Maria Aragon Cruz

December 2, 1941 ~ August 1, 2017
Resided in:
Fairview, NC
Maria Margarita Aragon Cruz, 75, of Fairview, died Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at the CarePartners Solace Center.
A native of Albuquerque, NM, she was a daughter of the late John and Laura Aragon. She was also preceded in death by a sister, Elaine Aragon.
Margarita, (also known as Margaret by family and friends), graduated with honors from St. Mary’s High School in Albuquerque. She was born with a hole in her heart and was one of the first five people in the United States to have open-heart surgery and was not expected to live past the age of 25, or to be able to have children. She went on to live to the age of 75 and had three children.
During her life, she owned an art gallery in Palo Alto, CA and worked at Stanford in the Neurology Department. She was a fierce defender of human rights and was the president of MANA and a member of NOW. She tirelessly crusaded for the rights of migrant farm workers and helped with managing refugees during the Cuban Refugee Crisis in the 1980’s. Despite being born, with what some said, was a life-threatening heart issue, she lived a long, purposeful and heart-felt life.
Margaret is survived by her husband, Joseph Cruz; two daughters, Lisa Gallegos Mouhibian (Arman) of Los Angeles, CA and Christina Gallegos Merrill (Doug) of Fairview; one step-daughter, Krystal Cruz of Fairview; one son, Richard Robert Gallegos of San Diego, CA; one sister, Elizabeth Aragon Culp of Lumberton, TX; one brother, Joseph Charles Aragon of Los Lunas, NM; five grandchildren, Justin Thornton, Henry Gaisford, Adam Gaisford, Lily Merrill and Lorraine Munoz, as well as one great-granddaughter on the way, Emma Joyce Gaisford.
A Prayer Service will be held at 4:00 PM on Sunday, October 8, 2017 in the chapel of Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian with Deacon Mike Stout officiating.The family will receive friends at the funeral home following the service.
For those who desire and in lieu of flowers, Margaret's family asks that contributions be made in her memory to CarePartners Solace Center, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.
So sorry to hear about your Mom.. God be with you through this time. She is with our Lord Jesus Christ now.
Thinking of you and the rest of the family.. Prayers for all.
When we were growing up I alway though that Margaret was so beautiful and smart. When I read the obituaries she proved me right, she had a strong heart that new love and compassion for other. I proud that she was my cousin. When you get older in life we lose contact with important people in our lives and thing that do not matter take all of our time, tell we wake up and learn what is really important. I have no doubt that she is up their with the very best of them all.
Please accept my sympathy at your loss of Mrs.Cruz, I pray for your peace from God as you mourn. May the comforting thoughts found in His Holy Word strengthen you all during this difficult time, giving you hope and comfort. Isaiah 33:24, 1 Corinthians 15:26, and Acts 24:15
Prayers for you margret you are my first cusin. I remember you as a very strong and beutiful lady just like my aunty laura aragon. Now you will rest in heaven with my dad celerino aragon.
I’m very sorry for your loss. May you be comforted by loving memories and may you find hope in Gods promise of resurrection found in Acts 24:15. May he also bring you peace during this difficult time-Philippians 4:6,7.
My condolences to the family. Those we hold closest to our hearts leave us with memories to treasure. May the kindness she had shared and the love she brought into your hearts strengthen you. May the Almighty God (Psalms 83:18) bring lasting comfort and peace to the family during this difficult time.
My deepest sympathies to the Cruz family. I know that your family is experiencing the loss of a dear loved one. This indeed is a very painful time. Rest assured that our loving God, Jehovah, is certainly aware of how you’re feeling. In His Word, the Bible, he promises to raise up our dear loved ones through the beautiful hope of a resurrection. (Acts 24:15) May ‘the God of comfort’ give you the strength to get through the days ahead. (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4)
Very precise
Margaret was loved by the John Toledo Family and was missed when she left Albuquerque. She was a beautiful person personally and did many good deeds!