Thelma Medina Mares

February 26, 2010, family and friends suffered the loss of our precious wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, Thelma Patricia Medina Mares. She was laid to rest on March 2nd in her beloved Arroyo Hondo. Thelma was born on April 03, 1953 to Francisco Tony Medina and Odila Maria Vigil Medina. She had great admiration for her parents. At an early age she dedicated her life to educating children, her faith and her church. She became a catechism teacher for Our Lady of Sorrows Church at a very young age so she could teach her younger siblings the importance of religion. She graduated from Taos High School in 1971. She married her beloved husband, Frank on August 18, 1973. Her most joyous days in her life were when her sons, Francisco and Jaime were born. She took great pride in her boys, Francisco for the caring, loving, compassionate man he grew up to be and Jaime (Vanessa) for the wonderful son and great father he has become. She adored her grandchildren, Daniel, Danika and Dustin James; she was an extremely wonderful grandmother. She received her Masters in Education in 2004. Her passion was working with children; she started her teaching at the Taos Elementary School where she was a librarian for many years and most recently a teacher at the Taos Pueblo Headstart. She loved her students and after being diagnosed with cancer on January, 2009 she was more worried about not being there for her students than herself. She had three brothers who precede her in death, baby Leonard in 1952, Moises on June 1, 1985 and Daniel on July 22, 2001 also, her in laws, Frank and Julia Mares. She was the third of ten children born to her parents. Her love for her family and friends was of most importance to her, her sisters, brothers, brothers in laws and sisters in laws had great appreciation for her, Berlinda and husband, Joe, Melba and husband, Bobby, Charlene and husband, Dean, Anthony and wife, Virginia, Moises, Daniel and wife, Brenda, Doreen and husband, Joaquin and Flavio, they considered her a blessing in their lives. Her caring in laws include, Patsy Padilla (Leo), Rose Sandoval (Henry), Betty Mares (Alonzo), Cecilia Martinez, David Mares, Lorraine Martinez (Don). She adored her nephews and nieces, Joella, Anthony, Joleen, Delaney, Contessa, Stacey, Avery, Andrea, Moises, Danielle, Noah, Joaquin Jr., Patricia, Reynie, Tony, Vanessa, Manuel, Miquela, Brian, Kevin, Joleen, Vanessa, Christina, Stephanie, DJ, Daniel, Francina, Feliz, Bella, Kiara Faith, Isaac, Savannah and Alyssa. Her godchildren, Felicia Cardenas, Ruben Gonzales, Julian Vigil, Erica Martinez, Letricia and Mario Lovato will forever miss her, as well as her many close cousins and friends, Regina, Lillian and Julia Vigil, Juana Jaramillo, Linda Gonzales, Joan Rodriguez, Larry and Doris Chacon, Mona Montoya and Carmen Lieurance. Rosary was recited March 1, 2010 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Taos. Funeral mass was held on March 2, 2010 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Arroyo Hondo. Interment was held at the upper Arroyo Hondo Cemetery. The family would like to express our appreciation to her husband, Frank, who took exceptional loving care of her, he was her angel on earth. Thank you so much for all your prayers, for attending her services, flowers, donations of money and food, her best friends for giving her the support and love they gave her during her life, her cousins who were always there in life and even after death, taking care of her home and not leaving till every dish was washed, Mountain Home Health Hospice (Pat and Glenda), Dr. Larry Schreiber, Father Kevin, Iwuoha, Deacon Romolo Arellano, Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Our Lady of Guadalulpe Church, Rivera Funeral Home (Tim, Kellie, Matthew, Marge, Frank, Amos), Edna and Tom Mares for the great dishes they took so much care to prepare and deliver to her, her special nurse, Felicia Cardenas, the Montoyas (Elsie, Gloria, Rebecca, Rachel, Mary Louise, Elias, Mona and Frances), Lori Serrano, Sandy Montoya, Paul Trujillo for the support you provided the family, Edmundo Jaramillo, the donors of the prizes for the raffles, Medina Sand and Gravel, Katrina Chavez (Chavez Fine Jewelers), Bea Vigil, Ben & Ernesta Maestas, Orlandos, El Taoseno, Sagebrush, Juana Jaramillo and Richard Chavez for the beautiful paintings, Spirits of Beauty, Window Pro, Mantes, Viola Silva, Fabie, Larry and Carol Trujillo, Nancy Crochet, Mercy Trujillo, Anna & Mildred Vigil, everyone who purchased raffle tickets, Celina Maldonado, Lydia Ortega, Flora Ortega, Angela Lewis, Jeanette Rael, Karen and Urbano Ortega, Letricia and Mario Lovato, Lori and Tom Medina, Ranchos Plaza Grill (Joe, Maria, Adam an Rae Medina), Socorro Trujillo, Mario Vigil, Joseph Trujillo, Jessica & Mark Abeyta, Brandon & Maxine Montoya, Yolanda and Steve Mares, Sylvia Mondragon and Christine Duran. We thank God for the gift of her precious life; she will be forever in our hearts.