Rose was a wonderful daughter, mother, sister, niece, cousin, and friend to so many. She was a proud Clendenin Elementary School Teacher for 19 years.
Rose grew up with her parents and her 2 brothers and 2 sisters in Central El Paso. She attended Clardy Elementary, Henderson Middle, and was a proud Silver Fox at Jefferson High School. The Reyes family was well known for being the children of Gilbert H. Reyes, who owned Party Time Beer Depot on Paisano. She described her best childhood memories playing clarinet in the band with her siblings and all of her friends. She was known for her big smile and her love of pink and the Pink Panther.
Rose cared greatly about animals. She volunteered at the El Paso Zoo in high school where she later worked in the Zoological Society. She worked for Dale Electronics, worked at C-phones with her brother, Joey, she earned her nail technician license and worked at Beautiful Nails.
While working, she was also studying as a first-generation college student where she attended the University of Texas at El Paso earning her BBA in Computer Information Systems. As she looked for a job she began to substitute teach in the EPISD school system. She quickly fell in love with the smell of crayons, construction paper, and working with children and decided she had found a new passion. She went through the Region 19 Teaching Alternative Certification Program and was certified in grades Early Childhood through 4th grade.
She worked at Clendenin Elementary teaching 4th grade, 3rd grade, 2nd grade, and Kindergarten. Her students brought her joy, laughs, and taught her just as much as she taught them. She enjoyed teaching them to write, do math, while also having fun. Her classes always worked hard but they also always had time for arts and crafts.
Rose was a woman who was full of life and had many wonderful job opportunities, but the far superior job she had was being a mom. She gave birth to Tomiko Okubo Reyes on January 24, 1998. From the moment Rose had Tomiko, she became her whole world and vice versa. They were best friends just as much as they were mother daughter. Being a single-mother, Rose’s goal was always to give Tomiko the best life she could give her which she greatly succeeded. Rose and Tomiko enjoyed going to concerts, going on vacation to California, going on cruises, singing in the car, dancing, binging TV, and spending all their time together. They described themselves as the real life versions of TV characters Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Their love for pop culture and being with one another mirrored Rose and Tomiko greatly. Rose and Tomiko's relationship was unlike any other mother daughter relationship.
Rose enjoyed art from a very young age and was creative and talented. She remembers her best childhood memories doing arts and crafts with her cousins at her Aunt Marty’s house. She loved everything to “be pretty”. Her writing was beautiful, she would do craft shows and developed a great love of jewelry. She always continued making arts and crafts. Her most recent artistic journey was creating her own Etsy Shop named MamaPinkGlitter. It was named after her nickname Mama Pink which Tomiko gave her as a baby because Rose’s favorite color was pink. She was making fun jewelry, holiday earrings, headbands, and so much more. She was a Woman of Faith and was able to spread so much kindness. She attended St. Ignatius Church with her mother and was later confirmed at Queen of Peace Church.
Rose loved everyone greatly. She never missed an opportunity to tell you she loved you. She loved her family, her friends, her coworkers, and especially her daughter. She was an extremely strong woman raising a daughter alone. With the help of her parents, they were able to give Tomiko everything and more she could ever need. Rose was independent, strong willed, creative, and absolutely beautiful inside and out. She managed to make every single person around her feel special. She was an amazing storyteller.
Rose is survived by her daughter and best friend, Tomiko Okubo Reyes whom she loved more than anyone. She also leaves behind her brother, sisters, their spouses, nieces, and nephews, Gilbert Reyes Jr. and Kattie Reyes, Elisa Reyes-Braun and Markus Braun, Cindy Reyes McNulty, Norma Reyes, Juan Carlos Reyes, Gilbert Reyes III, Cassie Reyes, Regina and Angel Maldonado, Ryan Matthew Reyes and Belinda Salazar (Girlfriend), Devan Nunez, Joshua Nunez, Leo Maldonado, and Eddie McNulty IV.
She is greatly remembered by her extended family, friends, both new, old, and all who loved this beautiful woman.
She is joining in heaven her parents Gilbert H. Reyes and Rosa O. Reyes, her brother Joey Reyes, and her niece Angelina McNulty.
Celebration of Life Services will be held June 23-24, 2022. Visitation on June 23rd will be from 6pm-9pm and Rosary will begin at 7pm at Martin Funeral Home West 128 N. Resler Dr. El Paso, TX 79912. Funeral mass on June 24th will begin at 10:30am at Queen of Peace Church 1551 Belvidere St. El Paso, TX 79912.
To honor Rose the family will be wearing pink for all services. We invite anyone attending to wear pink as well.
Please write down and share any stories or memories of Rose you have with the family. They are being collected and are truly appreciated. Continued prayers are appreciated by the family and many thanks.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MartinFuneralHomeWest.com for the Reyes family.
