Beatrice Mary Roybal

Beatrice “Bea” Roybal, 85, went to be with the Lord on March 15, 2016. Bea was born in Pueblo, CO on September 26, 1930 to Amalia Garcia and Alfredo Trujillo. She attended Centennial High School. Bea was preceded in death by Victor Roybal, her husband of 61 years, and together they raised five children: Jerry (Diane) Solano, Carmen (Sil) Arteaga, Edmond (Linda) Roybal, Sandra (Ron) Jimenez, Daniel (Peggy) Roybal. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren. Being the last of her seven brothers and sisters, she was respected as the Matriarch of the Trujillo family as well as the Roybal family. Bea worked tirelessly as a community leader on the lower eastside of Pueblo and exemplified the standard set for the concept of “la familia.” She was one of the nine founding mothers of La Casa Verde. They provided tutorial services and cultural education for Chicano youth as well as support services for neighborhood families that needed help with rent/medical payments and food/clothing provisions. Mothers of La Casa Verde were instrumental in the development and naming of Plaza Verde Park. Of the nine founding members of Mothers of La Casa Verde, there were three still living and now there are only two. Bea was a strong, courageous woman and was very proud to belong to La Raza Unida. La Casa Verde was the meeting place for many planning and strategy sessions in the fight for equal rights and self determination during the Chicano/Civil Rights Movement. She was a “tiny tot” preschool teacher at El Centro del Quinto Sol and was often greeted by her grown up students as “Teacher Bea.” She served as a member of the Board of Directors for La Cucaracha alternative media newspaper and she was also on the Board of Directors for Southern Colorado Comprehensive Mental Health Center. Viewing 5-7 p.m., Friday, March 18, 2016 followed by Rosary; Funeral Service 10 a.m., Saturday, March 19, 2016 all held at Imperial Funeral Home Chapel. Interment, Imperial Memorial Gardens. Online condolences, www.imperialfunerals.com.