Amelia (Ramirez) Reyes

Amelia Reyes (Ramirez), was delivered by midwife on April 23, 1932 in a small family farm outside of Hillsboro, Texas.  She was the daughter of Juanita Rizo Ramirez and Lorenzo Ramirez, and blessed with seven brothers and five sisters: Louis, Vincente, Nick, Joseph, Joe, Steven, Daniel, Nita, Carmen, Naomi, and her best friends, Margaret and Jo.  The family survived segregation, Great Depression, and WWII with core values of faith, hard work, compassion, and strong family togetherness, which Amelia instilled in her own family.  Her seven older brothers all returned home from WWII, even after serving at some of the heaviest battles, including concentration camp liberation.

On December 24, 2022, Amelia passed away while sleeping, listening to her favorite Tejano music, and her family by her side, at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado. In Colorado, she is survived by her son Gilbert and his wife Monica; daughter Rosanna “Dondi” and her husband Alex Villagran; and granddaughter Stephanie Reyes. She is also survived by sister-in-law Frances Ramirez in Mishawaka, Indiana; Mary Reyes in Waxahachie, Texas; brother-in-law Frank Gonzales in Waxahachie Texas; sister Margaret Gonzales in Salisbury, North Carolina; sister and best friend Jo Torres in Waco Texas; dog companion Rue; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews and cousins in California, Colorado, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Korea.

She is predeceased by her husband of sixty plus years, Lewis Reyes; her parents; her brothers Louis, Vincente, Nick, Joseph, Joe, Steven, Daniel; and her sisters Dionisia (Nita) Salmeron Ledesma, Carmen Rizo Richardson, and Naomi Gonzales.

Lewis and Emily first met at a baseball game, and later at the shared campus of Hillsboro High School and Hill College when Lewis was a football player on scholarship.   At Hillsboro High School she participated in FHA, Speech Club, Spanish Club, Science Club.  After graduating early, she worked in a photography studio in Hillsboro.  Amelia and Lewis were married on December 22, 1951 at the First United Methodist Church in Hillsboro, Texas.

Amelia lived the majority of her life in Northglenn, Colorado after Lewis moved the family to Colorado to pursue a job offer.  She was recruited for her bilingual skills by Tri-County Health Department in Brighton, Colorado as a medical records clerk and medical interpreter, supporting their mission to address the medical needs of agricultural and farmworker women, children and expectant mothers.  She was a lifelong Democrat who believed in education and opportunity for all.

A lifelong reader, she always had a favorite Louis Lamour book and Hillsboro Reporter newspaper nearby and was usually outside gardening when weather permitted.   She loved anything that made her laugh, especially chatting with her sisters. Above all, she truly loved music and loudly filled the house with her favorites on a daily basis: Mariachi Vargas, Selena, Los Panchos, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Juan Gabriel, and so many more.

In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to Paw Pals of Hillsboro, P.O. Box 1533, Hillsboro, Texas 76645, or Mission Hillsboro Medical Clinic, P.O. Box 971, Hillsboro, Texas 76645.