Margarita "Mague" Carmona Cardenas, the beloved matriarch of the Cardenas family, died on September 28, 2024, surrounded by family and friends in Carrizo Springs, Texas. She was 84 years old and had been a resident of Carrizo Springs since 1953.

Mrs. Cardenas, the oldest of eighteen children of Pedro Carmona Sr. and Manuela Villanueva Carmona, was born on July 19, 1940, in El Mesquite, outside of Torreon, Mexico. The Carmona family returned to the United States in 1949 and lived in San Antonio for several years before settling in Carrizo Springs.

Like many teenage girls in the 1950s, Mague was all about her outfits and hair often showing off new dresses that her parents would buy for her. A local zoot suiter by the name of Anselmo "Chemito" Torres Cardenas took great interest in Mague and attempted capture her attention by repeatedly walking back and forth down the street where the Carmona family lived.

Chemito eventually succeeded in wooing Mague, and they wed on April 13, 1959 – she was nineteen and he was twenty-six. They were married for thirty-three years until Mr. Cardenas' death in 1993. They lived on Thompson Street before purchasing their home on 12th street where they raised their children: Juanita Noemi, Patricia, Eduardo, Elsa, and Letty.

Both Mague and Anselmo were farm-laborers and followed the crop seasons – beets, corn, carrots, and cucumbers. They would travel from the Wintergarden in Southwest Texas to Van Horn and Muleshoe in West Texas. They'd go as far as Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin too. While the work was tough, Mrs. Cardenas fondly remembered the long drives she would take with Anselmo and the kids "para El Norte" (going up north). She was known though to lecture her grandchildren, when they complained about how tired they were, about doing this back-breaking work in the heat while raising her children and managing her home.

Mrs. Cardenas drew great strength from religion and was a life-long and unwavering Catholic. She prayed daily to "San Judas Taddeo" (St. Jude Thaddeus), often leaving candles on for days at a time on the stove. In 2019, at the age of seventy-nine, she made a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City with grandson Juan and climbed the Hill of Tepeyac to give her thanks to the Virgen de Guadalupe. She also made multiple pilgrimages to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle National Shrine in San Juan, Texas, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

And while religion was a core part of her life, Mague loved to gamble. She was a fixture at local bingo halls and had a soft spot for "las maquinitas" (eight-liners) – the more illegal, the better because of the prospect of a higher payout. She was known to hitch rides to the local casino when she could. She celebrated when she won big jackpots and lamented to family and friends "cuando perdio" (when she lost), often saying that her luck "no quiso" (luck wasn't on her side). When her health prevented her from going to the bingo, she'd give her daughter Pat $20 dollars in the hopes that she'd win on her behalf. Mague fulfilled a life-long dream when she went with her daughter Elsa to play the slots in Las Vegas in 2021 – though they didn't win anything.

In addition to being go-lucky, Mrs. Cardenas had a wonderful sense of humor that would often come out around close family and friends. She would don wigs or ludicrously large hats, pretend to drink hard liquor, and exaggerated her dancing moves. She was always open to new experiences – there is a hilarious photo of her smoking a hookah with two of her nephews. She was also a thrill-seeker and would race to catch up to the ambulance in her car with her kids, nieces, and nephews in tow. She was always ready to travel, whether to visit Eddie and spend time with Ashley, Elijah, and Bianca in the DFW area, or to catch up with her daughter Letty, granddaughter Sabrina, and sister Rosa in Rhode Island.

Mague loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was completely devoted to them. She helped raise many of them. She counseled them and taught them important values – hard work, responsibility, humility, citizenship, honesty, and the importance of family. She often would wake up early in the mornings to make sure they had a warm breakfast before school and tortillas with "mantequilla" (butter) after school. Throughout their lives, she gave her grandchildren and great-grandchildren nicknames that made sense to her – Binky, Ghost, Nona, YoYo, Chona, Chacho, Gords, and Gorda. She was also known for her occasional "mas te vale" (you better not) threats and wagging finger when they stepped out of line.

She supported every extra-curricular effort, fundraising drive, and loved to celebrate their achievements. Mague would make sure Drew and Ron's football flags hung on lawn every Thursday night because she was so proud to have two grandsons playing for the Wildcats varsity football team. She could be found in the stands watching great-granddaughter Aracely play softball and great-grandson Ethan learn baseball.

They in turn absolutely loved her. Her grandchildren helped her hide her smoking habit from her parents and siblings, joined her on long walks every night, and helped her pick lotto numbers at various corner stores around Carrizo. They eventually got her to stop smoking in her sixties (60s). Multiple grandchildren, including Little Joe, would take turns breaking her cigarettes in half each time she bought a new pack of Salems. Mague lived with granddaughter Tiffany for many years to help raise her great-grandchildren. As Mague got older, the roles reversed.

Mrs. Cardenas was well-known in the community and had many friends from all walks of life. It was rare for her to be out in town and not run into someone who wanted to know how she was doing and to "chismear" (gossip). As she grew older, she kept up with her connections to the community via her flip-phone. She often ended calls by instructing those on the line to tell the next person on her list to give her a call because she was waiting to talk to them. She was also ready to help those in need, whether it was a sympathetic ear, words of wisdom, or send a few dollars their way.

In her final weeks and days, Mague's extended family - from her brothers, sisters, brothers and sisters in law, nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren - all held watch. Their commitment to her in those final hard days is a testament to the love and admiration many had for Mague.

Mrs. Cardenas is preceded in death by Anselmo "Chemito" Torres Cardenas, her husband, Juanita Noemi Cardenas, her daughter, Pedro Carmona Sr. and Manuela Villaneuva Carmona, her parents, Alberta "Bertha" Carmona Moreno, her sister, and brothers Javier Carmona, Manuel Carmona, and Victor Montoya.

Mrs. Cardenas leaves behind daughters Patricia Cardenas Flores (husband Adolfo), Elsa Cardenas Smith (husband Jesse), and Letty Villanueva (wife Nancy); and son Eduardo Cardenas (wife Veronica).

Mague also leaves behind grandchildren Little Joe Esquivel, Andrew "Drew" Esquivel, Aaron "Ron" Esquivel, Edward Flores, Andrew Cardenas, Amanda Cardenas, Arheanna Cardenas, Ashley Salinas, Bianca Salinas, Elijah Salinas, Juan Manuel Navarro, Tiffany Cruz Perez, Juanita Nicole Cruz, Adrian Ernesto Cardenas, and Sabrina Villanueva.

She leaves behind great-grandchildren Janelle Reyes, Paige, Arynn, Pia Celeste Mata, Leo Prince Mata, Mateo G. Ramos, Aaron Jack Esquivel, Catalina Mary-Margarita Navarro, Alejandra Cristina-Lola Navarro, Aracely Noemi Hernandez, Ethan Alfonso Perez, Link Zepeda, and Navi Cardenas. Great-Great grandchildren include Kaiden and Jenasis.

Mague is survived by many siblings. They include sisters Felipa Carmona, Monica Carmona Olivares, Maria Carmona, Rosa Carmona Segura, Leticia Carmona, Martha Carmona Lomas, and Carmen Carmona Serrano; brothers, Juan Carmona, Pedro Carmona Jr., Martin Carmona, Alonzo Carmona, Francisco Carmona, Jose Luis Carmona, and Fernando Minjares. Mague also leaves many brothers-in-laws, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and extended family. She was also a godmother to many.

Mrs. Cardenas' casket will be escorted into Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church by granddaughter Juanita Cruz and great-granddaughter Aracely Noemi Hernandez in recognition of Mrs. Cardenas efforts to raise independent and resilient Cardenas women. Grandson Juan Manuel Navarro will give the eulogy.

Pallbearers include Juan Carmona, Andrew "Drew" Esquivel, Aaron "Ron" Esquivel, Elijah Salinas, Juan Manuel Navarro, Adrian Cardenas, Sabrina Villanueva, and Alfonso Perez. Honorary Pallbearers are Ethan Alfonso Perez, Aaron Jack Esquivel, Link Zepeda, and Navi Cardenas.

The family would like to offer its deepest thank those who helped Mague through her final days including her health-care provider and the Staff at Whispering Springs Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. The family also gives its thanks to Irene Vasquez for leading the family through the rosary and to the everyone that accompanied us during our time of great need and sorrow.

May God Bless You All.