Eva Pacheco Ortega

1926 - 2020

Eva Pacheco Ortega



Eva Pacheco Ortega, age 93, was born on Tuesday, August 10, 1926 in Mora, New Mexico. She went to heaven on Sunday, May 3, 2020, at her home in Albuquerque, surrounded by her four children.

Our mother was bright and funny, strong-willed and tender hearted, compassionate and caring, with a heart as wide as the sea. She deeply loved our dad Ambrosio who preceded her in death 3 years ago in October of 2017. She missed him every day thereafter. We consider it a bit miraculous, and deeply touching, that our mom went to heaven on the same day on which she and our dad married in 1952. The two of them met at Alison James Boarding School in Santa Fe in 1940. They became friends at Menaul High School and married a few years after Mom graduated in 1944. Dad was from Chimayo, Mom from Mora. Both came from very large families, so there were lots of aunts and uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, cousins, second cousins, third cousins, and so on and so forth. Mom kept track of them all as best she could and delighted in seeing them when possible, or just hearing their voices on an occasional phone call.

Doña Eva loved dancing, painting, fishing and picnics in the Jemez, interesting stories and funny jokes. Perhaps most of all, she loved happy music. She could pick out a tune on the piano, write a song, and she even played a pretty mean accordion. She was always up for playing along with our brother and his guitar. She was a darn good cook, too - especially spaghetti, enchiladas and biscochitos. Her flour tortillas were second-to-none. Frontier Restaurant had nothing on Eva Ortega when it came to tortillas.

Mom loved Second Presbyterian Church in Martineztown where she attended since her freshman year at Menaul School. She was raised in the Presbyterian Church and felt very much at home in that theological tradition. The congregation at Second Church loved her, too, and when she was no longer able to attend services, they brought communion to her at home. What a blessing!

The Ortega family is heartbroken that our mother is gone and that we will no longer be able to hold her soft hands, kiss her on the forehead, or hear her sweet voice on the phone, calling at the end of day to make sure everyone is okay. We take great comfort in the knowledge that she is in the presence of God, and that she has joined a vast chorus in Heaven, singing the happiest songs of all. And we are thrilled that she is reunited with our Dad. No more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow.

Our sister Cristina Ortega poured herself into the care of both our parents as they got older, pretty much placing her life on hold to tend to their every need. We are eternally grateful to her.

Eva Ortega was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ambrosio; her dear mother, Grace Branch; her father, Luis Pacheco; and her brothers, Louie, Richard, and Benjamin. She is survived by her four children, Cristina, Fernando, Armando, and Lucinda and her husband Michael Garcia; two grandchildren, Adán Garcia, and Ruby Ortega; and four brothers, Joseph, Michael, Gerry, and James Branch. Please visit the online guestbook for Eva at

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