Mary Pena

Our beloved Mary passed into the arms of our Lord on Friday, June 10th, 2022.  Mary was born to Catalino and Onofre Chavez at Las Norias Ranch, and was raised at the Chavez ranch and in Santa Fe.  She grew up in a home rich in faith and love with her siblings; Clyde, Ray, Willie, Cristobal, Lupe, David, Buck, Adrian, Tommy, Linda and Grace.  All who knew Mary were familiar with her kindness, her humor, her loving nature, her strength, her originality, and most of all, her absolute faith in God.  She was, and always will be, an inspiration to all of us.  Mary was truly talented in so many ways.  As a teen she was on the basketball, swim, and cheer teams.  She loved riding horses and spending time outside in nature.  She was an accomplished seamstress who sewed for her family, and she created altar cloths and dressings for the many churches for which she was a devoted majordomo and committee member.  As a librarian, she shared her love of books and learning with countless children at St. Anne School.  As a Eucharistic Minister, she distributed communion to the homebound and those in nursing homes.  Everything she did was done with joy and a lightness of spirit that was infectious.  She raised her five children (Berta, Angela, Sandy, Laurene and Mike) together with her lifelong sweetheart, her husband of 60 years, Claudio.  Her grandchildren (Daniel, Estevan, Catalina, Cayetano, Santiago, Isaiah, Jolene, Joseph, Melissa, and Adam) were the light of her life, and she was so proud of each of them.  She is preceded in death by numerous members of the Chavez, Baca, and Peña families, and is survived by many, many family and friends that love and cherish her.  Mary was a true original, the matriarch of her family, a one-of-a-kind person who was brave, strong, and full of character, love, and life.  We miss her more than words can explain, and she will be in our hearts forever.  Funeral services will be held at St. Anne Parish (Rosary 9:00 am, Mass 10:00 am) on Tuesday, June 21st.  Burial will follow at San Antonio Cemetery, Los Cavos, NM.