Letty Arredondo Benitez

Letty Benitez, 64, passed away peacefully with family on December 23, 2022. Letty was born in El Paso, Texas to Antonio A. Arredondo, Jr. and Maria Elena Hernandez Arredondo. Letty is preceded in death by her grandmother, Guadalupe Hernandez, her Uncle Silvino (Chivi) Hernandez and her father, Antonio A. Arredondo, Jr. She is survived by her husband, Tony Benitez, her mother, Maria Elena Hernandez Arredondo, her brother, Tony Arredondo, III, (Jill), her sister, Loretta (BooBoo) Arredondo, her three nieces, Alyssa, Isabella, Jessica and extended family. Letty lived in various cities while she was growing up because her father was in the Marine Corps. She graduated from Bel Air High School in 1975, where she played Clarinet in the Bel Air Varsity Marching Band, Member of the French Club and French National Honor Society, Who’s Who Among American High School Students and the Aberdeens Club. She attended the University of Texas at El Paso, pursuing a Nursing Degree. Letty also served as a Junior Auxiliary to R.E. Thomason (UMC) Hospital. Letty started working at State National Bank in 1980, where she met the love of her life, Tony Benitez. Since her father and brother were known as Tony; she chose to call Tony Benitez, “Anthony” and asked her family members to call him Anthony as well, to help distinguish them. Sometimes it was funny when someone heard Letty call him Anthony. They wondered who Letty was referring to until they realized that Anthony and Tony B were one in the same. Letty and Tony started dating in 1981. They dated for over two years before getting married on December 10, 1983, where they slow danced to their wedding song “One on One” by Hall and Oats. Letty was a very intelligent woman and great with numbers. She decided to leave State National Bank and she started her own bookkeeping and tax business in 1990. In December, 1994, Tony and Letty were at a networking event and Tony saw an old high school friend who was a Mary Kay Cosmetics Beauty Consultant. She wanted to meet and invite Letty to a meeting. The rest was history. Letty started her business in 1995 as a Beauty Consultant. She then became a Senior Consultant, 1996, Star Team Builder, Jun. 1997, Team Leader, Nov. 1997, Independent Sales Director, 2000 and a Senior Independent Sales Director in Jan. 2010 when she sponsored a Male Independent Sales Director and Car Driver. Letty earned the free use of 5 different Cars. Her unit of women and men were called “Letty’s Leading Legends.” Letty was on fire and a dynamic leader! She achieved over $100,000 Unit Club for Four Years, Received Miss Go Give Award, 2000, and Received Most Improved Director, 2005, a Gold Medal Winner twice, Star Consultants for 42 Quarters.

She attended Mary Kay Diamond Seminars in Dallas and many Sales Director meetings throughout the USA. Letty really blossomed thru her business and found what she really loved to do in life and was great at it. Her sister often said that in Letty’s younger years, she was very quiet and dressed in conservative colors. But as time passed, Letty became more assertive and was a wonderful and motivating speaker. Letty transformed and loved leopard and other wild animal prints. She always had a smile on her face, laughter on her lips and her positive energy was contagious. She was a very happy, caring, considerate person who was undoubtedly selfless. She loved to speak with and encourage other women about their skincare and she loved empowering them to be all that they could be and then some. She was also a member of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce where she sponsored a Café Pan Dulce in 2019, a Celebrity Waiter Volunteer for Hospice, a Volunteer for the Humane Society of El Paso Telethon, appeared as a Model in the 2005 Hospice Calendar and was a YWCA Leadership 2005 Class Graduate. She was nominated by the El Paso Chamber and was awarded the Regional & Home Based Business Champion of the Year in 2013 by the Small Business Administration (SBA). As a member of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI-USA) El Paso, she was a Young’s Women’s Division (YWD) and since she played the Clarinet, she became a member of the Fife and Drum Corps, a Byukuren helping members at meetings and performed the Japanese Tea Ceremonies at a various Weddings. She went to conventions in Hawaii, New York and Tokyo, Japan where she met Tony’s relatives. When she wasn’t working, she loved to go to the movies and go dancing. Disco and 80’s music was her favorites to listen and dance to. She loved traveling especially to Las Vegas to see the shows and a Cher Concert. She enjoyed going to the Plaza Theater to see plays like The Producers, Wicked and The Jersey Boys along with interviews with Al Pacino, Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross. Before COVID hit hard in March 2020, She went to see Cher and KISS Concerts at the Don Haskins Center. Sometime ago, a friend of Tony’s asked him if Letty would be interested in interviewing as the El Paso Estate Planning Council Administrator on a part-time basis. Tony encouraged her to apply; and she could still continue her business. She started in 2003 and has continued to do so for the past 19 years helping the organization, all the members and supporting each President every year. A few years ago, Letty’s mother started to need assistance at home. Letty, her little sister and Yvette, Caretaker/friend worked shifts to care for her. Letty was able to balance her mother’s home healthcare full time, all while managing her Mary Kay Business as well as The El Paso Estate Planning Council responsibilities. While growing up, Letty always liked Pekingese dogs and had two before she was married. She was able to have three more while she was married. A few years ago, she became very interested in rescuing dogs in the El Paso area. She made friends with Karen Washington, President of Pawsitive Rescues. On her off time Letty would go pick up dogs and deliver them to safety. She ended up rescuing two dogs and adopted them, one is a Pekingese. We would like to request that in lieu of flowers, please honor Letty by making donations to the Pawsitive Rescuers and the Humane Society of El Paso, both are 501 (c) (3) to continue her love of animals.

Letty touched many lives. She will be greatly missed by family, friends and those who met and knew her. She was an inspiration to all, always with a smile on her face.

Many elderly will be in attendance at Letty’s memorial; and wearing a mask would be appreciated.

A Buddhist Memorial Prayer Ceremony with an offering of incense and reading of scriptures will be held at 6:15 pm Thursday, January 19, 2023, at Funeraria Del Angel Central, 3839 Montana Avenue.

A Celebration of Life Memorial will follow at 7:00 pm, Prayers by Chaplains. Open to Memories and Eulogies.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.FunerariaDelAngelCentral.com for the Benitez Family.

View the Leticia Arredondo Benitez Tribute Movie at www.dignitymemorial.com.