Cenobia Garcia-Ruvalcaba

A Mass of the Resurrection for Cenobia Garcia Ruvalcaba, 86, of Portales, New Mexico, will be celebrated by Fr. Heriberto Mercado at 11:00 AM, Thurs., Apr 7, 2022 at Santa Cecilia Church at the Garcia Ranch, 43055 US 70, Portales, NM. Burial will follow in the family cemetery at the ranch.

Cenobia Garcia was born October 30, 1935 in El Centro, Jalisco to Jesus Rubalcava and Maria Isaac Perez, and passed away Monday, March 28, 2022 in Merced, California. She was married to Francisco Garcia in 1951 in Yahualica, Jalisco, Mexico.

In 1958, the family moved to a plot of land they coined as “La Raya” in Tangancicuaro, Michoacan. At “La Raya” she helped raise her niece and nephews following the sudden death of her brother-in-law. Together, the two families found comfort in one another and prospered in raising their families with what little they had.

With her husband and 4 children, she moved to California in 1964. They began making a life for themselves by working as farm laborers harvesting essential fruits and vegetables by hand. By 1972, the family had grown by two and had saved enough money to purchase their first home in San Jose, California.

In 1988, she, her husband and six children moved to New Mexico and together built what is now known as El Rancho De Los Huracanes Del Norte. By this time Los Huracanes were achieving great levels of musical success that Cenobia never dreamed possible. This gave Cenobia and Francisco the opportunity to retire and enjoy their grandchildren as well as tend to El Rancho.

Cenobia was full of life and always found the beauty in everything. She told the most colorful stories of her childhood and early motherhood in beautiful detail. She took great pride in helping raise her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved watching them enjoy her many traditional Mexican meals like albondigas and baked sweets like cochinitos. Sharing a cup of coffee with a great grandkid was a daily occurrence, followed by a ride on her lap in her scooter. For her grandchildren she was always a fierce protector and offered a listening ear with sound advice.

One of Cenobia’s greatest joys in life was being surrounded by her sisters: Chole, Rosario, Chuy and Linda. Together they enjoyed casino outings and late night slumber parties where they could be heard laughing and singing until the early morning hours. She spent her last days in the presence of her sisters doing just that.

She raised six ambitious and tenacious children who she instilled with great work ethic and huge hearts of kindness. They went on to succeed in their lives and careers. She never missed a farewell to her boys as they departed for the weekend on their tour bus. While awaiting their return she would pass the time listening to cassette tapes of their early music. Her daughters meant everything to her and devoted their time to making her comfortable and ensuring she was taken care of, while still focusing on their own careers. She never missed the opportunity to tell someone how grateful and proud she was of her sons and daughters.

Cenobia was preceded by her husband, Francisco Garcia, and her parents, Maria Isaac Perez and Jesus Rubalcava. She is survived by her siblings, Soledad Maria Lopez (Chole), Ma De Jesus Rubalcava (Chuy), Rosario Sandoval, J Asuncion Ruvalcaba (Chon), Herlinda Fernandez (Linda). Her children, Heraclio, Jose de Jesus, Francisco, Maria de Refugio, Jose Guadalupe, Amelia. Nineteen grandchildren, and seventeen great grandchildren

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