Maria Celia Cardenas

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 fight with Alzheimer’s.

She was born on February 11, 1951, in Michoacán, Mexico, to Juan Cuevas and Josefina Pantoja Cuevas. She 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 in Mexicali, Mexico, during the summertime of 1969. They first began dating in November of 1970. Julian proposed to Maria on December 12, 1970. They were married in 1971. She loved visiting Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Maria enjoyed hiking with her husband in the Martinez Mountain Range, CA, 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.

In 1975, she was employed at Holly Farms. She worked for Holly Farms until the company was renamed Tyson in the 1980s. After that, she worked as a custodian for the Seguin Independent School District for ten years. Maria was a custodian for the City of Seguin for two years. She then worked as an Intermediate Food Inspector for the USDA at Tyson until her Alzheimer’s diagnosis in August 2016.

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, her children Jo Ann Cardenas and Nadia Josephina Cardenas, her grand-fur baby, Charlotte, and her best friend, Gracie Gomez. She will be sorely missed by her many family members, including nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. Many thanks to Maria’s brother-in-law, Valentin Cardenas, who regularly checked in on her and was always available when he was needed.

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. Cat, RN and Ms. Magali, CNA were her favorites. You all become a part of our family, and we appreciated having you along on our journey.

On July 3, 2023, from 10-11 a.m., a private viewing will be held at Lux Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1254 N Business IH-35, New Braunfels, TX 78130. A memorial service will be held at a later date at the residence of the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Maria’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s team, !Apurate¡, which her family participates in annually and walks in honor of  Maria.

https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2?idb=166499812&df_id=51626&FR_ID=16986&mfc_pref=T&PROXY_ID=789120&PROXY_TYPE=22&51626.donation=form1