Born on September 22, 1935 in Johnstown, PA daughter of Jose and Esther (Murillo) Prieto.
Preceded in death by her parents, siblings; Gilbert, Virginia, and Fred and her beloved daughter Gail.
Survived by her sister Sally and loving children Jean Balmes (Jim), Joe DiCastro, Allan DiCastro and Janet DiCastro; her grandchildren Elaina, Greg, Josie and Holly; her great-grandchildren Joshua, Jason and Matthew. Also survived by Jen Pagnini who was like a daughter to her and her beloved cousins the Murillo’s of Johnstown, PA.
She worked at and after 27 years retired from St.James Hospital in Chicago Heights, Illinois. She was devoted to her profession as a Registered Nurse and worked in the Emergency Room for the vast majority of her career. She loved the excitement of working in the Emergency Room and saved countless lives through her dedication to her job and to the field of healthcare.
She was proud of having learned so many of her skills, as a young woman, from the then newly offered nursing courses at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and later continued to earn additional degrees as a single mother raising five children.
She loved coloring, crocheting blankets, and watching westerns and classic movies (especially movies with Cary Grant and Fred Astaire). She also loved flowers and watching birds (especially cardinals) in her yard. Her lifelong love of all animals included her beloved cat Polly and her dog guardians and buddies: Lucy and Zoe.
She was proud of her Mexican heritage and we all loved hearing her tell stories about our family and her time growing up in Johnstown, PA. She continued to learn Spanish and was proud of her long daily/yearly streak of participation on DuoLingo.
Her family and friends will miss her dearly. She was strong in her Catholic faith and was devoted to praying the rosary regularly as well as holding a special devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
There will be no services at her request.
Interment will be in the Rosary Memorial Garden at St. Raphael Church in Englewood, Florida.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.6