February 27, 1921 – December 29, 2010
He was born in Magdalena, Sonora Mexico to Ramon and Dolores Cota. He was the youngest of six children, Santiago, Socorro, Ramon, Pancho, and Manuela. In Mexico, he worked as a waiter and owned a Laundromat and Bakery. On March 1945 he married Maria Amparo Durazo and they were blessed with eight children; Martha, Dora, Ralph, Laura, Elvia, Silvia, Gloria, & Irma.
In 1953 he immigrated to the United States and settled in Guadalupe, Arizona. He worked in construction as a laborer for many years. Every summer he took his family to California to escape the Arizona heat. The whole family worked in the fields…they picked fruits, vegetables, peanuts…whatever was in season. At the end of the summer, they would return to Arizona. He was active in the Catholic Church and assisted in the rebuilding of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He was a member of the Guadalupe Men's Club and held the office of treasurer.
He lived in Guadalupe until 2002, when his wife of 57 years, Amparo, passed away. In May 2004, he married Juanita Benavidez Guffy and lived in Chandler to be close to his family. He and Juanita traveled to New York, Indiana, Texas, New Mexico, California, and especially Nevada.
He accomplished all of this while making sure his family always came first in his life. He instilled good morals and values by living as an example. He stressed the importance of an education, taught them to be self sufficient and work hard to succeed. There was not a school function, baseball game, graduation, wedding, birth, christening, etc. that he did not attend.
Baseball was his passion. He loved watching his grandkid's baseball games and could be heard from the stands saying 'hit the ball boy'. Many times you could find him yelling at the television, angry at the Diamondbacks' manager, wishing he could have a chance to speak with him about how he was managing the team.
His grandchildren could always count on him…they knew that Tata always had a bean burrito and something to drink for them whenever they stopped at his house. At Christmas time, 'Tio Tito' would have a bag with an orange, candy, and nuts for all the kids. As a friend, you could not have a more loyal one.
He enjoyed working with his plants, having garage sales, and just hanging out with his children. He continued being the glue of the Cota family and always available to help whenever he was needed. There never was a better host, and as you left his home he would say "take it easy boys and girls."
Our family was blessed to have him!
Arrangements under the direction of Resthaven Park Mortuary & Cemetery, Phoenix, AZ.
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