Paulita Bustamante Chavez

Paulita was born December 1, 1946 in Pearsall, Frio County, Texas, the daughter of Consuelo Bustamante and Florentino R. Briceño. She was the second eldest of eight children and was lovingly regarded by her younger siblings as a mother figure. Raised in a family of migrant workers, Paulita moved frequently picking potatoes, green and yellow onions, tomatoes, carrots, figs, peaches, grapes, and cotton across the states of California and Arizona.

Thanks to Former President John F. Kennedy’s 1964 Nurse Training Act, Paulita was able to attend Nursing School in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968, and earned her degree as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). She worked for several years at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

She married Juan Arriaga at a young age and, in the early 1970s, moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she raised her four young daughters as a single mother. Paulita worked tirelessly as a nurse at St Luke’s Hospital while also sewing on the side to support her family. She often told her daughters that while she could not provide many material things, she gave them something far greater—her faith and the example of a life devoted to serving God.

Paulita gave her life to Jesus in the early 1970s after her father unintentionally took her to an Apostolic church. Though it was not the church he had planned to visit, Paulita knew immediately she had found her spiritual home. She was baptized under Bishop Ismael Arellano and faithfully attended the Chicago Apostolic Church where she actively served as a Sunday School teacher. In 1978, she and her children moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

Paulita married Aurelio Antunez Chávez on August 1, 1987, at the Glendale Apostolic Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Together they welcomed another daughter and were married for 32 years until her husband passed away.

After her marriage, Paulita became a member of West Phoenix Apostolic Church, where she attended for 38 years until her last days. She was a Sunday School teacher whom everyone fondly remembers, requiring all her students to recite Mark 12:30 NIV before every class, and to memorize Psalms 23, and the 10 commandments before they graduated from her class.

She had a deep passion for teaching and caring for children and others, which led her to foster nine children and lovingly care for her elderly mother. She was also part of the Embracing Hope Ministry which sews quilts and commits to intercessory prayers for those in the community who are sick.

Paulita retired in 2009 after 32 years of dedicated service as a nurse with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital, receiving awards for the way she cared for her patients. In retirement, she remained active—spending time with family and friends, serving faithfully in church, and engaging in charity work. Paulita loved to teach, sew, embroider, garden, and make puzzles. Though, sewing was her ultimate passion. As a child she competed in several sewing competitions and won first place. Throughout her life she made wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, nursing scrubs, her entire wardrobe, and those of her daughters, and quilts for the Embracing Hope Ministry.

Paulita, partnered with her daughter Rita, volunteering with Hospice of the Valley and Mountain View Hospice since 2019 making over 500 face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, foley covers, walker bags, adult bibs, well over 1,000 heart pillows, rice heating pads, and blankets. It’s a tradition they started when her husband Aurelio passed way and they committed to passing these sewn creations out at or around his death anniversary in his honor.

Remaining to cherish Paulita’s memory are her daughters Juanita Perez, Rosie Rodriguez, Angie Arriaga, Gloria Fout (Robert Fout), and Crystal Rita Chávez; grandchildren: Estrella Arriaga, Vanessa Rodriguez, Gabriel Rodriguez, Aaron Arriaga (Alicia Martinez), Carina Fout, and Leianna Fout; and grandchildren: Alanah Arriaga, Aaron Arriaga Jr., Alexander Arriaga, Xzavier Madrigal, Gabriel Rodriguez Jr., and Sophia Rodriguez; brothers, Joaquin Rodriguez and Eulogio Rodriguez; sisters, Celia Martinez and Isabel Lagana; and several nieces and nephews, and their children.

Preceding Paulita in death are spouse, Aurelio Antunez Chávez; grandchild Amanda Perez; sisters, Juanita Rodriguez, Alma Vinton and Feliz Bustamante.

She was truly a nightingale nurse in life, a person who brought comfort and care through her gentle presence. Her life was a testament to faith, service, perseverance, and love. She is the reason why we know the Lord and have a solid foundation of faith and hope. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

Visitation will be held February 10, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at West Phoenix Apostolic Church. Memorial services to be held immediately after, with Dr. Eduardo Iglesias officiating. Interment will be at Abraham’s Garden at Greenwood Memory Lawn.