Lucia De La Cruz
1929-2008

She was born in Roseville, CA at a time when depression was becoming more prevalent, even in the booming state of California. Daughter to a railroad worker killed in a freak train accident, her mother took the settlement money and went back to Mexico. Her mother Maria squandered the good fortune on lost houses, booze, and dirty men that swindled the vast majority. Lucia and her brother Geronimo were left to fend for themselves and work from an early age. Maria preached the old Biblical adage , “he who does not work does not eat.” That adage would forever stay ingrained in Lucia’s mind. Geronimo and Lucia would cross the Juarez border daily to work the cotton fields of New Mexico where they would earn a meager day’s wages to feed their family and abusive mother. Lucia never made it past 2nd grade but she read the Bible daily. Time past and Lucia met Refugio where they were married in El Paso and ran a restaurant/bar named El Nopal where they brought to life five kids, Refugio Jr., Lidia, Margaret, Jaime, and Jesus. Lucia gave her life to her husband Refugio and El Nopal only to have the same bad fortune as her mother of having an opportunistic husband to take her for all she was worth. Her blood, sweat, and tears went into the upkeep of the famed restaurant only to have it pulled from beneath her feet. It was at this time that she had no choice but to vacate the premises and leave the establishment to its rightful owner. Lucia dedicated the rest of her to her grandchildren, her family. Lucia raised my sister Erika and myself while my momther , Lidia worked. My grandma Lucy stayed with our family until the 4th grade at which point, my mother remarried and my grandmother left El Paso for Denver to stay with her eldest son Refugio. She would stay in Denver for the rest of her life to overlook the rest of her family, including her great grandchildren. She leaves five children, twelve grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Lucia was always surrounded by her family and she died surrounded by her family. She was 78.

Santo and Jonny-Sleep Walk [mp3]