June 02, 2021 Mary Vasquez, 68
Memorial Services for Mary Vasquez, age 68 of Lenox who passed away Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at the Lenox Care Center were held Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 3:00 PM at the Ritchie Funeral Home in Lenox. Memorials may be given in Mary’s name. Memories may be shared at www.ritchiefuneralhome.com. Arrangements were entrusted to the Ritchie Funeral Home of Lenox where we ‘Celebrate Life’.
Mary was born on August 2, 1952 in San Benito, TX. Her family lived in a 3 bedroom rehabbed warehouse. She was the oldest girl born to Jose and Hermenejilda Padilla. They were a large family that worked as laborers for farmers. Mary attended Rangerville Elementary School. It was where all children from FM RD 800 attended elementary. She did not make it far in school and eventually dropped out to help with the chores and her siblings.
As a teenager, Mary helped her parents by working as a laborer for farmers. They traveled as far as California to pick onions, cabbage, lettuce, radish, and parsley to help make ends meet. Mary also had many suitors. She loved the attention and her beauty was remarkable. She turned heads everywhere she went. She was always a cheerful and happy person.
She soon met Jose Vasquez who would soon come to be her husband. They both fell in love and were married shortly after. On November 3, 1972, Mary gave birth to Valeria Vasquez. She was a housewife and now a brand-new mother. She adapted very well and raised Valeria while Jose worked at the dairy plant. Ten years later Vanessa was born. Now they had become a family of four. She spent a great deal at her mom’s house with the two girls. Every weekend Mary packed her Cadillac with everything but the kitchen sink to spend the weekend at her mom’s house. It was always an eventful weekend. We would spend evenings full of song and dance. She would play old songs and dance to her heart’s content.
The girls soon grew up and made their own lives. Mary was not in a happy relationship. She made a complete 180 and left home to travel north. She packed up her stuff and ventured to Iowa with some other family members. She was soon hired at the local egg processing plant in Lenox, Iowa. There she worked as a breaking operator and began to make friends. It was very easy for her to make friends since she was always happy. She soon dropped a ton of weight and she began to turn heads again. In her mind, she was as free as can be and it was the second chapter in her life.
She made multiple male friends and embraced her freedom. She was very easygoing and always the life of the party. Everyone began to know her as “La Tia” which means Aunt in English. Essentially, she was everyone’s aunt in Lenox.
Mary had grandkids that she loved and adored. She would enjoy spending time with them as well as conversations over the phone. She had pictures of everyone that was important to her. She filled her heart with joy that came from family.
Eventually her passion to dance and take walks in town had come to a halt. Life happened and took a toll on her health. She was always happy in Lenox and never wanted to look back. Lenox had received her with open arms and it was the happiest time of her life. She never looked back. Her memory and the kindness of her soul will always be remembered and cherished by those she loved the most.
Till we meet again. Keep singing and Dancing!
