ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bobby Unser’s funeral was so important to this high desert city that the Albuquerque Police Department shut down Interstate 24 for the funeral procession.
As Albuquerque PD police officers blocked off the interstate and the entrances to I-24, the very long line in the procession from Calvary Church to Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery made the trip to Unser’s final resting place under the bright, sun-kissed skies that New Mexico is known for.
Unser, who died on May 2 at age 87, had to be looking down from above with his trademark smile and contagious laugh.
Imagine that, the Albuquerque Police Department stopping traffic for Bobby Unser.
When it came to racing, nobody did it quite like Unser. He was a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, a nine-time Indy 500 front row starter, a four-time California 500 winner and a 13-time Pikes Peak Hill Climb champion. He also won the USAC National Championship in 1968 and 1974 and set a Bonneville Land speed Record in 1993.
Around these parts, Unser was a local treasure and a true hero.
Unser may have been born in Colorado City, Colo., but his family moved to Albuquerque when he was a year old.
“Bobby took a lot of pride in the fact he was from Albuquerque,” said local businessman Carlos Garcia, a close friend of the driver over the years. “He wanted the entire world to know the Unser clan was from Albuquerque and that it as his home. For those of us from Albuquerque, we will remember him for so much more.
“He was an original and there will never be another one again. Bobby Unser is the true definition of a legend, and he certainly ran a full race.”
They remember Bobby Unser and his wife, Lisa, at Mac’s La Sierra Coffee Shop. The Unsers ate there several times a week and had their own booth.
“Bobby was such a nice man,” recalled an elderly, white-haired lady who was picking up a carryout order. “Every time I was in here and he was here, he always had that wonderful smile and was so nice to everybody.”
Two of the older gentlemen that work at Mac’s shared fond stories about how much they liked the Unsers. The man behind the cash register has all of Unser’s Christmas postcards and other Bobby Unser photos taped to the glass behind him.
“It’s almost like losing a member of the family,” he said.
Mac’s is located off the original Route 66, one of the most famous and iconic highways in America. When Pop Unser moved the family down from Colorado in 1935. Jerome Unser had a garage up on the hill entering Albuquerque from the west.
Continue Route 66 heading west and the Unser presence gets even bigger. It crosses over Unser Boulevard, which is near the Unser Library.
“When you grew up in Albuquerque, especially during the era that I did, the Unsers are your heroes, plain and simple,” Garcia said. “I only knew Bobby later in his life, which was a benefit. He had calmed down a lot and had become very reflective in his later years. When you talked to Bobby, he made you feel like there was nothing in the world he would rather be doing. He made time for everyone.”
A crowd of about 1,000 attended Unser’s memorial service at Calvary including former IndyCar team owner Vince Granatelli, two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk and his wife, Mieke, and many other members of the racing community.
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