Carmen Marquez Carmen Marquez passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, at Flagstaff Medical Center. Visitation for Carmen will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, at Greer’s Mortuary. Holy Rosary will be recited at 9:30 a.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Interment will be at Desert View Cemetery Carmen was born on Feb. 7, 1928 in Williams to Agripina Pacheco and Manuel Gamboa. Her mother passed when she was an infant from tuberculosis. She was raised with her three siblings and her single father until he passed in 1951. Carmen graduated high school in Williams in 1946. She married the love of her life, Russell Marquez in the same small town in 1950. They moved to California where they bought the house of her dreams. Her two sons (Mark and Steve) were born while they lived in California. She worked for Van de Kamps and then as a telephone operator. Later, they moved to Holbrook to help Russell’s uncle run their liquor store. The boys were bigger then and really active in sports, she was their biggest fan. In the 1960s they moved to Winslow where they ran the Casa Blanca for a few years and their daughter, Linda was born. They also bought and ran the Acapulco Café from 1966 to 1973. Carmen was a very active member of St. Joseph’s Parish and Catholic Daughters of America. She loved her church, her family and her friends. She loved to play games with the grandkids and her “girls” (and she loved to win!!). Her greatest joy was to be surrounded by her family and friends telling stories about her life and sharing whatever food she had prepared; she was the best cook. She spent much of her life at the ballfield, and after her husband, boys and grandkids were no longer playing she still watched the Diamondbacks on TV. Carmen is survived by her sons, Mark (Dee) Marquez of Winslow and Steve (Ana) Marquez of Rio Rico, Ariz.; daughter, Linda (Steve) Pyles of Las Vegas, Nev.; grandchildren, David (Juanima) Marquez, Mardi (Chris) Sanchez, Derrek (Jenny) Marquez, Darin (Kendra) Marquez, Dustin (Lyna) Marquez, Olivia Todd, Shannon (Jeremy) Sanchez, Vicki (Aaron) Schafer, Chris Hedges, Matthew (Jessica) Marquez, Steven Marquez, Nicole Avant, Gilbert Gallegos, Dean Sproule, Sara (Jason) Castiglione, Brendan (Chelsea) Pyles, Jordan (Cynthia) Pyles and Jade Pyles; and 30 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Manuel and Agripina Gamboa; siblings, Helen, Art and Jessie; great-grandchildren, Joshua and Jacob; and her husband of 64 years, Russell Marquez. Greer’s Mortuary of Winslow handled the arrangements.
