Carmen Rosa Palacios

Having emigrated from her birth country of Ecuador in the late 1960s, Carmen was from a very small, rural area known as El Morro. She was born to parents, Paulina and Nicolas Molina, and was one of 12 siblings. In her early 20s, she met and married her predeceased husband, Pablo Palacios, and together they shared 2 children; son, Bolivar Onofre (by whom she was, unfortunately, also predeceased) and daughter, Rosa Maria.

Carmen's very humble beginnings served as the foundation that would be necessary to become the steadfast matriarch her family here, in the US, would need. From the time she arrived to this country, until 2022 when she and Rosa made West Orange their new home in order to be closer to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she lived in Jersey City and briefly worked as a seamstress in a garment warehouse, before leaving this work in order to assist Rosa and predeceased son-in-law, Cesar, with the raising of their 4 children.

As a tribute and show of gratitude for all that she endured during the first half of her life, Carmen spent the second half being adored and celebrated by her family, and all those around her. There was no one that she met that did not love her beautiful, warm smile, and her loving nature, especially with regard to children. She was shown nothing but love from everyone she encountered and, as a result, became affectionately known as "Abueli" (an endearing form of "Grandma" in Spanish) by anyone she met.

After a 3 year battle with Alzheimer's, surrounded by her daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, Carmen brought her journey in this life to an end on the evening of Friday, January 26th. We find comfort in knowing she was welcomed by her large family, gone before her, into the gates of Heaven and all its glory.

Carmen is survived by 2 siblings, Rodolfo and Cesar, her daughter, Rosa Maria, 8 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren.

A visitation for Carmen will be held Wednesday, January 31, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Quinn Hopping Funeral Home, 145 East Mount Pleasant Ave, Livingston, NJ 07039. A funeral mass will occur Thursday, February 1, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 103 S. Center Street, Orange, NJ 07050.