Josephine Arzola

Funeral services will be held on Friday, February 27th, 2026 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, 901 Avenida Cesar E. Chavez, Kansas City, Missouri 64108. Visitation is at 9:00 a.m., with the rosary being prayed at 10:30 a.m., followed by a Catholic Mass service at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be in Forest Hill/Calvary Cemetery, 6901 Troost Ave. Kansas City, Missouri 64131. Reception at 2:00 p.m. will be held back at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine following the burial.

Josephine was born on July 6th, 1933 in Armourdale, Kansas City, Kansas to Apolinar and Marie Perez. Josephine loved being with her family. She was married to her beloved husband, Leopold H. Arzola, for over 67 years. She was a dedicated mother and grandmother to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Josephine was also passionate in her faith and in her prayer time.

One of her favorite pastimes as a child was traveling on the train to visit her loving grandparents in Manhattan, Kansas. Josephine loved traveling together with her husband on the Amtrak train to visit their daughters and cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Covina, CA, and Chicago, IL, whom they couldn’t get enough of.

Josephine loved listening to music and dancing. Her and Leopold’s special song is "Sabor a Mí", and one of her favorite artists was Luis Miguel. Classic R&B, Ranchera, Cumbia, Tejano, and Románces were favorites of her and of her loving lifelong dance partner husband, Leopold. Back in the day, they were known to “cut a rug” at family celebrations and Mexican dances. You could always catch her dancing in the kitchen while cooking her delicious Mexican specialties.

Josephine had a creative spirit. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, teaching them how to craft. Whether it was making Valentine’s, confetti eggs for Easter, or handmade garland for Christmas, she made each holiday, special occasion, and everyday moment magical and fun.

Josephine attended school up until the 7th grade, until she entered the workforce to help support her family. Years later, she became a bilingual teacher's aide, which she loved doing, for some 20+ years, for the Kansas City, Missouri, school district. Making many of her own teaching materials, she genuinely helped many children learn English as a second language in the bilingual ESL program.

Josephine was preceded in death by her parents, Apolinar and Marie Perez; her cherished daughter, Cecilia “Cissy” Tebeck; sons-in-law, Scott Tebeck and Ramon “Sonny” Estrada; and siblings, Amelia “Emily” Castro, Cecilia Perez, Tony Perez, and Thomas Perez. She is survived by her loving husband, Leopold H. Arzola; cherished daughters, Catherine “Cathy” Estrada, and Rita Arzola; sisters, Margaret Orozco and Frances Alonzo; grandchildren, Nastasia Tebeck, Alexandra Tebeck(fiancé Nick), Cassandra Tebeck, Tony Estrada, Gina Trujillo(Ricky), and Michael Estrada(Natasha); great-grandchildren, Annabelle Estrada, Jacob Estrada, and Lucy Trujillo.

The family wishes to thank Saint Luke’s Home Healthcare, Spectrum Home Healthcare, and Apple Orchard Hospice for the loving care they provided for Josephine.