Carmen Suarez of Portland, Oregon passed away peacefully in her sleep at home with her family on June 1, 2021. She passed at the age of 68 after a long struggle with diabetes and kidney disease. She is with God and is now pain free, reunited with her family in Heaven.
She was born in 1953 to Hector Suarez and Carmen Wong in Lima, Peru. She moved to Salt Lake City with her parents at the age of 5 and graduated from East High School in 1972. Always a hard worker, and the second oldest of 11 siblings, she was her mother’s right hand in the family quilting business, and her Daddy’s little girl. Before and after high school graduation, she also worked in her mother’s Chinese restaurant.
After moving to Portland Oregon, she pursued one of her many passions, following in her mother’s footsteps. She started her own quilting business “Carmen’s Custom Quilting”, which operated successfully for 10 years.
In 1975, she met David Langford, and they joined together January 1976. They went on to have a family of seven children, David, Andrea, Donna, Randall, Robert, Natalie and Valarie. Her grandchildren are Peter Stine, Grace Stine, Jessica Stine, Tyler Suarez, Madison Stine and Aden Strain.
When first child David Suarez was born, she dedicated her life to being a fantastic and wonderful mother. She excelled at propping up her seven children, encouraging them to follow their passions and supporting them during life challenges. She valued family gatherings most of all and made it her mission to improve the lives of others.
Carmen was a passionate and talented cook and when she wasn’t filling her home with warmth and kindness, she could be found dancing and singing in her kitchen making delicious Peruvian and Chinese cuisine, or on her industrial sized olive green surger sewing machine, making custom creations. Her other talents included artistic drawings and a flair for dancing and singing. We will all miss her greatly.
Carmen was predeceased by her forever young son Robert Langford, father Hector Suarez, her mother Carmen Wong and brother Hector Suarez II. She is survived by spouse David Langford and children David Suarez, Andrea Stine, Randall Langford, Donna Langford, Natalie Langford and Valarie Langford.
A memorial service from 10am-noon will be followed by funeral services from 1pm-2pm at Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary on June 12, 2021. The celebration of life will be held at Wan Q Restaurant, Mom’s favorite Chinese restaurant for many years, beginning at 4:30pm.
The family requests that flowers and notes be sent to Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary.
