Lupe (Mitzi) Cruz

Lupe (Mitzi) Cruz, 87, passed away Wednesday, May 22, at 12:35 a.m. peacefully, with her loving family at her side. She was born Sept. 25, 1936, in Fairmont City, Ill. As a child she went to school in Cle Elum. She then moved to Yakima until she married Henry Zarate Sr. Later in life she married Pedro Serrano. 

Lupe is survived by her brothers, Johnny Cruz (Jane) and Dennis Barbeau; sisters Mary (Linga) Vielmas (Jose), Josephine Manley and Patricia Brogan; daughters Mary (Baby) Zarate, Margie Rodriguez (Carlos) and Kathy Zarate (Eddie); grandchildren Tom Zarate (Celinda), Shawna Garcia, Melissa Nimley (Sateah), Christina Garcia, Jason Zarate (Gina), Channel Enriquez (Clarence), Chalissa Badley, Kathleen Badley, Jessica Hayworth and Blake McDougall; 18 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. 

She is preceded in death by her parents, Toribio and Martha Cruz; her brothers, William (Memo) Cruz, Jack Cruz Jr. and Frank Cruz; her sisters, Mary Lou Cruz, Sally Cruz and Ruth Cruz; her son, Henry Zarate, Jr. and her first husband, Henry Zarate, Sr.

In her early years, Lupe loved to listen to Mexican music and frequently attended Mexican dances. When she moved to Moses Lake, she was a stay-at-home mom until her children were all in school. She then worked hard to help provide for her children. One of her biggest hobbies was gardening. You could find her almost daily working in her garden and pruning her flowers. 

Lupe was a daddy’s girl and enjoyed traveling with her dad when she was young. She later cherished the times she was able to spend traveling with her children and grandchildren, seeing the sites, and visiting family across the country in the camper. 

There will be a rosary at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Moses Lake on Tuesday, May 28, at 5:30 p.m. Viewing will be Tuesday, June 4, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home in Yakima, Washington. Funeral services will be June 5 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Yakima, with burial immediately following at Terrace Heights Memorial Park in Yakima.

    Lupe (Mitzi) Cruz, 87, passed away on Wednesday, May 22 at 12:35 a.m. peacefully, with her loving family at her side.