Carmen Tellez

Carmen Mora de Tellez was born in Chiapas, Mexico on January 28, 1925; she was one of four children. As a young child her family moved to San Jose Ojetenam, Guatemala where she lived until the age of twelve, when her mother passed away, her aunt Margarita continued to watch over her.

At the age of 15, Carmen moved to Mexico City, Mexico to find work. She was able to find a job as part of a servant staff for a wealthy mexican family; Carmen was the youngest of all the workers. The family she worked for treated her like a member of their family. Carmen believed they had a positive impact on her as a person because they not only taught her about life in general but also taught her to read and write.

Carmen remained in Mexico City until 1956 when she moved to Tijuana B.C. There she eventually met and fell in love with her future husband, Francisco Tellez. They had a daughter, Alicia, followed four years later by their son, Jose. Carmen was a stay at home mother while Francisco worked in San Diego to provide for the family. In search of a better life and better opportunities, Carmen and Francisco immigrated to the U.S. and established residency in San Diego, CA in 1968.

Carmen placed a great deal of importance on the education of her children. She knew that having a strong educational foundation would serve her daughter and son well in the future. Francisco and Carmen worked tirelessly to ensure their children had a Catholic school education. Carmen was extremely proud when Alicia and Jose completed their formal education and received their college degrees. Carmen also always encouraged Alicia and Jose to expand their horizons and try new activities. As a result Alicia studied ballet, played the guitar, and became a member of the church choir. Jose was an alter server in church and played baseball, football, and wrestled. Carmen was very supportive of her children; she always made it a point to be present at every function or event her children participated in.

Carmen's faith was also important to her and soon after coming to San Diego she became an active parish member of Our Lady of Angels. Carmen and Francisco volunteered their time and personal experiences to young couples during church organized marriage retreats. Carmen would often be found volunteering her time during church events, fund raisers, and church celebrations. For Carmen, it was important to give back to her parish and to her community.

Carmen's generosity went beyond her church. Because of her own personal struggles and challenges, Carmen made it a personal mission to help others. It was not uncommon for Carmen to provide shelter, clothes, or money to struggling families. Often, Carmen would find employment for those individuals, asking nothing in return. Many of the people Carmen helped became like family and she was close to them. One particular individual Carmen helped was Jesus Rosales; he was like a son to her and he looked after and cared for Francisco and Carmen as they aged. Jesus "Chuy" is an important part of the Tellez family.

After retiring, Carmen and Francisco enjoyed taking care of their grand children: Paulina & Diego and Francisco & Naomi. All the kids enjoyed staying with their grandmother; as all grandparents do, she spoiled all of the grandchildren.

Carmen enjoyed attending family get togethers, weddings, baptisms, gatherings in general. She loved being around people and it was important for her to maintain her relationships with her family and friends.

Carmen also enjoyed traveling. She was very fond of Ensenada and the family went down there often. In 2006, Carmen had the opportunity to visit her family in Chiapas and Guatemala.

Carmen was preceded in death by her husband, Francisco (January 2007). She is survived by her children Alicia Tellez-Alcocer (husband-Dario), Jose (wife-Michelle) and Jesus Rosales. She is also survived by four grandchildren: Paulina Alcocer, Diego Alcocer, Francisco Tellez, and Naomi Tellez.