Sarah Valencia

Sarah Mercedes Valencia was born in La Jara, NM on August 2, 1925. At 94 years of age, she was embraced by our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven on January 24, 2020. She was surrounded by her family and friends in her home of 60 years, and she will be greatly missed. Sarah's parents were David Trujillo and Zenovia Jacquez Trujillo. She was the youngest of 13 children, and she is survived by one brother, Mr. Ruben Trujillo, who is 96 years old. Sarah is also survived by her nine children: Carmen Gonzales, Felipe Valencia, Leo Valencia, David Valencia, Patricio Valencia (Maria), Ambrose Valencia (Judy) from Portland Oregon, Rosemary Mayberry (Dale), Orlando Lopez (Sue) and Henrietta "Henri" Standing (Ken). She has 17 grandchildren: Vicky Cordova (Ralph), Raymond Mitchell (Janea), Consuelo Duarte, Pablo Duarte, Dominic Valencia (Melissa), Leo Rudy Valencia (Joann), Patrick Valencia, Lee Angelo S. Valencia, Joseph Valencia, Cherme Lucero (Danae), Joe Butler(Amy), Matt Butler (Traci), Jessica Valencia, Andrea Sarah Mayberry, Mia Cedar Lopez, and Jack Crew Standing. She has 17 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren and 8 great-great grandchildren. Sarah had nieces and nephews who would visit her often. She was a beautiful, loving, strong, lively, determined and caring mother and grandmother. We will miss her smile and her beautiful laugh. Sarah's father, David, at 64 years old, couldn't work his 10-acre farm in La Jara NM since his sons had moved away to find work elsewhere. He sold his farm there and moved his family to Alameda in the North Valley of Albuquerque, where he purchased 3 acres and farmed the land. He had a hand plow, pulled by his two bulls to till the land. He grew chili, planted vegetables, and planted a beautiful orchard. Sarah was a hardworking young woman, dedicated to caring for her parents. She would do housework to contribute to the family. She met Ricardo Valencia at a dance, fell in love, and they were married in 1947 when Sarah was 22 years old. They moved away from Albuquerque to Hawthorne, Nevada and they had 6 children together. In 1958, she returned to Albuquerque alone with her children. She lived and cared for her children in a one room house off Willow Road in the North Valley. Her father gave her some property across the street from where he lived. She was determined to save her money to build a home for her children, and over two years' time, she saved as much money as she could to purchase cinder blocks, a few at a time, in order to build that home. In 1959, Sarah built her 3-room house on the land her father gave her; a kitchen, a living room, and one bedroom. There was no inside plumbing. Her young sons would haul water across the street from their grandparents' home. There was a wood burning stove in the kitchen which heated the house. Her children learned a lot from their grandparents and they cared for their grandparents in their old age. Sarah devoted her life to caring for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, embroidery, crochet, gardening, and working on ceramics. She made the best red chili, the recipe of which she kept secret until the time she thought that she might not be around much longer. She canned fruit, baked pies, cookies, empanadas, tortillas, and baked breads. She teased her daughter when her daughter purchased a bread machine. She told her that the bread was good, but it was the lazy way to bake bread. She said: "now-a-days, people are trying to save time and want everything the easy way, and they still don't have enough time for the important things." Our mother enjoyed taking family pictures, and enjoyed looking at those pictures. She would get upset when her family would take pictures with their cell phones, and wouldn't have a paper photo to show her. She also enjoyed writing down special memories; she made sure to keep track of those who helped her with money. She was an active member at the Alameda Senior Center, and oh how she enjoyed traveling with her senior group. She had many friends who have all passed on, except for two special neighbors that she has known from her youth. In April, 2001, she went to a Calvary women's retreat in Taos with her daughters. It was there that she accepted the Lord into her heart. She enjoyed reading her bible. She would always say "only God can help you, because He loves you; ask Him". She also enjoyed reading the obituaries in the Sunday paper. To her, it was like reading mini-biographies. In her last 2 years, her health declined. It saddened her to lose the ability to do the things that she loved to do. She would say "my mind wants to do this and that, but my body doesn't want to". On January 16th, she was having difficulty breathing and she was rushed to the ER. That night we almost lost our mother. BUT GOD saw to it that she would be with us for one more week in lucidity. On January 20th, in her hospital room, she told her eldest daughter Carmen that a nice man was standing next to her, while pointing to him. Carmen said that she didn't see any man. Sarah said, "he has a beard, (as she touched her chin), the color of your hair, ITS JESUS and HE'S WAITING FOR ME", she said emphatically. How AMAZING is that! That same night, our mother returned to her own home where her family was able to care for her, love her, hold her hand and be by her side. On Wednesday morning, she gathered her children around her bed and she told them she built them a home with love, and she wanted them to take care of each other. The morning of January 24th, the bible was read to her, the song, "What a Beautiful Name" was played for her, and Sarah peacefully met Her Creator. Pallbearers are: Angelo Valencia, Lee Angelo Valencia, Anthony Mitchell, Jack Crew Standing, John Marc Reid, Pablo Duarte. Honorary Pallbearers are: Andrew Ruelas, Dominic Jacob Valencia, and Evan Mayberry She is preceded in death by: Her parents, siblings, and grandsons: Daniel Mitchell, Leo Rudy Valencia Jr., Antonio Pacheco, Son in Laws: Jeff Standing, and Jose Gonzales. Funeral Services are scheduled for Friday, January 31st, 2020 at Calvary Church, 4001 Osuna Rd NE. Viewing at 10:00 am, Service at 11:00 am. Interment immediately following at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 1900 Edith Blvd NE, Reception at the Post 69, 9000 4th St NW, Albuquerque, NM. Arrangements entrusted to: Riverside Funeral Home of Albuquerque 225 San Mateo Blvd NE (505) 764-9663