Maria Carmen Perez

Maria Carmen Perez was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, neighbor, and a good friend to many. She was born in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico to Valeriano Aviña and Maria Aviña. 

She had fond memories of her maternal grandmother Carmen Barrera who sewed intricate dresses for her. She also had lovely memories of her maternal grandfather, “Abuelito Pancho,” who cared for her when her mother ran errands. She remembered attending a nearby Catholic church. When she heard the church bell ring, she knew she had to start running.

She had lovely memories of her Padrino Jesus, a cheese vendor. He gave her the little change he had in his pockets when he visited. He visited nearly every day. She hid her change at the top of the kitchen cabinet. Every time her Padrino gave her money, she would pretend to retrieve a dish from the top of the cabinet, and ever so slightly, she would drop the coins quietly so as not to draw any attention to herself. The spare change began to accumulate quickly. When the “fruta” man came by, she always had money to buy herself a treat, such as “coco con chile” or “naranja con chile.” Her Padrino’s sweet gesture taught her the satisfaction of saving money, but also the importance of generosity. If she had the means to help – she would.

When Carmen was about 11 years old, her father, Valeriano Sr., started a job as a farmhand in Clint, Texas. He drove to the U.S. on Mondays and returned to Mexico on Saturdays. He worked with the same employer for several years until his boss offered to sponsor him and the whole family for a permanent resident green card status. Carmen and her many siblings worked in Socorro, Texas and other parts of Southern California, including Oceanside. She had memories of working at a cotton, beet and a flower farm, to name a few.

Later, her family moved to the Central Valley, settling in Strathmore and then Lindsay, California. She attended jr. high school. She learned to speak and write in English, but as the eldest daughter of a big family (in the 1960s), she had big responsibilities. She inevitably had to drop out of school to continue working in the booming agricultural sector of the area. She worked in orange and olive fields, picking fruit to help support her five brothers and five sisters.

She met Rafael Perez in a local park in Porterville, California. The two wed in 1972 at St. Anne’s Catholic Church. She had three sons, Raul, Armando, and Miguel, and three daughters, Maria, Gloria and Linda. By the 1990s, she was working at LoBue Brothers’ packing house. She retired in the early 2000s. Her hobbies included gardening and listening to corridos from her younger days.

Her grandchildren include Armando Jr., Mariah, Francisco Jr., Isaac, Cynthia, Jose, Alyssa, Angel, Daniel, Adam, Seanna, Anthony and Jaden. She had one great-granddaughter named Adeline.

Carmen Perez passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 11, 2023, at 5:30 pm in the presence of her family in Visalia, California. She was 72 years old.

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