Chicago, Illinois – Carmen Cazares Teruel, 94, passed away on Friday, November 11, 2022.
Carmen was born on May 5, 1928, in Tijuana, Mexico to Bonifacio and Rosa Maria Cazares and was the middle child between two sisters, Socorro and Virginia.
Carmen was a devoted wife married to Vicente Galván Teruel (1924-2017) for 72 years; a loving mother of John (Ellen), Rosamaria, Vincent (Margret), Encarnación (Katherine), Rosemary, Hugo (Valerie), Diana, Paul (Amber), and Sandra (William); and a caring grandmother of John, Maria, Richard, Jim, Gina, Nina, Vincent Jr., Natalie, Michael, Lauren, Lucy, Isabelle,
Bianca, Ethan, and Jasmine. She was a role model to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In the early 1950s after immigrating to the US and living in Texas, where she drove a truck, they settled in Chicago, IL. Carmen worked most of her life in support of her husband and family. This included working in numerous factories and bakeries, as well as a teacher aide in the Chicago Public School’s Head Start program and food server for Mather High School. In 1983, Carmen and her husband proudly became US citizens.
Carmen had a love for music, dance and laughter, all of which she instilled in her children when she would fill the house with her voice, often singing along with the radio or suddenly bursting into song. Her sense of humor included a love of word
play, and after 40 years of raising children and playing every board game imaginable, even in her later years, she would frequently ask to play dominos.
Carmen leaves a family legacy that includes artists, educators, health workers, musicians, tech workers, activists, and many superheroes, and most importantly she leaves us all with a passion for song, love and life.
Vieja, Carmen, Carmelita, Mamá, Mom, Ma, Abuela, Granny T… we love you!
You will always be in our hearts!
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