Maria Pilar Arellano

Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Pear Park Baptist Church. Interment will be at 1 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado.

Survivors include two sons, Joe of Rifle, and Eugene of Clifton; one daughter, Rose Sandoval of Gypsum; 14 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and eight great great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions to HopeWest, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand Junction 81506.

Maria P. Arellano, passed away from natural causes in her home in Clifton, Colorado. She was 91 years old.

Maria Pilar (Sandoval) Arellano was born to Daniel and Mauvrelia Sandoval in Rio Lucio, New Mexico, a small village located between Taos and Española. She was the third of four children and her siblings were Reginaldo Sandoval, Ernesto Sandoval and Alice (Sandoval) Sherwood.

Maria's marriage to Salomon F. Arellano spanned 57 years, until his death on January 5, 2003. Although both hailed from two neighboring communities in New Mexico, they were not acquainted until they became pen pals during World War II, when Salomon served in the South Pacific. After the war, they met, fell in love, and married on January 26, 1946. Shortly thereafter they relocated to Minturn, Colorado where Salomon worked in the local mines. They later moved to Leadville, then Avon and eventually re-settled in Clifton for their remaining years. Their children included five sons and one daughter: Frank Arellano (survived by wife, Laura), Joe Arellano, Albert Arellano, Rosemarie Sandoval (husband Andy), Salomon Jr. and Eugene. María was blessed to have lived through five generations, including 14 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and 8 great-great-grandchildren. She also had close friends and neighbors who looked in on her over the years in the Grand Junction area.

Maria was preceded in death by husband, Salomon; parents, Daniel and Marvelia; siblings, Reginaldo, Ernesto and Alice; and sons, Frank, Albert, and Salomon Jr.

Maria's passions included keeping up with her immediate and large extended families across the country; she had an uncanny knack of remembering and relaying any new information to the rest of the family. Another passion was cooking. She was particularly fond of cooking green chile, tortillas, pies and biscochitos (anise cookies). She also enjoyed quiltmaking, and many of her loved ones felt fortunate to receive one of her homemade quilts. María Pilar was a truly exceptional, kind, funny, and beautiful soul who will be fondly remembered always.

A funeral service will be held in Grand Junction at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 22, at Pear Park Baptist Church with concluding service and interment at Veterans Memorial Cemetery.