CARMEN HURTADO

1928 - 2025

CARMEN HURTADO

July 16, 1928 – Feb. 4, 2025

On February 4, 2025, our Heavenly Father called Home another angel. Our mother, Carmen Hurtado, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-great-grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend to many passed away peacefully in her Calipatria home surrounded by her loved ones. In her last days she was blessed with visits from her family, close friends and neighbors.

She was born to the late Omer and Guadalupe Deen-Pioneer North-end farmers in rural Calipatria on July 16, 1928. She was the oldest of 11 children. Growing up as a youngster, she loved working around the family farm. She would be up every morning at 5 a.m. ready to milk the cows so that her brothers and father would have warm milk to drink before they went out to start their workday. Her brothers had to be finished early in the morning so that they would get to school on time. She also helped cut wood and tended to the chickens on the farm as well.

Carmen graduated from Calipatria High School with highest honors in 1948 and was the editor of her senior class yearbook and secretary for her graduating senior class. She aspired to be a writer or an artist, but when Mr. Barrington asked her to come work at Farmers Markets, her father told her that he had other plans for her. He wanted mom to stay home and take care of her mother, Mama Lupe, and be her chauffeur. Mom being the strong-willed person that she was decided that it was not for her and instead met daddy and got married!

On December 1, 1951, mom and daddy got married at St. Patrick's Church and had a small reception at Hoover Hall in Calipatria. From that union their five children were born, Mary, David, Danny, Steven, and Sara.

Carmen had a strong passion for gardening and learned it from her mother when she was a little girl. Her favorite place to be was outdoors in her garden, hand watering her flowers, trees and grass. She always said she felt closest to God being in her garden and that only God could create something so beautiful. Mom and daddy always had a colorful yard filled with beautiful flowers, plants and trees. She spent most of her time outdoors tending to her yard and when daddy retired he joined her with the upkeep of the yard. You would always find them out in the yard, daddy tending to his chili and tomato plants and momma to her flowers. After that they would sit outdoors and enjoy listening to the birds and drinking their cafecito.

Carmen developed a passion for music at the age of 14 when she started listening to country music. Her favorite country singers were Johnny Cash, Waylon and Willie, George Strait, Hank Williams Sr., being her favorite! I remember always walking in the door after school and she would have Jambalaya and Your Cheatin' Heart blasting on the record player! She also loved gospel and classical music. Both mom and dad loved celebrating their birthdays with live Mariachi music and had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary several years ago with Mariachi music. They looked forward to celebrating their 65th anniversary but daddy passed just three months shy of it.

She loved cooking and baking. Her sweet cinnamon bread was something that all the family, especially her grandchildren loved and looked forward to! She made the best barbacoa with her own homemade sauce. Daddy would cook the meat outdoors underground and mom would have the sauce ready to mix in! Back then that was the real and only way to make barbacoa. Growing up we always had daily homemade fresh tortillas, beans and meat burritos for breakfast Monday through Friday as mom made daddy's lunch for work. She made the best tamales also. I remember growing up and my mom's sister, aunt Genny and family, coming to visit during the Christmas season and stopping over at our house first to enjoy her delicious tamales. Our cousins Paul and Lisa always said that aunt Carmen made the best food!

Family had a special place in mom and grandma's heart and family has always been important to us. She always looked forward to all the grandkids visiting. The loss of our mom and grandma has left a big void in our hearts but we know that her leaving us is a part of the cycle of life and that one day we will be reunited again.

She was a beautiful soul and loved her Jesus. She always told us that it was the love of the Lord that gave her the strength and peace that she felt in her heart. She was never afraid to be alone after daddy passed because she said that it was God who watched over her daily and that there was no need to be afraid. Carmen's caregiver Emily shared scripture with her on a daily basis and looked forward to her time with Emily ministering to her. Our family was blessed to have crossed paths with Emily's family as they became our family as well. Her grandkids became mom's grandkids!

Carmen is survived by her sisters, Rose Jensen of Sparks, NV, Genny Brar (Harnek) of Huntington Beach; brother, John Deen (Esther) of El Centro, CA. She is also survived by daughters, Mary Rivas (Manuel) of Aurora CO; Sara Hernandez of Imperial, CA; and step-daughter, Jacqueline (Andrew) Palma of Santa Ana, CA; and son, Danny (Becky) Hurtado of Imperial, CA. She is also survived by daughters-in-law, Janie Hurtado of Mecca, CA; Patricia Moreno of Oxnard, CA and son-in-law, Ernie Hernandez and also by brother-in-law, Bill Lehnhardt. She is also survived by grandchildren Chelly, David and Abel Hurtado; Daniel, Marcy and Anne Hurtado; Mark Hurtado; Naveen and Matthew Hurtado and Isaac Eros, Franco and Nina Hernandez. Also great-grandchildren, Jackee, Jada, David Anthony III, Alissa, Jazmine, Sonny, Penelope, Antonio, Mayabella Rose, Madison, Lauren and Dominic. Also great-great-grandchildren, Kalani Rose, SteviRae, Scarlett and baby, Steven Jaxon. Carmen is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and close friends that are like family to us.

Carmen was preceded in death by her parents Omer and Lupe Deen; husband, David Hurtado; sons, David and Steven Hurtado; grandson, Steven Noah Hurtado; brothers, Alvaro Deen, Jesus Deen, and Emilio Deen; sisters, Eva Deen, Mary Deen, Celia Deen, and Sara Lehnhardt.

She will forever be missed by all whose lives she touched. Family and friends are invited to attend funeral services on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Calipatria. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. with Rosary to follow at 10 a.m. and Mass at 11 a.m. The burial will be afterwards at Riverview Cemetery in Brawley, CA.