Esperanza, an extremely caring and generous woman, was born on August 26, 1932 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Shortly following her birth, her parents Jose Teleforo and Maria moved to Denver and settled near Saint Elizabeth Church - now known as Auraria Campus. On September 10, 1950 she married Manuel Ruiz. Together they raised two sons, David and Samuel and two daughters, Linda and Gloria.
Esperanza, while waiting for Manuel to return from the Korean War secured their first property located in the Five Points/Cole area. Returning in 1952 Manuel and Esperanza purchased their second home located in Curtis Park where they remained to raise their children. Despite the challenges and turmoil inherent in this part of Denver, Esperanza never allowed adversity to rattle or rule her. Entering her home was much like walking onto the set of “Father Knows Best” with a few exceptions: Jane Wyatt never made tortillas nor did Robert Young slave away at Gates Rubber Co. saturated by the smell of latex.
Esperanza had a passion for flower gardening. Annually she carefully planted and curated annuals and perennials. Her favorite of course, roses. When she wasn’t in her own yard toiling the soil and carefully manicuring her plants, one could be sure that she was at City Park, Civic Center or local municipality taking photos of large flower beds. An avid collector of both current and past events, Esperanza was known (the result of using a VHS camera - the size of a small Boulder) as the channel 9 news lady. Her hundreds of recordings captured everything from family gatherings and weddings, to historical events such as a live recording of JFK’s motorcade down Champa Street, recordings of the O.J. Simpson trial, the life of Vicente Fernandez, 9/11 and everything in between.
Esper was preceded in death by her brothers Alejo, Felipe, Jesse, Francisco (Frank) and Moses. She is survived by her sister, Carmen and brother Abraham, her two sons and two daughters and 5 grandchildren, Carlos, Andrew, Kiya, Vanessa, and Michael.
