Mary M. Sanchez

Mary M. Sanchez, 83, passed away on Sunday, September 8, 2013 in Yuma, AZ. She was born on Sunday, October 6, 1929 in Esqueda, Sonora, Mexico.

Mary retired from Owen's Illinois as an inspector. She was a member of First Christian Church in Yuma.

Mary is survived by her daughter, Linda Gonzalez of Phoenix, AZ; sons, John Gonzalez of Bell, CA, Joe Gonzalez of Lakewood, CA, Jesse Calvillo of West Covina, CA and David Calvillo of Monterey Park, CA; sisters, Maria Moreno, Juanita Valladares and Josefina Ruiz; brother, Francisco Sanchez; 14 grandchildren; 24 great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Oscar Sanchez; son, Gilbert Calvillo; parents, Jesus and Juana Sanchez

Funeral service will be held at Funeraria del Angel on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 10am. Her final resting place will be at the Garden of Peace in Desert Lawn Memorial Park in Yuma, AZ.

Pallbearers will be John Gonzalez, Joe Gonzalez, David Sanchez, Jesse Calvillo, David Calvillo II and Mario Calvillo.

Johnson Mortuary Desert Lawn Memorial Park, 1415 S. First Avenue, Yuma, Arizona was in charge of funeral arrangements.

Maria "Mary" Jesus Montaño Sanchez was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Mary was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Mary would set about immediately to create it.

Mary was born at 2:00 AM on October 6, 1929 at home in Esqueda, Sonora, Mexico. Her parents were Jesus and Juana Sanchez. Mary was raised in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Mary was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Mary was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

The positive atmosphere that Mary generated spread to her family. Mary was raised with five siblings. She had her oldest sister, Maria and her younger siblings, Francisco, Juanita, Josefina and Oscar. Mary served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Mary was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

Family and children were important to Mary, even if she didn’t always show it. Mary was blessed with six children, five sons, Jesse, Gilbert, David, John and Joe and one daughter, Linda. They were also blessed with fourteen grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. Mary was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. Mary rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

At work Mary was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Mary was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Mary might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was a bottle inspector, she was employed for 25 years by Owens Illinois Glass Company.

Not only did Mary find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were her home and her garden.

No matter what the activity was, Mary had the ability to motivate others. She was something of a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list was baseball, she love the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mary lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. She was a member at the First Christian Church of Bell.

Mary was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Mary's favorites was a female mix shelter dog named, Pee-Wee. They were best friends for 15 years. Her family was rounded out by her 2 dogs, Penny and Shorty.

When Mary's retirement finally came in 1993, she was well prepared. Her new life involved relocating to Yuma, Arizona. In retirement, she found new pleasure in attending church. Always a well-informed person, Mary enjoyed adding to her wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded her the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer her.

Mary passed away on Sunday, September 8, 2013 at home with her beloved family. Mary fought a brave battle against cancer. She is survived by her children, Jesse Calvillo, David Calvillo, John Gonzalez, Joe Gonzalez and Linda Gonzalez; sisters, Maria Moreno, Juanita Valladares, and Josefina Ruiz; brother, Francisco Sanchez; 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren plus many nieces and nephews. Services were held at Funeraria Del Angel, 759 W. 28th Street, Yuma, Arizona. Mary was laid to rest in the Garden of Peace at Desert Lawn Memorial Park, 1415 S. First Avenue, Yuma, Arizona.

Mary Jesus Montaño Sanchez knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Mary was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.