Marlene Espejo Marquez

1936 - 2017

"… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." – Ecclesiastes 3:4

Marlene Espejo Marquez was born on August 18, 1936 to Soccorro and Mariano Espejo. She was the first of four children. Her name was to have been Maria Elena but somewhere along the way a doctor decided she was to be Marlene, as in Marlene Dietrich, and it is her recorded name as per her birth certificate. Marlene, along with her parents and siblings Diana, Patricia and Ron lived with their parents on Larson Street in the "family compound" alongside her relatives Pablo and Rosa Espejo and Santos and Domatilla Gundran and their families. She loved being surrounded by family and friends. She also loved the large gatherings, celebrations and food that accompany being part of a large family. A large part of those gatherings was the music; Marlene loved to dance to cumbias, mambos and boleros. She danced her way through life.
In 1957 she met and married Antonio (Tony)  Orosco Marquez. Together they had 6 children: Armando, Arturo, Adrianna, Anthony, Alexsandria, and Adolfo. Marlene and Antonio, along with the help of their extended family, raised their children there on Larson Street. The dancing continued throughout birthday parties, wedding celebrations and Sunday breakfast parties.
On Sundays, with music blaring, Maria Elena, rolled mountains of tortillas alongside her mother Socorro and Aunt Tencha. In the background music would play and Maria Elena would dance always with a smile on her face and a word of encouragement to "… move like this."
The balance and rhythm which helped Maria Elena be such a graceful and energetic dancer carried her throughout her life.
Although a busy mother of 6, she was involved in numerous community organizations. Marlene served in various offices for the Parent Teachers Association. She worked with Project Call of Porterville College, Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, Leadership Porterville, Porterville Chamber of Commerce, Comision Honorifica Mexicana Americana, Catholic Daughters of America, the Indian Pow Wow, the Pastoral Council of St. Anne's Catholic Church and the Tulare County Drug and Alcohol Program.  She also served as: a secretary of Tulare County Compensatory Education, a school site council member at John J. Doyle Elementary School and as a board member for the Porterville School District.
In addition to children and involvement in civic organizations Marlene, along with her husband, owned and operated Don Panchos restaurant on Howard Street. In the early mornings Marlene and Tony would prepare for the day with music playing in the background. She would often grab Tony and break into a dance trying desperately to get him to follow her rhythm. Throughout the day Marlene would receive patrons/ visitors into her office (any available table in the restaurant). There she would offer advice to those who needed it, or maybe not? Or she would lend a friendly ear to those who needed to be heard. For those needing help filling out paperwork, she was always willing to lend a hand.
Maria Elena was a people watcher, a lover of life and all the idiosyncrasies which it has to offer that make it so wondrous and beautiful. She carried that attitude with her as she lived her last years at the Sierra Valley Rehabilitation Center. There she continued her community activism dancing through the ups and downs of life.
Friend, Sister, Mother….. She will be missed.

"You will lose someone you can't live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved.  But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn't seal back up.  And you come through.  It's like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly- that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp." – Anne Lamott
Until we see her again, let us continue to dance.
                                        The Marquez, Espejo and Faure families

Marlene is survived by her sister Patricia Espejo and brother Ron Espejo (wife Libby) as well as her children Armando Marquez (wife Raymonda), Art Marquez, Adrianna Marquez, Anthony Marquez (wife Connie), Alexsandria Leticia Marquez (husband Jay Faure),  Skip (wife Marianne) and 13 grandchildren.
A viewing will be held on Sunday, September 24 from 3p.m-6p.m with a rosary beginning at 6p.m. at Myers Funeral Home.  A mass will be held on Monday, September 25th at 11a.m. at St. Anne's Church followed by interment at St. Anne's Cemmetary. For those wishing to honor Marlene's memory, donations may be made to the Porterville Unified School District's  Espejo- Marquez scholarship fund.