Maria Luisa Esparza
Maria Luisa Esparza passed away Monday, April 21, 2008, in Othello.
She was born in Brownsville, Texas on Jan. 9, 1920, to Alfredo and Inocente Villarreal, one of 10 children. The family lived in the Brownsville area, while also working as migrant laborers, following crop harvest.
Maria married Gregorio Esparza on Sept. 14, 1936, in Brownsville. After their marriage, the couple lived in Brownsville, while he worked at the nearby Air Force base during World War II. They brought their family to Washington State in 1950, settling first in Sunnyside. They later moved to Moses Lake in 1952, and made their home in Othello in 1960.
Gregorio and Maria were married for 46 years.
Maria was a loving and caring wife and mother, who worked very hard to do the best for her family. She raised her 12 children with an unconditional love. She taught her children and grandchildren to grow and accept themselves for the special individuals they were.
She loved music, dancing, cooking, baking and gardening. She also enjoyed her soap operas, especially, "The Young and The Restless," and seldom missed an episode.
She also had an affinity for hats and loved working word search puzzles.
Maria had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed talking and sharing stories with her family and friends.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Othello.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Gregorio, in 1983, her parents, four brothers, three sisters and four grandchildren.
She is survived by her children: Lidia Lopez of Othello, Armandina "Mandy" (Juan) Garcia of Othello, Ofelia "Opie" (Glen) Walker of Warden, Emestina "Tina" Decker (Alan Bartelheimer) of Othello, Delia (Jose) Cantu of Othello, Gregorio (Florinda) Esparza, Jr., of Othello, Elvia (Herman) Perez of Othello, Jorge Esparza (Debbie May) of Othello, Geronimo Esparza of Othello, Arturo "Barney" Esparza of Othello, Ninfa (Daniel) Hilmes of Othello, and David Esparza of Othello, 36 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, a sister, Inocente Garza and a brother, Alfredo Villarreal, both of Texas.
A visitation will be held at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Othello on Thursday, April 24, beginning at 4 p.m. Holy Rosary will be prayed Thursday at 6 p.m. at the church. Funeral services were Friday, April 25 at 1 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial followed at Bess Hampton Memorial Gardens in Othello. Services are under the direction of Stevens Funeral Chapel in Othello. To view the guestbook and leave a message for the family go to stevensfuneralchapel.com. Memorials are suggested to the Diabetes Foundation care of Stevens Funeral Chapel.