Maria Refugio Tapia

Beloved wife, loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Maria Refugio Tapia, age 86, of Aguascalientes, Mexico, passed into God's hands from natural causes on June 2, 2016. Maria used her devout catholic faith to live a loving and caring life dedicated to her family; a life that serves as a wonderful example for all of her family and friends to model their own lives after. She was truly the best of us.

Maria (lovingly known as Cuca) was born June 24,1929 to Maria del Consuelo Richarte and Raymundo Guzman. She had 4 half-sisters. As a beautiful young woman in Aguascalientes, Maria was dating a boy that she would describe as a handsome, fun boy that was not well liked by her family. As Maria would tell the story, she liked this boy and did not want to meet the man from the United States that her family was bringing to meet her. However, with a smile, Maria would admit that this boy was easily forgotten when she was finally introduced to a handsome U.S. Army Veteran, Simon Tapia, a man that she would marry and love with all her heart until her last days. She married Simon on July 7, 1946 and they made their home in Pacoima, California. From their love they had six beautiful daughters. While pregnant with her sixth child, she desperately hoped for a boy. When the doctor handed her another beautiful baby girl, Maria wept and wept. The doctor asked what was troubling her because the baby girl was healthy and happy. Maria lamented that she desperately wanted to give her husband a son and she already had five daughters. Simon would interrupt and calm Maria’s emotions by assuring her that everything is ok, he loved his girls very much and he was not missing out on anything.

On top of raising her children, Maria worked for 29 years at the San Fernando Mission Seminary, cleaning all of the priests rooms. Maria even was trusted with preparing the room that Pope John Paul II stayed in during his visit in 1987. She was deeply loved by all of the priests she served and she took great pride in her work for them.

Maria was at her happiest when she was surrounded by her loved ones. These loving encounters with Maria would more often than not lead to Maria telling one of her many great stories. Maria was a wealth of family knowledge and would share this knowledge through her joyous stories.

Maria’s love for people ran deep. Each night she would walk the house praying her rosary and praying for each one of her loved ones. When she was not sending blessings through prayer, she was blessing the bellies of her loved ones by preparing the most delicious food, including, menudo, rice and beans (with grapes for Simon), tamales, fideo and more.

Maria was devout in her catholic faith and derived her strength from her faith. She would need every ounce of this strength as God would test her with a lot of sadness in her life. Maria’s faith helped her endure the loss of four of her daughters and her husband. There is no doubt that such losses took a toll on Maria, but she never lost her faith and always maintained a loving heart for those of her family who remained. All of those who were lucky enough to be loved by Maria can learn from the strength and love she showed through such hard times.

Although those of us left behind are hurting for our loss, this is truly a time to celebrate Maria’s reunion with her daughters and husband at God’s side. Maria is survived by her eldest daughter, Carmen Arroyo; her youngest daughter, Christina Scordia; seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.