She met the love of her life, Gilbert Juarez, and the two were married on February 13,1960. They were blessed with 5 kids- Johnny, Ophelia, Mary, Brenda, and Norma.
Maria dedicated her life to being a wife and mother- and later a grandmother. She raised her family to always have faith in God, knowing He will always provide, and lived by the saying “Si Dios quiere”. She was the matriarch to our family, who always made you feel loved and safe when visiting. You could always find her in the kitchen listening to music and cooking. By 5 o’ clock she would be sitting down watching her storias. She also loved talking on the phone catching up with her family. She made all her family feel loved and important, knowing exactly who needed what in that time. We will miss her daily check ins and the love she provided.
Maria is survived by her son, Johnny and wife Lynn Samaniego; daughters, Ophelia Hernandez, Mary Lopez, Brenda and husband Kevin Roe; son in law, Adam Castillo; and sister, Olivia and husband Perfecto Gomez. Maria is also survived by her grandchildren, Jill, Johnny Jr., Alex, Leslie, Joey, Ophelia, Britney, Heather, Ryan, Kimberly, Kristin, Mark, Nicholas, Phillip, Hannah, Brandon, And JohnDaniel; and 35 great-grandchildren.
Maria is preceded in death by her parents, Manuel and Francisca Samaniego; daughter, Norma Castillo; grandson, Aaron Lopez; sons-in-law, George Lopez and Alex Hernandez; sisters, Beatriz Lopez, Amelia Mireles, and Cleofas Torres; and brother, Manuel Samaniego.
A prayer service will be held at 7 PM on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at Johnson's Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 10 am on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at Johnson's Funeral Home with interment to follow at Fairmount Cemetery.
Serving as pallbearers are Alex Hernandez, Ryan Roe, JohnDaniel Lopez, Mike O'Hara, Anthony Diaz, Joshua Velasquez; and Britney Castillo as an honorary pallbearer.
The family would like to thank everyone who contributed so much love and support.
