Dr. Epifania “Eppie” Archuleata, 92, passed on Friday, April 11, in the Espanola Hospital. She was born on January 6, 1922 in Santa Cruz, NM. Eppie grew up in Northern New Mexico, daughter of Agueda and Eusebio Martinez. Her family came from a long line of weavers. She married Francisco Archuleta in October of 1940. They started their family in New Mexico and later moved to Capulin, Colo.
In addition to raising eight children and helping her husband farm and ranch, Eppie became an accomplished weaver. She was recognized with several honors and awards including the 1985 National Endowment for the Art’s highest award, the National Heritage Fellowship. Her weaving is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute and she was profiled in the January, 1991 issue of the National Geographic. She was invited to Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Presidential Ceremony and received a letter of appreciation from President Ronald Reagan. Eppie received an Honorary Doctorate in Arts from Adams State University in 1995. She taught hundreds of students to weave and people from all over the world have purchased her weavings.
Eppie truly enjoyed spending time with children and would readily accept invitations to elementary school classrooms where she would tell the students of her experiences as an artist. She found comfort in her strong Catholic Faith and in her later years spent many hours praying for loved ones.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank; two infant daughters: Laura and Isidora; her parents; two brothers: Ferdy and Isidoro; and one sister: Gertrude Manzanares.
She is survived by four sisters: Georgia, Louisa, Cordilia, and Ruby; and one brother: Secondino; eight children: Norma (Levi) Medina; Frank (Yvonne); Phil (Lila); Gabriel (Patsy); Linda; Fernandez (Jennie); Nicholas (Lorraine); and Tobias (Katerie); 31 grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren, and seven great-great grandchildren. Ties with her extended family have always been close; and includes many nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.
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