Rosa Avalos, 104, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 31, 2021. She was born in Colima, Mexico and came to El Paso at the age of 9 with her parents Pablo and Antonia Avalos, and her older sister Maria. Her father established a dairy when he arrived. Rosa was only 14 when her father died, so she, along with her mother and sister, assumed the responsibility of running the dairy. Rosa was the only fluent English speaker of the three, so she was the one who conducted the family business. A student at Bowie High School, she would get up at the crack of dawn to help supervise the milkmen, do manual chores, and handled all the financial bookkeeping. She never missed school and graduated from Bowie where she was inducted into the National Honor Society her senior year.
After graduation, she went to work for Union Furniture as an office clerk and bookkeeper. Before long, she was sitting in on all sales meetings, assisting, and advising the male buyers. There were no female buyers in her day, but because of her marketing know-how, she was finally promoted and became the first female buyer in company’s history.
Rosa was a faithful Catholic, intelligent, independent, loving, selfless, generous, and witty. She was a voracious reader, excellent gardener, and world traveler. She never married or had children of her own, but she was extremely close to her sister, Maria Escobar, her brother-in-law Carlos, and their eight children. Aunt Rose, as she was lovingly called, was their second mother, mentor, and guiding light.
She was preceded in death by her sister and brother-in-law Maria and Carlos Escobar, her nephews, Carlos (Vangie) and Pablo (Bertha, dec) Escobar, her niece, Nan Strons (Bill dec), her great nephew Mark Rasor, and her great nieces Christina Alarcon and Elizabeth Escobar. She is survived by her nephews Juan (Magda), Hector (Nellie), and David (Lorna) Escobar, and her nieces Hilda (Tom dec) Rasor and Socorro (Art) Alarcon, and many great and great-great nephews and nieces.
Visitation: Monday, 1/10/22 from 4-8 PM; Rosary 6-7 PM Martin Funeral Home, 128 N. Resler Dr.
Funeral Mass: Tuesday, 1/11/2022 9:30 AM Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 1551 Belvidere St.
Arrangements by Martin Funeral Home West
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MartinFuneralHomeWest.com for the Avalos family.
