Carmen Mayorga Valenzuela

Carmen M. Valenzuela, 91 of Greenfield, Calif., passed away peacefully on Friday, April 24th, 2020, at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital. She was born July 16, 1928, in El Fraile Jalisco, Mexico, and had been a resident of Monterey County for 55 years.

She married at a young age to Juan Vasques Valenzuela and they began their life in Mexico. In 1962, they migrated to the U.S.A. to follow their dream for a better economic life. Their family continue to grow they had 17 children.

She was preceded in death by her husband Juan; her daughter Maria; her brothers, Luis, Francisco, Angel, and Mercedes Mayorga; her sisters, Juana De Haro and Sebastiana de La Torre. She has one surviving sister, Tomasa Avila.

At the time of her death, she had 10 surviving children with five daughters: Beatriz, Lydia, Maria (Ceci}, Hortenciea (Tencha}, Angie; and five sons: Salvador, Alfredo, Lauro, Ruben and Johnny; as well as 38 grandchildren, 93 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.

She always put her children and their family first but always welcomed others with open arms. She was the best cook/baker ever as her Tamales/Tortillas could be smelled for blocks. Her coffee was the best.

She was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. She attended and assisted with catholic retreats at the "San Pablo de Colores," sharing her passion of love for others. Also, she always looked forward to hosting her yearly posadas, which she hosted for over 20 years. She always looked forward for this day, especially making the Shepherd/Virgen Maria clothing for the posadas. She loved dressing her grandchildren and other children during her posadas. She loved parading around the city. She prayed her rosary daily for her family and the whole world, especially for all the sick.

She was a strong supporter of UFW (Cesar E. Chavez} in the 1970's. She saw the injustices and went on to classes for her citizenship, and she was proud of being a U.S.A. citizen. She took her voting profoundly serious. She would remind her children and grandchildren the importance of your voice being heard.

Published in Greenfield News · May 6, 2020