Florence Sanchez

Florence Sanchez

July 23, 1937 - August 27, 2024

Florence M. Sanchez originally from La Villita, NM, later moved and lived her married years in Lyden, NM, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family and caregiver on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. 

She was a career bus contractor and driver for the Espanola Public Schools eventually retiring to help care for her grandchildren. She enjoyed reading, gardening, sewing, playing softball in her younger years, canning and preserving the fruits and vegetables from her husband’s garden and their fruit trees, going to the casinos, raising and tending to her chickens, and watching her grandchildren at their sporting events, especially baseball games. She was an amazing cook and enjoyed cooking for her family and friends. Many have said they remember her amazing meals and how “sabroso” her food always tasted. She is and will be dearly missed. 

She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years Joe L. Sanchez; her parents Ernesto and Amalia Martinez; sister-in-law Marie Martinez; and nephews John Martinez and Stephen Sanchez.

She is survived by her son Kenny; daughters Jackie, Monica, and Jessica (Ken); grandkids Evan (Joslyn), Meghan (Juan), Zac, Matias, Mario; great grandchildren Madalynn (her Molly), and Maximus (her Alex), sisters Mary Sanchez (Levi), Ernestine Ortiz (Lawrence), Martha Martinez (Ross); brother Julian Martinez, in-laws Kay Sanchez, and Reyes and Isabel Salazar. 

A Rosary will be recited on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 12:00 noon at San Juan Bautista Catholic Church in Ohkay Owingeh, followed by Mass of Christian burial at 1:00 pm. 

Burial will take place on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 10:30 am at Santa Fe National Cemetery. 

Serving the family as pallbearers are her grandkids Evan, Meghan, Zac, Matias, Mario, and son-in-law Ken. 

The family wishes to express a special THANK YOU to her caregivers Lupita, Elsa, Ana, Manuelita, and Rommie for their companionship, wonderful and compassionate care in her last years, her doctors Dr. David Mills and Dr. Chris Lee and their staff from MANNM, AmberCare staff Anna Dixon, Nancy Dominguez, and Janice Trujillo, and Ryan for providing familiar/traditional meals in her last months. 

The family of Florence Sanchez has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the beautiful Espanola Valley. www.devargasfuneral.com 505-747-7477