Carmen A. Villarreal

At the age of 75, Carmen A. Villarreal, longtime Warden resident, passed awaay Thursday, June 24, 2004 at Sunbridge Care and Rehabilitation Center in Moses Lake. She was surrounded by her sons and daughters at the time of her passing.

Holy rosary will be prayed at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, 2004 at Kayser's Chapel of Memories. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 1, 2004 at Queen of All Saints Catholic Church with Father Ricardo Villarreal as celebrant.

Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens, Warden, Wash. Arrangements are in care of Kayser's Chapel and Crematory, Moses Lake, Wash. Viewing will be held at Kayser's Chapel of Memories on Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Carmen was born on October 3, 1928 in Congregacion Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to Faustino and Aurelia (Gonzalez) Aguirre. She married Tiburcio Villarreal in 1950 in Raymondville, Texas. After their marriage, they moved to Washington state, making their home in the Yakima area. They moved to Warden in the early 1970s.

She is survived by: her daughters, Cruz V. Martinez of Edinburg, Texas, Tina (Trino) Valdez of Moses Lake, Wash., Emily V. Campos of Warden and Carmen (Dan) Petty of Eltopia, Wash.; her sons Angel (Ana) Villarreal of Warden, Sgt. Reyes Villarreal of Moses Lake and Tiburcio Jr. (Haven) Villarreal of Moses Lake; brothers, Santiago Aguirre of California, Silvano Aguirre of Mexico and Senobio Aguirre of Mexico; and her sisters, Sandalia Gonzalez of California and Faustina Benavidez of Mexico.

She was preceded in death by two daughters, Florinda and Estefana, her husband, Tiburcio Villarreal, her parents and her brother, Guadalupe and her sister, Velia.

Carmen was the beloved grandmother of 14 grandchildren and great-grandmother of three.

Carmen was often called Grandma Muffins by her grandkids because of the wonderful muffins she baked for them. One of her greatest joys was of her grandkids lining up for Kiko (Kisses) Brigade and one by one the grandkids would come by and give her kisses and she would often be heard to say "Otro" which means one more.

Her greatest joy were her children and grandchildren. She loved to garden and to tend to her roses. One of her proudest moments was when she became a naturalized citizen in 1996. One of the things about Carmen was that it was very hard to make her angry because it was not in her nature. She never complained about her aches and pains, even during some of her illnesses.

She leaves behind a grieving but grateful family, who were ever so happy and blessed to have had her with them as long as they did. She will be truly missed but never forgotten.