Carmen was a Bilingual mom, Spanish and English, a single mom of five, one of them Navy, two of them Marines. She was an old school Catholic, who did what had to be done for herself, for us, and for others. She taught herself how to drive a car; she didn’t want to rely on others for her to be able to get around. She ran Pinks Bar and Grill in Passaic, New Jersey for over thirty years, in addition to being a Certified Nursing Assistant in New Jersey and Arizona for many years. She was a very strong-minded woman.
She enjoyed reading newspapers and paperbacks. Her hobbies included cooking, sewing, embroidery, knitting blankets, puzzles, all kinds of coloring books, traveling, camping, people and her family.
She always told us kids that her requirement was that we be able to cook, clean, sew, wash and iron, that she didn’t want us to rely on others to do for us. On a personal note she loved to dress up for a party, loud Mexican music, dancing and she loved to whistle. She was a collector and protector of pets; cats, dogs and birds. She took them in whenever she could.
Carmen is survived by her children; her daughter, Pearl Mahler-Jones, and her sons, Ralph and his wife Lori Johnson, Randy and his wife Colleen Higgins, Zane, and Ernest Christopher, nine grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and seven great great grandchildren, in addition to her many nieces and nephews, too many to list here unfortunately.
Family and friends are invited to a viewing on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 8 am followed by funeral service at 9 am; both are to be held at West Resthaven Funeral Home, 6450 West Northern Avenue, Glendale, Arizona. Carmen will be laid to rest at Resthaven Park Cemetery, nearby is her sister, Alice and mother Lupe.
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