Maria De La Luz Sandoval "Torres"

Maria de la Luz Sandoval (Rodriguez), formerly Torres, 82, of Wheat Ridge, Colorado peacefully passed away on Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 11:00am. Born March 4, 1934 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, she was the daughter of the late Rafael and Alejandra (Lazcano) Rodriguez. She was youngest of her siblings. Upon leaving her hometown of Monterrey, Maria found herself in McAllen, Texas for a number of years. She was no stranger to hard work; she labored in the fields when she was young and then helped take care of others as an adult. Maria eventually settled in Denver, Colorado. It was in Denver’s subdivision of Swansea that she would call home for the majority of her life. This is where she raised most of her children and looked after her grandchildren. As a woman ahead of her times, she often created her own path to happiness. Her fierce, no-nonsense personality was one that was not easily forgotten. Other than her faith and family, Maria loved to sing, dance, and watch her telenovelas. She will be deeply missed by her loved ones. She is survived by her children: Betty (Jerry) Garcia, Jaime (Evelyn) Sandoval, Esther Sandoval-LaBadie, Sarah (Joe) Romero, Annabelle (Sal) Aceves, and Junior (Brenda) Vega, and grandchildren: Michael (Cristina) Rodriguez, Celina Rodriguez Flores (Francisco Flores), Bettina Garcia (Michael Brown), Tyler (Ashley) Billington, Todd Billington, Brooks Billington, Tirzah Sandoval-LaBadie (TJ Seitenbach), Serrina (Mark) de la Cruz-Chavez, Rachel Aceves (Ben Valenzuela), Salvador Aceves IV (Laila), Patricia Lowlaki (Christopher Shields), Ommeed Lowlaki, Alexander Vega, Nikki Davidson, and Lynda Vega; and great grandchildren: Angel, Michael, Natalie, Valerie, Alex, Ayden, Frank, Beau, Ajani, Quetzalli, Cuauhtli, Tlazohtzin, Serrianna, Adalyna, Xenia, Lizabeth, Salvador, Serenity, Ellyana, and Thaeo. Her sister, Isabel “Chavela” Silva, also survives her. Maria is preceded in death by her two sons: Mucio Rodriguez and Steve Torres, two grandchildren: Alex Rodriguez and Michael Vega, and her siblings: Rafael Rodriguez, Jose “Pepe” Lazcano Rodriguez, Velia Anfonso, and Domingo Rodriguez. Viewing services will be conducted from 1:00-2:00pm on Monday, September 19th at the Malesich & Shirey Funeral Home, located at 5701 Independence St, Arvada, CO 80002. Family and loved ones will have a Celebration of Life gathering on Saturday, September 24th at 2417 W. 29th Ave, Denver, CO 80211 at 2:00pm.