Mary Ruth - Age 80 - Ohkay Owingeh Aquino

MARY RUTH AQUINO (Nee Jaramillo), 80, a resident of Ohkay Owingeh, passed away on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. She was born on November 8, 1929 in Isleta Pueblo to Juan A. Jaramillo and Juana B. Juancho.\r\nMary Ruth was an exceptional mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and above all the best wife any man could ask for. She was faithful and trusting to the very end to her Lord Jesus and her Roman Catholic faith. She bore many crosses so her family could live wonderful lives. She was the Shepherd of her family and was always caring and loving her sheep wherever they were.\r\nMary Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; her in-laws, Lorenzo and Reyecita Aquino; sisters and brothers-in-law, Lena Jaramillo, Victoria Jaramillo, David and Epifania Garcia, Remigio and Ciprianita Chewiwi, Emily and Ramon Montoya and Raymond Torres; nephew, Paul Cooka and god-sons, Kenneth Torres and Jonathan Garcia.\r\nShe was raised on the campus of St. Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe. She valued education and her Roman Catholic beliefs. She received her certification in Nursing as an LPN. On October 28, 1950 she married John Aquino at St. Augustine Church in the Isleta Pueblo. She later moved with her husband and family to Cleveland, Ohio and finally settled in Lorain, Ohio.\r\nShe sent her children to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Elyria, Ohio and volunteered many hours to ensure her children received a good Catholic education. She also worked in the Lorain City School system and eventually became Coordinator of the Indian Education Program. While there, she coordinated the Native American booth for the annual Lorain International Festival. After her retirement, she moved back to New Mexico in 1983 with her family to Ohkay Owingeh, where she started the Ohkay Owingeh community library. She was a founding member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society to help the needy in the Parish and received recognition from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Along the way she and her husband became active members of the AARP, working along with many from throughout the state to help senior citizens in all aspects.\r\nMrs. Aquino is survived by her husband, John Aquino; children, Richard Aquino and companion Mary Ann Wright; Donald Aquino and wife Cecilia, Patricia Martincak and husband Richard of Lorain, Ohio, Mary Josie Aquino-Virgili, Elviria Aquino, Mary Kathryn Barrera and husband Luis of Helotes, Texas, Marie V. Pacheco, Francis G. Aquino and wife Dolores, Melissa Aquino and Michael P. Aquino and wife Amy of Albuquerque; brothers, Joseph Jaramillo and Johnny Jaramillo and wife Margaret; sister, Isabel Cooka all of Isleta Pueblo and Katherine Feagin and husband Jim of Boise, Idaho; sister-in-law, Mary Torres of Ohkay Owingeh; 19 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Public visitation will begin on Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ohkay Owingeh with a rosary to be recited at 7:00 p.m. Mass of Christian burial to be celebrated on Friday, September 24, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. also at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ohkay Owingeh. Burial to follow at 11:30 a.m. at the Santa Fe National Cemetery with the following grandsons serving as pallbearers, Joseph Aquino, Matthew Hernandez, Luis Barrera Jr., Juanito L. Aquino, Aaron Chavez, Leo Pacheco. Altar servers will be Daniel Aquino and Christopher Gallegos. Honorary pallbearers are her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The Aquino family has entrusted their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Española Valley.

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