Carmen Jaurequi Quintanar entered into eternal peace Monday, December 15, 2014. She passed away peacefully at home, with her loving family by her side. A lifelong resident of Grant County, Carmen loved the area and the natural beauty it offers.
Visitation will begin at 4 pm on Monday, December 22, 2014 at Baca's Funeral Chapels followed by the prayer vigil and rosary beginning at 5 pm led by Dr. Gilbert Arizaga. The funeral liturgy will be celebrated at 9:30 am on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at St. Francis Newman Center Parish with Father Anthony Basso officiating. The rite of committal and interment will follow at Ft. Bayard National Cemetery where Mrs. Quintanar will be laid to rest with her husband.
She was a devoted wife and mother who loved her husband, children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends. Carmen was also a maternal figure to many of her younger siblings as well as many in her extended family, helping to provide an environment of love and caring for them. She was a trusted advisor to many people whose lives she touched. She was a great friend to many and enjoyed many lifelong friendships. Carmen Jaurequi was born on June 11th, 1930 in North Hurley to Juan and Luisa Jaurequi. From an early age, Carmen was a diligent worker who helped to support her family due to her father falling ill at a young age. Because of the need for additional support required by her family due to her father's illness, she stopped attending school after the eighth grade to work full time. She enjoyed many jobs she held, her favorite being a sales clerk at a record store in Silver City.
Carmen took an interest in photography at an early age and spent many hours taking pictures with her friends, leaving a treasure of photographs of her as and her friends as beautiful young women. Her family is blessed with countless, beautiful and treasured photographs that Carmen skillfully took with her Brownie cameras as well. Carmen enjoyed attending dances with her friends, and it was at a dance that she met her future husband, Alfred 'Chapo' Quintanar. Carmen married Chapo in 1952, and they continued to enjoy dancing together for many years.
She had a heartbreaking loss of her first child in infancy, but later had a son, Robert, three daughters, Susie, Jeanette and Diana, and another son, Gerard. She was a kind, gentle and loving mother to her five children, staying home as a full-time mother to provide them with a supportive environment. Carmen and her husband focused their attention on the education of their children by inspiring them and encouraging them to seek college degrees. In her 40s, Mrs. Quintanar, unfulfilled by her level of education, pursued and completed her Graduate Equivalency Diploma. This achievement was a testament to her determination to finish the education that she had to forego as a girl to support her family of origin.
She also learned to drive a car later in life, realizing a driver's license would make her self-reliant and better able to support her family's needs. She continued to drive after age 80. In addition to being a dedicated homemaker, Carmen was a kind friend to many whose lives she touched. She took great pride in her cooking, and was frequently sought after for recipes she had developed. She provided many homemade meals for friends and family members, and for a number of years she and her husband would host Thanksgiving dinner for as many as 30 family members, friends and neighbors. She also loved listening to music, gardening, and tending to her flowers.
Carmen will be remembered for her simple sophistication and her genuine kindness. She taught her children to be thankful and express gratitude for even the smallest act of kindness, and was a role model in this regard. She was extremely compassionate, inquiring as to the health and well-being of others even in her final hours. Carmen did her best to stay as healthy as possible, despite many health issues during her life. Although she was always kind and gentle, she was also a strong and intelligent woman who was an inspiration to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who benefitted from her loving guidance. Carmen was blessed by a close-knit circle of family members, friends, caregivers and neighbors whom she referred to as her 'guardian angels'. These individuals provided her with support and care in her later years, and for that, her family is eternally grateful.
Mrs. Quintanar is survived by her son Robert Quintanar and his wife Yolanda, her daughter Susie Gonzales and her husband Zeke, her daughter Jeanette Quintanar and her husband Michael Ballas, her daughter Diana Quintanar and her son Gerard Quintanar and his wife Diane Quintanar. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren, Christopher Quintanar and Shauna, Zekial Gonzales and Julie, Joseph Quintanar and Brandy, Nicolas Gonzales and Jenny, David Quintanar and Mandy, Daniel Chavez y Quintanar, Gabrielle Gonzales and George, Dominique Gonzales and Ahmed, Daniel Ballas, Alexandra Gonzales and Gabe, Marie Quintanar and Marc Quintanar. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren Anjelica Gonzales, Teresa Gonzales, Miranda Quintanar, Isaiah Gonzales, Deven Quintanar, Xavier Gonzales, Aidan Quintanar, Ethan Quintanar and Ava Quintanar. She is also survived by her sisters, Teresa Cervantes and Mary Archuleta and Arthur, and her brothers Ignacio Jaurequi and Celia, Jose Jaurequi and Consuelo, Francisco Jaurequi and Maxine and Alejandro Jaurequi and Patti, her sisters-in-law Mary Ann Jaurequi, Peggy Gomez and Ramon, Amelia Sandoval, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Quintanar is preceded in death by her parents, Juan and Luisa Jaurequi; her husband of 56 years, Alfred Quintanar; her brother Juan Jaurequi Jr.; her sister Anita Madrid and Vidal; her first-born child David J. Quintanar, her great-granddaughter Emilie Gonzales, her brothers-in-law Albert Quintanar, Cipriano Hernandez, Mayo Quintanar, Ernesto Quintanar, her sister-in-law Veronica Arias and Arturo, her niece Irene Triviso, her nephews Jose Jaurequi Jr., Alfred Madrid, and Eddie Joe Jaurequi.
Pallbearers will be the grandsons of Mrs. Quintanar. Honorary Pallbearers will be her nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Saint Francis Newman Center Building Fund.