Marie Ida Tafoya

Marie Ida Tafoya, 82, was called home to be with her precious Lord on December 30, 2020 at her La Junta home with her family by her bedside. She was born on April 25, 1938 in Raton, New Mexico to Ezequiel & Mary (Montano) Vigil; that’s when her journey started in life.

In 1943, her dad passed away and her mother remarried Frank Fry Tafoya who finished raising her at the age of 7. They started doing harvest work going state to state, working the cotton, beets, peaches, and onions. She got to see a lot of the country. In 1953, they settled down in La Junta, where she worked at Cardinals and Dutch Mill Café. In 1955, she met the love of her life, Max Tafoya they were married in 1956 and started a family and had a wonderful 64 years of marriage.

She was a very special lady, all of her children’s friends would call her mom or grandma. She will be remembered for her wonderful New Mexico Mexican dishes she cooked every year at Christmas time. Every New Year’s she would make a big pot of Menudo to ring in the New Year. Mom, will be deeply missed by many Vaya con Dios.

She was a member of the First Assembly of God Church for a long time where she would sing and play her tambourine.

Marie is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, Max of the family home; children, Leonardo (Leonarda Almos) Tafoya, Sr., Howard (Donna) Tafoya, Sr., Makey (Robbie Sisneros) Tafoya and Norma Tafoya all of La Junta; grandchildren, Joshua Tafoya, Leonardo Tafoya, Jr., Leann Veneklasen, Fahleena Tafoya, Howard Tafoya, Jr., Tanya Tafoya, Ashley Sisneros and Lucas Sisneros; twenty-two great-grandchildren; siblings, Dorothy Soto; Irene (Benji) Garcia; numerous nieces and nephews; god-children, Robert (Bobby) Tafoya and Loretta Nielsen. She was preceded in death by her parents, step-father, Frank Fry Tafoya; siblings, Gilbert Montano; Raymond Vigil; Johnny Vigil, Mable Raso, Jesse Castanon and Cortie Tafoya; daughter-in-law, Patricia Ann Tafoya.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Peacock Memorial Chapel with Pastor James Crandall of the First Assembly of God in La Junta officiating. Visitation will be held prior to service from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. also at the chapel.

Online condolences may be made at www.PeacockFH.com. Peacock-Larsen Funeral Home & Arkansas Valley Crematory is in charge of arrangements.