence to their Catholic faith, the Gonzalez children attended Catholic school. Mary Louise graduated from Holy Trinity High School at the top of her class in 1955, earning a four-year scholarship to a Colorado public university of her choice. However, she chose not to attend, a decision she later lamented when encouraging her own children to attend college. After graduation, Mary Louise moved to New Mexico, joining extended family with whom she had spent summers when younger.

It is mainly in New Mexico with a short stint in Texas and some years in her hometown of Trinidad that Mary Louise spent her adult life. Throughout her life, Mary Louise took a hands-on approach to her faith, following the biblical principle of reciprocity “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” often helping family and friends with whatever was needed. She believed in honesty, integrity, hard work and the value of education.

For more than 60 years Mary Louise worked as a paralegal for many of the major law firms in Albuquerque and for various city and New Mexico state departments. She was astute at understanding and interpreting federal and state statutes, and well-versed in the procedures for the various courts. In that capacity, she worked for many trial attorneys, and helped train lawyers hired out of law school in the practical aspects of their new profession. She most recently worked for the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection Division.

During her time in Albuquerque, Mary Louise married twice. With her first husband in the late 50s/early 60s, she had three daughters, Valorie, Diane and Monique Vigil. Though the marriage did not last, it ended amicably. In 1968, she met Phillip Krebbs, when they both worked downtown. Phil managed a men’s clothing store. They dated, and when Phil was being transferred to Lubbock, Texas, for work in 1969, they decided to marry. The family lived in Lubbock for a year, surviving the triple tornadoes that devastated the city in May 1970. The family returned to New Mexico in the summer, and Phillip Michael Krebbs was born in Albuquerque in August 1970.

In the early 1970s, the family lived in Santa Fe, and later Phil and Mary Louise moved with their two youngest children to Trinidad, Colorado, where Mary Louise’s mother still resided. During their courtship and marriage, Mary Louise discovered that Phil was a natural artist, possessing an innate talent. She encouraged him to turn a pastime into a profession. Initially they both worked full-time, with Mary Louise also acting as Phil’s agent and marketing representative for his beautiful southwestern landscapes. She was instrumental in getting Phil’s paintings into art galleries in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. As demand for his work grew, Phil began painting full-time while Mary Louise worked at Trinidad State Junior College in the English as a Second Language program. In 1977, tragedy struck when Phil died of a brain aneurysm a few days after his 40th birthday in June. It was a dark time for Mary Louise—a lifetime of love condensed into eight short years. With the love and support of family and friends Mary Louise carried forward. She continued to live in Trinidad with her two youngest children, while her two older daughters were attending the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. While in Trinidad, Mary Louise served on a multiple-county mental health board. Still working at the college, she hosted for the holidays foreign students who were not able to return home. In 1981, Mary Louise returned to Albuquerque where she lived until the time of her death.

Mary Louise always had a love of life and family. As a young mom, she was the person coordinating the fun events, taking her daughters and their cousins swimming and bowling, hosting big birthday parties and all the holiday dinners and parties. She always liked shopping for herself and others, searching for the perfect gift appropriate for the person and the holiday or special occasion. She loved her granddaughter and young shopping “partner” Iliana who was a fierce competitor in their shop-a-thon excursions. She loved going out to nice dinners to celebrate holidays, family birthdays, and the milestones and accomplishments of her children and grandchildren. She loved her great-granddaughter Heaven Rose who she knew was the smartest and most beautiful baby girl ever.

She loved art and jewelry, valuing the creative talent of the artists. She enjoyed many an afternoon walking around Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque and the plaza in Santa Fe, appreciating the Native American jewelry and the stunning art and wares offered. She most especially loved the paintings created by son Michael, who inherited his father’s artistic ability. She was so happy that he, too, began exhibiting and selling his work. She loved mariachi music and Neil Diamond. She loved watching football on Sundays and Mondays, often having a long-distance running commentary by phone with Michael in Tucson. She loved Stuart Vigil, son of her ex-husband through his second marriage, who Mary Louise considered her son, as well. And, as to her favorite pastime, Mary Louise loved to read fiction. She would search the internet for all the latest legal thrillers and who-done-its from her favorite authors and then reserve them from her local library. Truly a proud library-card-carrying fan of public libraries. We are fortunate to have so many happy memories of life with our mom, grandma, and great-grandma. And now, after 48 years, she is finally reunited with Phillip Krebbs whom she missed the whole time.

Mary Louise is preceded in death by her parents, Gregorio and Rosa S. Gonzalez; husband, Phillip Zane Krebbs; mother-in-law Odessa Krebbs; and brothers Isaac Gonzalez, Albert Gonzalez and, Richard Gonzalez; and son-in-law John Kimberle. She is survived by her children, Valorie Vigil, Diane Kimberle, Monique Krebbs, Phillip Michael Krebbs and daughter-in-law Susie Kuenzler, Stuart Vigil and daughter-in-law Sharanne Vigil; grandchildren Iliana Rose Kimberle and partner Eduardo Montano; Nicholas Vigil and partner Samantha Trowbridge, Alex Vigil and Trevor Vigil; great-granddaughter Heaven Rose Montano; brother Fred Gonzalez and wife, Gertrude; sisters-in-law Julia Gonzalez, Donna Gonzalez and Ruth Gonzalez; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family would like to thank the following providers for the care, compassion and respect shown to Mary Louise: Dr. Glenda Lopez Portillo, Dr. Ethan Binder, Dr. John Bowers, and nurse practitioner Lizette Sidransky-Ulloa of Presbyterian Healthcare Services; and nurses Ashley Alcantar and Noelle Kiely of Harmony Home Health and Hospice.