Franklin Gallerito

Frankin Red Elk Gallerito

Our beloved husband, father, grandpa, great-grandpa, brother, uncle, friend; Franklin was born on January 25, 1942, in Mescalero, NM, and was called home to be with the Lord on March 12, 2020, also in Mescalero, NM. He was born to Bessie Marden and John Gallerito. Frank was married to Andrea Enjady-Gallerito, they shared 54 wonderful years with one another. Together they had 5 children; Veronica Enjady, Frank Bow Gallerito, Lillian Gallerito, Thurman Gallerito, Emma Enjady and Annette Treas. He had 21 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren all whom adored and admired him.

Frank went to boarding school at St. John Indian school in Arizona, soon after he finished school he moved to California where he began to work on a ranch and start his rodeo career. He was a bull rider, and loved the rodeo circuit. During this time, he was also an award-winning polo player.

Frank was a natural born entertainer and was very traditional. Growing up he had a passion for sharing his heritage with others, this led him to be discovered by Disneyland. He worked at Disneyland for several years before being discovered by a Japanese based company in which he then moved to Japan to share his culture with the Japanese people. He lived in Japan for a few years, until he decided it was time to return home to Mescalero to start a family. Upon his return he began to work for the tribe where he was a cowboy at Cow Camp.

After Franklin married, he moved his family to California where his passion for cowboy work led him to train horses at the world-famous Santa Anita Race track. He was very well known in the horse racing industry where several of the horses he trained won big races.

He had a passion for dancing the fancy dance at pow-wows. He brought his children and grandchildren up dancing with him in the sacred circle. Frank won many prizes throughout the country during his pow-wow days. He refused to give up his passion, and in recent years you could find him dancing, even with his cane.

Franklin eventually retired from horse training and decided to move back home to Mescalero. He settled in the Silver Lake area of the reservation, where he said was his favorite place on earth. Upon his return, he started working at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, where he worked until his passing. He will be remembered for being a loving and giving person, his humor, his love for his family, and his beautiful fancy dancing. He will be missed by all who knew him.