Delia L. Arriaga was a modest woman, quiet and observant in her ways. She was trustworthy and traditional in her approach to her life and in her relationships. She was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew her. She was also a woman who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything she undertook. Realistic about life, she was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.
Delia was born on January 30, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois. Born to parents Emilio Adan Lerma and Delia Lerma and raised in Laredo, Texas. She was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve her well throughout her life.
Growing up in the Arriaga household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Delia was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and she was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Delia was raised with 7. Emilio S. Lerma, Josefa Mendoza, Rodolfo Lerma, Nevolina Rodriguez, Rolando Lerma, Alfredo Lerma, and Thelma Palacios. Delia was constantly involved in activities with her brothers and sisters. Delia and her siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but Delia was always consistently loyal to her family.
As a young child, Delia was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. She wasn’t pushy and never forced her way into games or other activities. Delia developed a variety of interests, though, and the things she enjoyed doing she did well. She was always curious about the world around her and was often eager to explore it. However, what Delia enjoyed most was simply playing card games and spending time with her many friends and family.
While her teachers and even her friends generally thought of Delia as being a serious person, she managed to have a pretty good time in high school as she made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. She enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Delia was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using her exceptional memory, she was able to learn much through observation. Delia always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though she could easily master any problem that might be presented to her.
Always considered to be a solid friend, Delia was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during her life. Since she disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw her own conclusions based on direct observation, Delia was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew her. She was committed to her friends and valued the trust she placed in them. It was not uncommon for Delia to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought her out for advice because she had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, she had many friends.
She took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it her total commitment.
Delia brought the same traditional values in her marriage to bear on how she raised her children. She was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in her dealings. She would always listen carefully and think things through before she acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Delia was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Delia was blessed with 8, Veronica Villareal, Iza Banda, Ricardo Sanchez, Eliazar Arriaga Jr, Irene Trujillo, Ricky Arriaga, Joe Arriaga, Aurora Arriaga.
Delia greatly enjoyed what she did for a living. She was a hard worker who expected the same in return from her co-workers. She was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Delia enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Delia was excellent at meeting deadlines. She was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Her primary occupation was a stay home wife and caregiver. Delia worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.
Delia liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into her hobbies, where she was very methodical in how she organized her activities and categorized things. Since she enjoyed her private time, Delia always tried to allocate a specific time for working on her hobbies. Playing Cards, Bingo, and watching sports. Delia was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.
Delia found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, she could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. She applauded those who won, and she enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find herself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Delia played Softball. She would watch her favorite sporting events whenever she got the opportunity.
Delia was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Delia’s favorites was Sochi, her daughters mutt.
Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Delia L. Arriaga. She was committed to living the life of a good woman who was both practical and trustworthy. She was committed to the traditional values that she upheld her entire life. She committed herself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around her. Most of all, she was committed to those she knew and loved.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Delia D. and Emilio Adan Lerma; son, Eliazar Arriaga, Jr.; daughter, Veronica Villarreal; brothers, Rolando Lerma and Alfredo Lerma.
She is survived by her beloved husband of 30 years, Eliazar P. Arriaga; sons, Ricky Arriaga (Rachel Arguelles), Ricardo Sanchez, Jr. (Tammy Sanchez), Joe Arriaga (Angela Arriaga); daughters, Iza Banda (Jesus Banda), Irene Trujillo (Tino Trujillo), Aurora Peralez (Roy Peralez); siblings, Emilio S. Lerma (Thelma Lerma), Josefa Mendoza (Victor Mendoza), Nevolena Rodriguez (Alex Rodriguez), Thelma Palacios (Salvador Palacios), Rodolfo Lerma and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A Visitation for Delia will be held Friday, March 4, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Brookside Funeral Home, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, TX 77039. A Rosary service will occur Friday, March 4, 2022 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, TX 77039. A Funeral Mass will occur Saturday, March 5, 2022 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Our Lady of St. John Catholic Church, 7500 Hirsch Rd., Houston, TX 77016. A Committal Service will occur Saturday, March 5, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM at Brookside Memorial Park, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, TX 77039.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brooksidefuneralhomelauder.com for the Arriaga family.
