Maria passed away peacefully April 19, 2024, at her home in Caldwell, of natural causes at the age of 93 years old, surrounded by her loved ones. Maria was born June 2, 1930, in Coahuila, Mexico to Jose and Marcelina Gomez. She was the oldest of 12 children and was surrounded by a very large extended family. She grew up in the small mountain village of La Mesa de las Tablas, Mexico. Maria spoke of the fond memories she experienced with her grandmother, Lolita and her beautiful mother, Marcelina and her siblings. With so many siblings, she helped raise, she had minimal education. She told a story of going to grade school in the village and the family did not have enough food. The family had 2 hens, and when the first egg of the day was laid, her mother would send one of her siblings to the school and ask the teacher if Maria could come home for a little while. The reason being, so Maria could eat her egg and return to school. On July 8, 1946, Maria married Luis Valdez, the handsome young man that would sing love songs to her. They raised 5 children. They traveled to Idaho, Arizona, then home to Texas as migrant farm workers. Maria lost her loving husband In May 1978. Wellita Maria has left behind many memories that will be cherished by all her grandchildren, family, and friends. She was amazing at bribing her grandchildren and nephews to accompany her to glean onions, potatoes, and corn. They helped her sell her famous Mexican cheese. Oh! Let’s not forget gathering gather night crawlers on a wet and rainy day. She was amazing. Her grandchildren and all her family were of the utmost importance in her life. Maria worked at Simplot for 25 years. She even took a picture with Ronald McDonald while working on the french fry line. All the above accomplishments meant the world to her but, the proudest was when she learned about our loving, creator, Jehovah. She was a faithful member of Jehovah’s Witness for 48 years. Wellita was the glue to our family, a mother hen to all her 'pollitos.’ She was strict and never bending to the new way of discipline. Oh, how we will miss her, she will be forever in our hearts. Maria is survived by her children: Adelina (Raul) Perez, Florelvia Gutierrez, Luis (Carolina) Valdez Jr., Elma (Mark) Goehry and Jaime Valdez. She has 17 grandchildren and 46 great-grandchildren and 26 great-great-grandchildren. We will have a viewing at 6-8 PM on Thursday April 25, 2024 at Zeyer Funeral Chapel. Maria’s burial will be at 2:00 PM, Friday April 26, 2024 at Canyon Hill Cemetery in Caldwell, Idaho. Memorial Service will be held at 1:30 PM, Saturday April 27, 2024 at Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall at 1702 Marble Front St. Caldwell, Idaho. After the memorial, all are invited to meet at Caldwell High School auditorium & cafeteria located 3401 S. Indiana Ave. in Caldwell, Idaho to share memories and associate with family and friends. .
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