Name: Funeraria del Angel Restlawn
Address: El Paso, TX

From our dear Cousin Edna:

My beautiful Tia Lilly,
As I write this I am overwhelmed with emotion because  I  think she was the best thing in the Baca-Anchondo family. My mom was always the “goody two shoes” and my tia Licha was always the “stern -tough one” and Tono, well he has always been the fun loving crazy uncle we all love. But she, she was different. She had a little bit of all of them. 
As a little girl  she was my favorite cause she was so much fun—like Abuelito—all she cared about was making us laugh. And she made us laugh all right, even when she had to give us shots because our parents were too cheap to take us to the doctor.  She used to make me sing a song and before I knew it the shot was done and over with.  Even after Bill died, she still maintained her composure and was ever the beautiful, fun aunt I wanted to be. 
It wasn’t until I was much older, when I had my child, that I realized everything she had been through. This past year I got to know her like I never knew her. My mom would tell me stories about how my tia and her would fight like crazy over silly things and abuelita would have to step in to stop them.  She would tell me that my tia Lilly marched to the beat of her own drum and whatever abuelita told her, she did the opposite just to show her she was right. She told me stories about how my tia Lilly would challenge the cops to a  race just to prove she wasn’t speeding. or hang off the side of a delivery truck just to get a ride .  
Along with her adventurous side, she also had quite the temper. She was fiercely loyal and at the same time extremely independent—a trait I definitely get from her. Everything she did, she did for her sons. I know she may not have been the mother of the year but I’m telling you, she LOVED her boys. Everything she did, she did for her sons. As I said I didn’t really get to KNOW her as a friend until  the past year and a half but boy did I learn a lot.

Continuation from Edna:

Imagine having your husband in the hospital dying of cancer  and in same hospital, having your son there with a brain tumor.? Just imagine that? And two other sons at home she had to care for. Not easy right?  How about this. After her husbands funeral, she’s wondering how she’s going to provide for 4 boys when she only has $10 to her name? All this she told me when I had the chance to  actually be her friend and not her niece.  She would call me sometimes and her first words were—are you busy? If I said yes, then she would just tell me she loved me and hang up. I rarely ever did though because I knew she would do that. I enjoyed our conversations and loved her spirit. She told me stories about my mom that I never knew and appreciated because i know my mother would never tell me  just so that I would not judge her.  Talking to her made me understand the dynamics of that family and why they were so tough on us. She knew that whatever she did she did for her boys and that it was her way of giving them everything she couldn’t as a single mother. I feel so sad that I never got to spend more time with her as I know I could learn a lot from her but look forward to the day i see her again. So to everyone who knew her, thank you for accepting her for who she was and know that her intentions, in her mind, were for the best for her boys.  
Also, she cared deeply for Hugh and know he cared for her. You couldn't ask for a better partnership. Thank you to Hugh for loving her.
I love her very much and hope she knows that.



From our deer Cousin Edna:

My beautiful Tia Lilly,
As I write this I am overwhelmed with emotion because  I  think she was the best thing in the Baca-Anchondo family. My mom was always the “goody two shoes” and my tia Licha was always the “stern -tough one” and Tono, well he has always been the fun loving crazy uncle we all love. But she, she was different. She had a little bit of all of them. 
As a little girl  she was my favorite cause she was so much fun—like Abuelito—all she cared about was making us laugh. And she made us laugh all right, even when she had to give us shots because our parents were too cheap to take us to the doctor.  She used to make me sing a song and before I knew it the shot was done and over with.  Even after Bill died, she still maintained her composure and was ever the beautiful, fun aunt I wanted to be. 
It wasn’t until I was much older, when I had my child, that I realized everything she had been through. This past year I got to know her like I never knew her. My mom would tell me stories about how my tia and her would fight like crazy over silly things and abuelita would have to step in to stop them.  She would tell me that my tia Lilly marched to the beat of her own drum and whatever abuelita told her, she did the opposite just to show her she was right. She told me stories about how my tia Lilly would challenge the cops to a  race just to prove she wasn’t speeding. or hang off the side of a delivery truck just to get a ride .  
Along with her adventurous side, she also had quite the temper. She was fiercely loyal and at the same time extremely independent—a trait I definitely get from her. Everything she did, she did for her sons. I know she may not have been the mother of the year but I’m telling you, she LOVED her boys. Everything she did, she did for her sons. As I said I didn’t really get to KNOW her as a friend until  the past year and a half but boy did I learn a lot. (1 of 2)

My “Tia Lilly,” as we so fondly called her, was always very kind and caring to all of her nieces and nephews. She would call to check up on us and ask about our families. When we were young she was affectionate and always had lovely sentiments for us. I remember being so proud of the fact that she was the only aunt we could communicate with in English, having learned it at the Hotel Dieu School of Nursing in El Paso, TX. Her training as a nurse carried over to us kids. We could always count on her to give us our shots when we were sick; always with a gentle hand and using her gentle words, encouraging us to sing while she did her duty. But my fondest memory of my Tia Lilly is seeing how  she loved and cared for her four sons -Tony, Richard, Robert Lee, and Bill.  Being a widow at a young age, she worked hard to ensure that her sons were healthy, happy, educated and successful; always with a positive and joyful attitude, never griping nor complaining. They were her everything. 

I will miss you, Tia Lilly, and I will never forget you. Vaya con Dios and I will see you again someday.  

We love you,
Olguita , Ray and kids
Ray IV, Reuben, Ryan, Robert, Rosalie, Rebecca 

OBITUARY

Lydia B. Petty

July 20, 1942 – July 7, 2020

Funeraria del Angel Restlawn

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