George (Dad) Cruz, 93, was born July 30, 1928 in El Puerto, New Mexico to Teofilo and Elena Cruz. He retired from the CF&I after 35 years of service. He was a very humble, dedicated, and hard-working husband and father. He always put his family first and provided for them. George was a warm, friendly man who made his mark in the world, not with his grand gestures or fancy titles, but by the basic goodness and generosity of his character and by the quality of his involvement with his family and friends. He had a lifelong love for horses and enjoyed caring for them for many years. He was an avid Colorado Rockies and Bronco fan, and he enjoyed going to the mountains and on car rides.
George was preceded in death by his wife Ersilia Cruz, infant daughter Louisa Cruz, granddaughter Teddi Ann Cruz, great grandsons Estevon Cruz and Jeremiya Gutierrez, great granddaughters Kiera Lynn Taylor, and Alise Rangel, brothers Juan, Modesto, Jose, and Paul Cruz, and sisters Rebecca, Oclire, Martha, Patsy, and Agapita. He is survived by his sons Ted (JoAnn) Cruz, George (Joyce) Cruz, William (Karen) Cruz, Steve (Janet) Cruz, and Allen (Loretta) Cruz, daughters Prescilla Cruz, Delores Art, and Peggy Gutierrez (Arturo Ramos) and 20 grandchildren, 50 great grandchildren, and 28 great great grandchildren. Caregivers Prescilla, Steve and Janet Cruz, Peggy and Arturo with special thanks to Diane Mondragon (Banana) whom all we appreciated and grew to love as a family member and friend, for the care, compassion, and friendship she showed our dad until the end, the staff at Center Care Hospice for the care you provided for our dad, and the staff at Imperial Funeral Home.
Viewing Friday 4-6pm, Funeral Services will be held Saturday, November 6, at Imperial Funeral Home at 10am and at Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church (1132 W. Oro Grande Dr., Pueblo West, CO 81007) at 1 PM, interment at Imperial Cemetery to follow.
