Elvira Arizaga Aramburo Araguz was born December 6, 1936 in San Francisco del Oro, Hidalgo District, in the state of Chihuahua Mexico. She was born to Fidel Arizaga and Maria de Pilar Aramburo (Mares), a citizen of Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico.
Elvira, or Vera as she was known to family and friends, was adopted as a young child by Maria de Concepcion (Concha) Hernandez, affectionately known as Tita, and took her name. The two traveled to the United States in May of 1945. They initially settled in the community of Sonora, Arizona but eventually moved to Miami, Arizona. It was in Miami that Vera spent the majority of her childhood.
Vera married Albertano Araguz in San Antonio, Texas on October 6, 1955. Their family consisted of Ronald (Linda); Joel Jay, Angelica Ann Clark (Terry), Eduardo (Gina), Steven, and Shawn. Because “Tano” was serving in the Air Force, they moved frequently and lived in San Antonio, Michigan, the Philippines, Oklahoma, McAllen, Tx, Arizona, and California. When Tano retired from the Air Force, they settled in Austin, TX.
Vera was preceded in death by her adopted mother, Concepcion (1986), her husband Albertano (1997), her birth mother Pilar (2000) and her daughter Angelica (2022).
Vera’s siblings include three sisters Amparo (deceased), Socorro (deceased), Irene and a brother Rafael.
Vera was also blessed with six grandchildren. Adding to her family tree were nine great grandchildren.
Vera will always be known for her fierce commitment to her family and tenacity toward everything she encountered. Always an extremely hard worker, she gained her education while raising her family and working full time. She played softball (pitched) with all the determination of a teenager, and could sing Volver-like no one else, never missing a note or lyric. Her red chili menudo was like no other as many of her kids’ friends can attest to.
