Just five months ago, Richard Ebelacker was crafting pottery as he prepared to take part in his 42nd Indian Market this year. The Santa Clara potter complained of back pain as he made new work for the event, but it wasn't until he visited his doctor May 26 that he received the shocking diagnosis.

He had cancer.

Less than a month later, at the age of 64, Ebelacker died. But his widow, Yvonne, and sons Jerome and Jason are preserving his memory by showcasing his work this year at booth 758 on Lincoln Avenue.

"I keep thinking about the things he would say, the things he would do while he was there," Yvonne said Saturday morning. She was his wife of 37 years, and since 1974 had come to Indian Market with him.

"He used to work so hard preparing that by the time he got to market, he was so tired," she recalled. "We both worked at Los Alamos National Lab, and our salaries paid the rent and groceries. Indian Market was a great way to give extras to the family — maybe buy a washer if we needed it."

Ebelacker was the grandson of famed Santa Clara potter Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001) and the son of potter Virginia Ebelacker. Both women influenced him to pursue pottery after he spent a tour with the Marine Corps in Vietnam in the late 1960s.

"A lot of people told him he did pottery just like his grandmother, but at the same time he had his own style," Yvonne said.

His first Indian Market was in 1968. Over the years, he won several Indian Market awards in both Best of Class and Best of Division.

His simply designed plates include animal paw prints; his bowls and pots often show a water serpent or what seems to be a concho belt circling the entire piece.

"He always knew if a pot was male or female," Yvonne recalled with a smile. "He would say to me, 'That's a little boy,' or 'This is a little girl.' Why he would say that, I have no clue."

An introvert with a wry, quiet sense of humor, Ebelacker did not enjoy the socializing aspect of Indian Market. "I used to do a lot of the talking for him when people stopped by to ask questions about his work," Yvonne said. "Then I'd turn to him and say, 'Huh, Rich?' and he'd answer, 'Yes.' "

Both of Ebelacker's sons are potters. "We were both inspired. Dad never forced it on us," Jerome said. "We understood that it was there if we wanted to do it."

"He'd tell me to put care into what I was making. I remember him saying, 'You may want it to come out of the oven a certain way, but the clay has a mind of its own.' "

Ebelacker was proud of his military service, his pueblo, his work and his sons and grandson (Jerome's son, Nickolas Dylen), Yvonne said. He also was quite fond of his dog, an Italian Mastiff called Gauge.

"He told me, 'A dog is always your friend. You never lose their loyalty,' " Yvonne said. Jason recalled how his father used to feed the dog a piece of bacon every morning.

But the dog ate nothing the week Richard was in the hospital — the last week of his life.

This year, the Ebelackers are offering some of the last works made by Richard. Next year, Yvonne wants to see the boys continue with their work at Indian Market.

"To him it was a legacy, passed down by his grandmother and mother, and to his sons, and to his grandson," she said.

Asked what she missed most about her husband, she thought for a moment and said, "His presence."

Jason said what he misses is "the caring."

"I miss him talking," Jerome said. "After he was retired, there was a time when I didn't have a car, so he'd drive me to work in Española (where Jerome works for Frank's Supply Company). We'd talk about everything or nothing.

"My Indian name is Standing Mist. Once, while we were driving, he pointed out some fog by the river, and turned to me and said, 'There you are, Jerome.' "

Contact Robert Nott at 986-3021 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com.