Margarita Castro

      Margarita was born on January 22, 1916 in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. She was the daughter of Jose Cuen and Maria Tapia de Martinez. Margarita grew up in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico.

      Margarita was raised with eight siblings. She had eight sisters, Nacha, Consuelo, Estella, Elena, Matilde, Julie, Trini and Carmen. Margarita was usually involved in all sorts of activities with her siblings. She and her siblings experienced rivalries typical of a growing family, but they shared many life experiences over the years.

      As a young girl, Margarita had a number of interests. Like most children, she enjoyed playing and making up games. She was curious about the world around her and was often eager to explore it. Margarita was an active child who took part in basketball, boxing, horse rodeo racing tricks with horses. She was a beauty queen de la Feda del Colbne. In her spare time she liked to dance and play basketball. Margarita's memorable achievements included being a beauty queen, having her kids and grandkids, the pride of being a 5th generation. However, to Margarita, the most fun to be had was simply playing and spending time with her friends.

      Always considered a “good” friend to those she knew, Margarita enjoyed a broad group of acquaintances and several very close friends during her lifetime. While growing up, some of her best friends were all her sisters.

      On December 16, 1956 Margarita exchanged wedding vows with Gerardo Castro, Jr. at church of El Palma, Mexico. Empathic and loyal, Margarita was committed to making her new family happy.

      Margarita worked hard to be a good mother to her children and she did her best to fulfill their needs. Margarita was blessed with five children, one daughter, Blanca Julia and four sons, Humberto, Ariel, Alonso and Elmer. Another blessing for Margarita was the gift of 10 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and 7 great-great-grandchildren, Geraldine, Patti, Carlos, Lorenzo, Margo, Lorena, Ariel, Kim, Lisa, Tyler, Eric, Paul, Andy, Adriana, Valerie, Alex, Will, Vanessa, Carlos, Rochelle, Amber, Stephanie, Krystal, Heather, Daniel, Sydney, Cameron, Eli, Roman, Carlos, Samantha and Roxann.

      Fortunately, Margarita enjoyed what she did for a living. Showing a strong work ethic, Margarita worked diligently and did her best to succeed in her career. Her primary occupation was cooking. She was employed for she started cooking at a very young age. Margarita always sought to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Margarita enjoyed her leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were collecting elephants, liked dolls, used to crochet blankets, tables clothes. Her passion was gambling. She was content to enjoy her favorite pastimes alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.

      Margarita found pleasure in sports. In high school, Margarita played basketball and baseball. She loved all sports. Margarita was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite events whenever she had the chance to do so.

      Margarita was a woman who took pride in upholding her beliefs. So it is little wonder that she took an active role in her community, She loved to be with family, especially her sisters. She was involved with her friends from the apartments.

      Margarita’s faith was important to her. She enjoyed going to any church with her friends especially any church Lilian and the bus would take them.

      Though she never set out to gain individual recognition, Margarita was given accolades for her many and varied accomplishments throughout her life. Some of her most prestigious awards included being the Queen for the City of Cananea.

      Margarita enjoyed traveling and time away on vacations. It was a chance for her to renew and relax, to visit new places and experience new things. Favorite vacations included anywhere there was a casino.

      When Margarita’s retirement finally arrived in 1985, she was well prepared. In retirement, she found new pleasure in riding horses at age 55. At 87 years old she rode motorcycles. She loved gambling. That was her passion. Even in retirement, Margarita continued to stay in touch with her old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. Margarita was active in her new community and felt fulfilled with the opportunities retirement offered her.

      Margarita passed away on November 9, 2011 at Kindred Hospital in West Covina, California. She is survived by all of her loving family. Services were held at St. Martha's Catholic Church. Margarita was laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery in Montebello, California.

      Simply stated, Margarita was a good and kind person, an individual who will for all time be remembered by her family and friends as being a caring and giving person, someone who was a vital part of their lives. Margarita leaves behind her a legacy of life-long friendships and many cherished memories.