Maria Cruz Avalos Rodriguez

Ya desde mi estrella los puedo mirar, denme una sonrisa para descansar. Piensen que los amo, búsquenme en la flor, en la nueva brisa, ¡en lo que es amor! Que estoy presente como lo está el sol, yo sigo latiendo en su corazón. – Caty Martinez,

Vivo en Una Estrella Maria Cruz passed away surrounded by her loved ones on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 after a sudden, yet valiant battle with leukemia.

Maria Cruz “Crusita," Rodriguez was born on May 3,1944 to Vicenta Rico Bedolla and Jesus Avalos Villanueva in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. She was the second of four children. From a very young age, Maria, known by her nickname “Crusita,” was a hardworking individual, shouldering many responsibilities beyond her years, earning her the title of “La Mamá Chiquita.” Although cautious and careful, she was remembered by close friends for her good sense of humor. She attended Madero and Pino Suarez Elementary School and Centro Escolar Michoacan Elementary School. As a teen, the Red Cross trained her to care for the sick, treat a wide range of wounds, and administer injections. As a young adult, she worked as a dental assistant. These early experiences caring for others exemplified Maria’s generous and loving spirit: an ongoing theme that would continue throughout her life.

Maria moved to the United States and had her first daughter, Araceli in 1965. Her determination and perseverance helped her overcome the fear of the unfamiliar that came with moving to a new country. The move brought many changes, including the common immigrant name-changing experience where she went from being referred to as Crusita to being known as Maria. She reconnected with Francisco Rodriguez in Los Angeles, where they fell in love and later married. They had three sons together: Oscar, Jorge, and Ramon. Maria worked hard to raise her family, working in a shipping and receiving job at Graf, a clothing factory, while still managing the household.

In 1979, Maria and Francisco decided to seek a healthier environment to raise their family, leading them to move to Moses Lake, Washington. Maria started working at the Carnation potato processing plant in 1980, where she held several positions throughout the plant’s ownership changes from Carnation, to Nestle, to Simplot, until her eventual retirement. As a Trim Coordinator, Maria was highly regarded for the fairness and respect she showed to her fellow employees. After many years of working in the fields, her husband eventually joined her at the plant. Throughout their lives, Maria proudly supported her husband’s advocacy with the Migrant Education Program.

Maria’s pride and joy were her children, working tirelessly along with her husband to provide formal education for all of them. She prioritized education, manners, cleanliness, and Spanish fluency as essential virtues for her and her family. In her free time, Maria loved to cook, make tamales, bake, can fruits, and crochet. She inherited a wonderful singing voice from her father, which was in turn passed on to her son, Ramon.

Maria is predeceased by her parents (2001), sister-in-law Berna (2010), older brother Jorge (2016), husband Francisco (2017), and daughter-in-law, Vana (2022). She is survived by her brother Enrique (Raquel), sister Rosa Maria (Federico), and sister-in-law Cristina; her four children, Araceli (Will) Reyes, Oscar (Sonia) Rodriguez, Jorge (Shannon) Rodriguez, and Ramon Rodriguez; her four nieces and nephews, Nicol, Fede (Magda), Gaby (Emerson), Gerardo; her eleven grandchildren, America (Daniel), Will, Adrian (Lupita), Daniel (Josephine), Nataly, Ivan, Genaro, Yesenia, Maria Elena, Jazmin, Mackenzie (Andrew), Cylysce; her nine grandnieces and grandnephews, Jovana, Viviana, Angelina (Jesus), Bellissima, SanTahna, Zorriah, Vickie, Monse, and Uriel; and eight great-grandchildren, -grandnieces, and -grandnephews, Valeria, Maggie Rose, Rosa Maria, Alonso, Maizee, Leilani, Ronan, and Zaidyn.

Maria was the pioneer and matriarch of the family; an adventurous spirit that forged a new path and life for herself and all her descendants. Losing her physical presence has been hard on us all. However, her life touched us in ways that have transformed us into who we are today. We learned many lessons from her, and her advice and wisdom will forever remain in our hearts and minds. In honor of her memory, we hope to maintain the familial bonds that she always treasured.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Maria Cruz Avalos Rodriguez, please visit our floral store.