Adelina Montoya

Our beautiful Adelina was born to Gonzalo and Carmen Montano in Cuba, New Mexico in 1933. Adelina was one of six children: Ymelda, Sylvia, Gonzalo, Carmen and Maria Esther.

Born during the Great Depression, Adelina and her parents were able to make a living by living and working on the family ranch in Cumpas, Sonora, Mexico. But Adelina’s father soon got the itch to enter into politics, and the family moved to Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico where he served in the State legislature. He later was appointed as Chief of Police and the family settled in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

When Adelina turned twelve, her parents sent her to boarding school at Menaul School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She often said these were the best times of her life despite being away from her family. Her sisters Ymelda and Sylvia joined her, which made the transition easier. Even though Sylvia did not stay at Menaul School and attended school at Cuba High School, Adelina and Ymelda stayed on at Menaul School. Adelina would tell stories about her sister borrowing something belonging to her without permission or taking her toiletries – a sign of true sisterhood. At Menaul, Adelina joined track. She would also reminisce how she was the high school homecoming queen her sophomore year.

After Menaul, Adelina returned to Nogales where she worked downtown at Newbury’s, a five and dime store. But a certain young man, Celso Montoya, had other plans. After their courtship, the couple married in March of 1955.

Adelina and Celso moved to Los Alamos later that year. In Los Alamos, they had three children: Hector, Hilda and Anna. During this time Celso worked at the Atomic Energy Commission, and Adelina was a stay-at-home mom, to care for their three children and provide a loving home. In 1970, their family moved to Nogales due to Celso’s job with U. S. Customs Service.

Adelina decided to join the workforce. For eleven years, Adelina worked at the Nogales Truck Stop as a bookkeeper. She then took some time off from working and rejoined the workforce when two of her children opened their law firm, Paez and Montoya where she served as a legal secretary and bookkeeper.

Her retirement came just in time to welcome her grandson Harley, born January 1995 and Raul Celso (R.C.) Paez, born in May of the same year. After that came her grandchildren: Henry, Paloma, Sophia, Harry, Griffin and Nico.

Her life was full of activity and travel. She most enjoyed being with her mother Carmen Montano and her sisters and spending time with them. She also enjoyed traveling, with her son and family to the Northwest, to visit her daughter Hilda in Hawaii, and to Alaska, Europe, western Canada, Mexico and the United States with her daughter Anna and her family.

Adelina had an exacting character and expected the same from others. She had an interest in politics, religion and enjoyed people. She had quite a memory and could remember details about people that would otherwise bypass others. She was healthy throughout her life. To the end, she knew all of the important dates in her loved one’s life: birthdays, anniversaries and milestones. She also loved crossword puzzles, and she said her day was not complete unless she did the crossword puzzle in the newspaper.

Adelina was fortunate to have seen her children become successful, start and raise families, and to have known all of her grandchildren. She was well respected in the community and a familiar face in Nogales. We were all blessed to have had her in our life.

A Celebration of Life will begin at Martinez Funeral Chapels on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 with a visitation from 9:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. A prayer service will follow at 12:00 p.m. Services to conclude after.  Arrangements by Martinez Funeral Chapels.