Family of man killed in South Fork fire remembers musician, cook

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 6 minutes read

Wildfires expected to burn more than 20,000 acres and destroy 1,400 structures

Diana Alba Soular of the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative contributed to this story.

Patrick Pearson played bass and sang covers of '90s songs, as well as country and Spanish music three or four times a week at the local Quarters bar in Ruidoso.

He was known for making a pot of taco soup for his friends, of which he has made many since moving to Ruidoso full-time in 2021 to play a gig.

He likely died on the evening of June 17 or the following morning when the South Fork and Salt fires ravaged the popular tourist village amid the Sacramento Mountains and Lincoln National Forest, but Pearson's body was not found. was found only the next day when the firefighters sifted through it. through the ashes of the decimated hotel.

Pearson, 60, was a rather private person, but he made friends wherever he went, said his daughter Hillary Mallak, 36. His move after a divorce in 2008 from Albuquerque to Ruidoso saw Pearson staying at the historic Swiss Chalet Inn.

“It’s devastating,” Mallak said in an interview with Ruidoso News. “People spend their whole lives there. People retire there. That's what my father did. He said he would spend his whole life there.

Pearson's son and Mallak's younger brother, Zach Pearson, 33, of Santa Rosa, said he last spoke to his father on Father's Day and tried to talk to him about it. contact Monday, without success. The family also called shelters in the area, primarily in Roswell, to get news of their father.

“I was kind of hoping that everything was okay and that he didn't have (phone) service. As of Tuesday, we still hadn't heard from him,” Zach Pearson said. “No one had seen him. We really didn't have a lot of information to go off of.”

The South Fork Fire burned approximately 16,335 acres in the Ruidoso area Wednesday afternoon, according to the New Mexico Forestry Division, leading to a full evacuation ordered for all residents Monday. The nearby Salt Fire simultaneously burned an additional 7,071 acres south of the village, and Ruidoso Downs was also evacuated the next day.

According to the most recent estimates, 1,400 structures were destroyed as a result of the fires.

More: Ruidoso Downs has been evacuated as Salt Fire moves. Lujan Grisham declares state of emergency

Family forced to wait as fires extinguish Ruidoso

One of the structures lost was the Swiss Chalet, built in 1962 and nestled amid picturesque mountain views covered in a thick layer of smoke as Ruidoso residents fled their homes during the fires.

That's where Pearson lived when the fires first swept through the city and then exploded, tripling in size Monday night. He was still healing from recent out-of-town surgery after breaking his leg and returning to the cottage on June 10.

Pearson had arranged a ride out of town with friends, but it was too late as that vehicle was refused entry into Ruidoso due to highway closures.

So he appeared to be leaving on foot, Mallak said, using a walker. Eventually, she said the smoke seemed to become too much for Pearson. He was found curled up in the fetal position in the hotel parking lot.

“I know he was already in pain with his broken leg,” Zach Pearson said. “Being in a walker trying to escape all that can't have been easy. I just hope he didn't suffer that long.”

As fires ravaged the village, Mallak followed the story on television about 300 miles away in Albuquerque, where she had lived all her life. She said although it was sad to see the forest burn, she didn't expect tragedy to strike her family.

More: South Fork and Salt fires remain uncontained after Ruidoso evacuation

She later learned that Pearson last spoke to a friend around 4 p.m. on June 16, telling him he had packed a bag and was ready to leave Ruidoso.

“That’s the last anyone heard from him,” Mallak said. “We don’t think it’s that serious, especially being far away. I was watching him on the news and tried to contact him. At that time the cell towers were down, but we didn't know it. We haven't really received any news from him.

The family was forced to wait for news from Pearson. Mallak said his father responded to their calls during previous wildfires in Ruidoso, most recently when the McBride Fire burned about 6,159 acres and led to the evacuation of 4,500 residents in April 2022.

An elderly couple was found dead among the wreckage of McBride.

“We were hopeful for most of the day, until we heard that people were hearing from their loved ones, and we hadn't heard anything,” Mallak said.

Zach Pearson said he called New Mexico State Police dispatch, provided some additional identifying details and came face to face with a police officer. state police shortly afterward, receiving news he hoped he wouldn't receive.

“A state police officer came to my door and he said my father was gone. He didn't make it. I was in disbelief. It's the biggest shock of my life,” said Zach Pearson. “I don’t have my father anymore.”

A father, grandfather, musician and cook

Mallak's daughter, Harlynn, was born July 29, 2023, and she said Pearson was looking forward to being a grandfather. He had several personalized items made to welcome Harlynn into the world, Mallak said, as the young girl joined her two teenage sons.

“He was very excited about it,” Mallak said. “They all knew I wanted a girl at some point.”

She said she's talked to him every week since he left Albuquerque for his first gig in Ruidoso about three years ago and to escape the big city for scenic mountain views.

“What brought him to Ruidoso was he always wanted to get out of Albuquerque,” Mallak said. “He got a job in 2021 and fell in love with it. He never came back.

At Ruidoso, Pearson played in a band with Craig Rivera. Rivera's daughter, Christiana Alvarez, of Oceanside, Calif., said the bond between her father and Pearson since they were teenagers meant he was “like an uncle” to her. She said she spoke with Pearson frequently, particularly about getting an attorney when her son died at an early age.

“My dad told me he's never seen Pat angry in all the years he's known Pat. He's always been that person – my dad was the one defending him,” Alvarez said. “He (Pat) was funny. He had humor. But the only thing was, he was just nice.”

She remembers a kind man, always excited to perform and have a good time.

“It was really cool because every time I went to listen to them (at Quarters), there were always people dancing,” Alvarez said. “It was people in their early 20s and couples in their 60s and 70s. It was a mix, and it wasn't just about alcohol. It was about music.

More: 'It's sad,' says Roswell volunteer helping South Fork Fire evacuees from Ruidoso

Before his passion for music lured him to the mountains, Mallak said Pearson was a strong father, attending many of her and her sister Samantha Garcia's dance and cheerleading events.

She also remembered her father as the family cook, known for his “taco soup” that he frequently prepared for friends he met through music and for his “simpler southern cooking” that he prepared for the family.

“We loved going to see him play,” she said. “He was the main cook. That's what I remember. He likes to make people happy.

Garcia, 31, of Albuquerque said she remembers a father born to play. He sang during her first dance with her husband Leon Garcia on their wedding day.

“My father had such a gift and passion for singing and entertaining. He played bass guitar and made lifelong friends doing what he loved,” she said. “I have many fond memories of going to his concerts and dancing to him while he sang. He actually sang for my husband and I during our first dance at my wedding. He was much loved and will be greatly missed.

Zach Pearson said it was his dream to join his father on stage. That’s why he took up the guitar. After his father passed away, Zach still has recordings that he says bring back cherished memories of his parents to county fairs, festivals and other events to hear his father's deep, country-tinged voice that recalls George Strait.

“He was an amazing musician. He made it a part-time career for most of his life,” Zach Pearson said. “He went everywhere and played, and everyone loved his music. There was no one who didn't fall in love with my father's singing voice.”

That voice was silenced by the South Fork Fire.

Fire crews continued to work to control the blaze in the days following Pearson's death, hoping to end the chaos in the village and prevent further tragedies from hurting families. like his.

Donations to the Pearson family for funeral expenses can be made on their GoFundMe page.

Adrian Hedden can be contacted at 734-972-6855, [email protected] Or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform

Wildfires expected to burn more than 20,000 acres and destroy 1,400 structures

Family forced to wait as fires extinguish Ruidoso

A father, grandfather, musician and cook

Lina Portman

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