Amelia M. Garcia

Our hearts ache as we say goodbye to Amelia Meza Garcia, a woman whose spirit illuminated our lives. She passed away peacefully, at the age of 90, on March 21, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. She leaves behind a void that can never be filled. Amelia was a true inspiration, always putting others before herself. She taught us the importance of family, kindness, and perseverance.
Amelia was born on April 6, 1934, to Trinidad and Natividad Meza in Rancho Los Garcia, Chihuahua. She was one of 12 children. She learned the importance of hard work and commitment at a very early age. Amelia learned to clean houses and cook so that she could earn money to help her parents. She helped her father plant and harvest the sweet potatoes he planted. One of her happiest memories was when her father put sweet
potatoes in the hot ashes while they worked. When they were done working, they would enjoy a delicious meal.
Amelia came to the United States and worked in homes, cleaning and cooking for people. She also learned to pick cotton and work in the fields. One day, while working on the cotton fields belonging to Pete Bickley, she met Memo, the love of her life. They married on March 26, 1955. They built a loving and caring relationship and eventually had four children.
Amelia's passions were cooking and sewing. She never hesitated to cook a meal and take it over to a relative or friend that was ill or in need. As a young wife and mother, she learned to drive the car by moving it back and forth when she washed it. Then she learned to make asaderos with leftover milk that Tio Fidel Ramos would bring her. Imagine his surprise when she started selling asaderos door to door. Whenever anyone came to visit, she always made them feel at home and never let them go without eating. When her oldest children walked home from school, there were always other kids that wanted to go home with them because they could smell the fresh tortillas, chorreadas or empanadas that Amelia was making. When her daughters were young and in school, she made most of their clothes. She was a talented seamstress that taught herself to sew by using patterns. She loved music and dancing and going on picnics. The picnics never had to include fancy dishes. We were always satisfied and very happy when we saw that she had brought her famous chicken salad, and we had sandwiches. Amelia supported her children in all school activities. She wanted to be in the front row at their concerts and awards ceremonies. She helped raise money for the high school prom by helping to make burritos to sell during the high school football and basketball seasons. She loved to attend her grandsons' baseball games. She wanted to be where her family was at.
Amelia is survived by Memo Garcia Jr., her loving husband of 70 years. Survivors also include her children Rosie Reyes (Freddy), Lucy Lopez (Ralph), Memo III (Rose Marie), and Gerardo, four grandchildren, Stefanie Hernandez (Paul), Roman Lopez (Blanca), Sean Reyes (Carry) and Amanda Garcia (Memo Verdugo). Amelia's greatest joy was in seeing her great grandchildren: Halee, Alexa, and Leila Hernandez, Ayissa and Amaiya Lopez, Billy and Lucas Verdugo, and Aiden Philip Reyes. Other survivors include her brother Carmelo Meza (Alicia) and her sisters; Licha Baeza (Mariano), Jesusita Nunez (Agapito), and Hilda Enriquez (Jose Luis) and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Amelia will take place on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at Our Lady of Refuge Church in La Union, New Mexico. The viewing and visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. The recitation of the Holy Rosary will be at 10:00 a.m. and the celebration of the mass will be at
11:00 a.m., followed by burial at Memory Gardens of the Valley, 4900 McNutt Rd, Sant Teresa, New Mexico.
Pallbearers for Amelia will include Ralph Lopez, Roman Lopez, Sean Reyes, Paul Hernandez, Memo Verdugo, and Billy Verdugo. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Amelia, please visit our floral store.