Maria Celia Cuevas Cardenas, 72, of Seguin, passed away peacefully in her home on June 29, 2023, surrounded by close family and friends, after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s.
She was born on February 11, 1951, in Michoacán, Mexico, to Juan Cuevas and Josefina Pantoja Cuevas and picked cotton as a young child with her family.
Maria lived her life as a hardworking, dedicated, faithful, and loving woman. She met the love of her life, Julian Cardenas, in Mexicali, Mexico, during the summertime of 1969. They first began dating in November of 1970. Julian proposed to Maria on December 12, 1970, and were married February 13, 1971. She loved visiting Los Angeles and Palm Springs, CA. Maria enjoyed hiking with her husband in the Martinez Mountain Range also in California and camping in the desert. Maria was an avid runner who ran half marathons and several 5Ks. After several years of study, she was granted naturalization on January 28, 1993, in San Antonio, Texas. She enjoyed visiting the casinos in Biloxi, MS, Eagle Pass, TX, and Kinder, LA. She was a wonderful mother who always looked after her children and did her best. A woman who was self-sufficient and never cared much about herself. Maria was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in August 2016 at the age of 66.
Maria is preceded in death by her father, Juan Cuevas, mother, Josefina Pantoja Cuevas, brother, Juan Cuevas Jr., and father-in-law, Agapito Cardenas.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Julian Cardenas, daughters Jo Ann Cardenas and Nadia Josephina Cardenas, her grand-fur baby, Charlotte, and best friend, Gracie Gomez of Seguin. She will be sorely missed by her many family members, including nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to the health care professionals at GRMC Hospice for their unwavering care for Maria throughout the final eight months of her life. Ms. Magali, Maria’s CNA, was her favorite staff member who could always make her sing and dance.
A private viewing was held July 3, 2023, at Lux Funeral Home & Cremation Services, in New Braunfels. A memorial service will be held later at the family’s residence in Seguin.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Maria’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s team, !Apurate¡ (which means hurry in English), who will be walking in her memory on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Landa Park in New Braunfels. The team’s page can be found online at act.alz.org/goto/ApurateToEndALZ
The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest fundraiser that allows the association to raise awareness, provide 24/7 care and support to those affected by the disease, and advance research towards methods of prevention, treatment, and hopefully one day a cure.