OBITUARY: Lazara Castaneda, 87, of Marble Falls dies July 17, 2013
Lazara Castaneda, 87, of Marble Falls passed away July 17, 2013. She was born Dec. 17, 1925, and raised in the small town of Tlalchapa, Guerrero, Mexico.
Her mother passed away after her birth, and her father abandoned her and her six siblings, of which she had one brother and five sisters. With no mother and father, her grandmother stepped in to raise her and her siblings.
She eventually got married and had three children: two sons and a daughter. Unfortunately, her husband abandoned her, making it difficult for a single mother raising three children in a small town in Mexico. In 1966, she moved to Mexico City with her children to ensure a better future for them.
Still struggling in Mexico City and not having any other alternatives, she decided to make an even greater move to the United State to pursue the American dream. In 1970, she traveled across the Mexican border to the city of Cypress in the Los Angeles suburbs. She and her three children lived a comfortable life and eventually started expanding the family, making Lazara Castaneda a grandmother to 10 grandchildren.
Lazara Castaneda was known by everyone in the community because of her voluntary service at the local Catholic church, St. Bernard. One of her traditions she had after every Mass was to take her grandchildren to a restaurant to eat fried chicken at a local place in town called Patras. This tradition continued for many years, even after her grandchildren were all grown up.
For many years, Lazara Castaneda and her family considered Los Angeles their home. But with the economic struggles California was having, life was becoming difficult for her and her children. Eventually, her youngest son decided to move to Marble Falls to ensure a better quality of life for their family. It was difficult for Lazara Castaneda to see her youngest son far away, considering family was of the utmost importance to her. Yet little did she know this would be the stepping stone to her ending up in Marble Falls. Eventually, her daughter moved to Texas as well, resulting in Lazara Castaneda moving closer to her children and to Texas in 2006.
She is survived by her sons, Armando Garcia and Esteban Garcia; daughter, Maria Sotelo; grandsons, Armando Garcia Jr., Richard Garcia, Anthony Sotelo, Filiberto Sotelo, David Sotelo, Albert Sotelo and Steve Garcia; granddaughters, Yarene Garcia, Maria Garcia and Carmelita Garcia; great-grandsons, Jayden Garcia, Anthony Enrique Sotelo and Julio Cesar Palos; and great-granddaughters, Jazlene Garcia, Kaleigh Sotelo, Selena Sotelo, Mya Sotelo, Luz Garcia, Dalia Garcia and Jiara Palos.
A memorial service was held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Marble Falls.
Arrangements by Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home, 1805 U.S. 281 North in Marble Falls, (830) 693-4373. Go to www.clementswilcoxfuneralhome.com for condolences.