Maria Luisa 'Licha' Castillo age 96, our loving mother left this earth on November 17, 2016 to join our Dad in heaven; Eduardo 'Buck' Castillo who passed away on October 10, 2012.   Left in mourning are her children, Edward (Dana), Bobby (Cecilia), Norma (Agustin) Ochoa, Dan (Mary Lou), Cecilia (Manny) Bermudez; 11 grandchildren (Ed, Sonia, Diane, David, Andrew, Anthony, Jennifer, Daniel, Denise, Melissa and Manny Jr.) and 12 great grandchildren.   She is reunited with her parents, Rosalio Lopez and Refugio Mundaca.  Preceded in death by her brothers, Joe, Luis, her sister, Guadalupe Lopez Haro and nephews, Ruben and Oscar Parra.  A special thank you to Margaret Moreno and her staff at Camino de Paz Assisted Living and to the staff of CASA de la Luz Hospice for their compassionate care with Mom.

Our Mom was born on August 21, 1920 in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico.  After she lost her mother at age 3 her father moved the family to Nogales, Sonora where a devoted stepmother named Inez Islas provided guidance, nurturing and a pious outlook during her formative years.  She was orphaned at age 12 but with the help of her Aunts, loving neighbors and the Almighty, she survived poverty until she met and married our Dad.  A marriage that spanned 67 years on this earth will now continue.  Known to all as "Licha", Mom was a strong, devout and caring woman whose first duty was to the unity of our family.  She built a strong foundation for her children by setting high expectations and stressing the importance of an education and of hard work. She was active in our school activities and with the Maria de Legíon and Guadalupanas of St. John's Church.  Her cooking, sewing and crochet skills were impressive and we cherish her gifts.  Her greatest gift was the love and unfaltering attention and caring she gave us.  Beyond just words, she showed us by example to discipline ourselves to never give up and to reach for the stars.  Now we will look up to those stars and know she is with Dad guiding us until we all meet again.   Que dios te benidga Mamacita.