Aurelia “Della” Ortega-Upshaw passed away on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, in Houck.
She was born on July 21, 1938, in Holbrook to Tomas Ortega Sr. and Isadora Garcia. Della came from a long line of native Southwestern ancestors as early as the late 1500s and 1600s, just in New Mexico. Her family originated from places such as Coimbra and Lisbon, Portugal, Greece, Genoa, Italy, the Canary Islands, Salamanca and Madrid, Spain, on to Mexico City, then from Spanish soldiers who arrived in Santa Fe, N.M., where some of them married Native American women. Her paternal side moved on to settle Concho, where her father met her mother Isadora, who was born in Concho, with her family ancestral roots basically taking the same routes as Tomas’ side. Her father had several sheep ranches from Concho to Holbrook and they eventually moved to Holbrook when the train station was finished in order to ship their wagonloads of wool back to the East coast. Della was one of four sisters who all live in Arizona, including Regina Ortega, Anna (Pat) Moya and Margaret “Margie” (Sam) Gunnels.
Her working career was spent with the Ortega family Indian arts stores in the New Mexico and Arizona areas, which she fully enjoyed as well as meeting new people. She had an exceptional work ethic.
Della’s heart was bigger than one could imagine, and her outlook on life was always positive and joyful. She did not have any enemies, and if you were low and feeling blue, she had a way with jokes to make you smile again. No family members will ever forget her Christmas green chili turnovers the red chili enchiladas she would make for each family.
Her main concerns in life were love, family and prayer. One relative stated that you can bet 110 percent that she is in Heaven with the angels, and an angel she surely was.
If you told her you loved her, she would say, “I love you more,” and when she told you goodbye, it was “Tootle loo!”
Survivors include her husband, Benny Upshaw of Gallup, N.M.; her only son, Angelo (Delphine) Upshaw; three granddaughters, Lynda, Christina and Kayla Upshaw; and one great-granddaughter, Ava Noel Gene. To have a great-granddaughter was such a blessing to her.
