At age 3, she moved to El Paso, TX and lived in El Segundo Barrio until age 32. Rosa became a single mother of three daughters after fleeing domestic violence and bravely made her own path. As a teenage mother, she did not finish high school but went on to finish her GED and eventually earned her Associates Degree at El Paso Community College.
Rosa was a loving and dedicated mother, family member & friend. After her daughters were grown, she remarried at the age of 44. In 1996, Rosa began volunteering at the El Paso Center Against Sexual and Family Violence. She was proud to be a part of the CASFV; she was a passionate advocate for the survivors of violence in the border region. Rosa was among the first to get trained on and promote the VAWA, Violence Against Women Act, a law passed in 1994 that helped immigrant survivors of violence attain green card status. Rosa received a special award, in 2016, for 20 years of dedicated service to the CASFV. She remains the longest serving volunteer at the agency, at 24 years, after retiring in 2020.
Rosa is preceded in death by her parents, Carmen and Francisca Perales; her sister, Elisa, and her great grandchild, Josiah.
She is survived by her husband, Emilio Villalobos; her daughters Linda, Ivette Garcia, and Luna Rosa; her brother Jose “Melo”, sisters Martha and Angie; her grandchildren Krystle, Khadija, Andrew, Stephan, and Kayla; and her great grandchildren Jilyanna, Jeremia, Liam, Kyan, J’Angelo, and Jade.
Visitation will be from 5:00 pm to 10:00pm, with a rosary at 7:00 pm on Sunday, October 13, 2024 at Funeraria Del Angel Central, 3839 Montana Ave, El Paso, Texas 79903.
Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 am on Monday, October 14, 2024 at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, 408 Park Street, El Paso, TX.
In lieu of flowers, a box for donations will be available for CASFV at the funeral home in honor of nuestra hermosa Rosa, our beautiful mother with a heart like a flower, who will always love us and always be loved.
