In Memory

Mary Jane Garcia

On January 5, 2024, we lost a fierce advocate for Doña Ana and our Committee founder, Mary Jane Garcia. Mary Jane founded our Committee in an effort to save our historic church, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, from being razed in the late 1970s. Mary Jane organized family, friends, and neighbors to save the cultural heritage of her beloved village of Doña Ana which eventually led to the creation of the Doña Ana Village Historic Preservation Committee. Mary Jane was able to integrate several of her passions into saving the oldest church in Southern New Mexico. Historic preservation, youth advocacy, and her strong Catholic faith all came to together to save and restore Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. Mary Jane's work with our Committee led to saving other historic properties in Doña Ana and getting the Doña Ana Village Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Mary Jane was elected as a State Senator for NM District 36 in 1986. She continued her work with our Committee and was able to secure capital outlay funds to build infrastructure in the historic Doña Ana plaza. She was also able to secure funds to restore historic buildings that date from the late 1840s and turn them into the De La O Visitors Center. Our Committee fought hard to save the buildings that make up the De La O Visitors Center from being razed in the 1990s and now they host free community events. Her passion for preserving the cultural heritage of Doña Ana did not diminish with age and well into her 80s she would still pick up a rake or shovel to help clean our historic cemetery.

Mary Jane could trace her family roots to the very first settlers who came to Doña Ana in 1843 and was a proud doñanera. During her time in the New Mexico legislature she was able to get funding to connect the village to the City of Las Cruces wastewater treatment system and for several other improvements for our village including the construction of the Doña Ana Boxing Club. Her positive contributions to our village will continue to benefit future generations and her legacy of giving back to our community will live on.

JAMES "PETE" DREXLER

On April 22, 2021, we lost our great friend and fellow Committee member James "Pete" Drexler. Pete as we all fondly knew him by was always so generous with his time and was our official photographer for all our Committee events. Pete and his family have continued Pete's legacy of always giving back to his community by establishing the James J. ("Pete") Drexler Scholarship Fund which provides educational scholarships for students in need who will attend New Mexico State University and pursue an education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math or southwest history. We all miss Pete immensely but we find solace in knowing that his kind and generous spirit lives on. You can learn more about Pete's legacy by visiting www.jamesjdrexlerscholarship.com.