On May 27, 2024, at age 94, Mrs. Nora Sanchez, of Mammoth, AZ, passed away peacefully. She was born on Nov. 29, 1929, to her parents Victoria and Raymundo Leyva and raised in Pima, AZ. She now joins them, her husband Fred, brothers David and Ray, sisters Lucia and Helen and great-granddaughter Erin Dale in heaven.
Upon graduating from high school, she married soon thereafter and lovingly supported her husband, Fred, in marriage for 77 years. Their love story was one for the ages and it was nearly impossible for those who knew them best to imagine one without the other. Unsurprisingly, she followed him in passing by only 17 days.
Like many women before and after her, most of her activity centered around maintaining a home and managing a family. In fact, many of her years were dedicated to raising her younger siblings, six children of her own and eventually several of her grandchildren, making a lasting impact on those around her for generations to come.
It would be a disservice to remember her simply as a caregiver. She was hard-working and determined. She and Fred built their dream home “rock by rock”, and she actually provided much of the necessary physical labor while Fred was at work in the mines. She was a life-long learner, an avid reader, and the Sanchez home was always full of magazines, books and newspapers. She was a gracious volunteer with her time, teaching catechism for several years and after Fred’s retirement, spending her summers as a camp host in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. She was an excellent cook and showed her love for those around her by feeding them. The smell of fresh tortillas on the comal will forever invoke her memory. Even in her later years, as her health began to wane, you couldn’t visit her without being asked if you were hungry and offering to cook you something.
She is survived by her sisters, Terri (John) and Alvie (Tony); brothers, Tony (Concha) and Lupe (Josie); children, Dan (Martha) Sanchez, Michael Sanchez, Rick (Janie) Sanchez, Tom (Martha) Sanchez, Lupe (Pat) Holman and Monica (Manuel) Chavez; 14 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren with two more on the way.
She was our sister, our mother, our grandmother, our great-grandmother – a true matriarch – and she was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.
Services will be held at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Mammoth, AZ.