Raquel Soza

Raquel was the 9th child of Juan and Maria Soza, born in Wilmington, California on September 5, 1931. She is survived by her sister, Josephine Soza Michalec; two sisters-in-law, Beverly and Jean Soza and many nephews and nieces.

Raquel’s family moved to Arizona in 1939 and thus began her path toward an extremely adventuresome and interesting career. She attended Washington Elementary School and Emerson Elementary School. In 1941 she was diagnosed with Polio on the entire left side of her body. She remained restricted to her room for a year. Because of the love and support of Beulah Bean, the Public Library Branch Librarian, she was able to read the entire collection of the Branch library. Once recovered, she moved on to new interests. She graduated in 1951 from North Phoenix High School.

In 1951 she entered the St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1954. She continued her career at St. Joseph’s Hospital as a Staff Nurse in charge of students and graduate nurses specializing in emergency surgeries. Wishing to further her training in Operating Room Techniques and Management she moved to Dallas, Texas in 1959 to attend classes at Baylor University Medical Center. In the same year she moved on to Fort Worth, Texas to work at All Saints Episcopal Hospital as the Assistant Operating Room Supervisor.

Raquel returned to Phoenix in 1961 to attend to family needs and remained working at St. Joseph’s Hospital Operating Room until 1965. In that year she applied and was accepted by CARE-MEDICO for assignment to Afghanistan working in Lashkargah/Bost, Kabul and Kandahar as an Operating Room instructor to a selected group of students. Later, she was assigned to Malaysia, working in Kuala Lipis and Kuala Lumpur and finally on to the Dominican Republic as the Operating Room Supervisor while continuing to teach students in Operating Room procedures.

Wishing to update her knowledge of Operating Room Techniques and Procedures, she returned to the United States and after extensive research, chose to attend classes at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Her adventuresome spirit then moved her on to Washington, D.C. in 1972 where she applied and was accepted to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center as a civilian employee in the Operating Room Theaters. After a year she was contacted by a representative of the Panama Canal Company’s Gorgas Hospital in Balboa Heights, Canal Zone to become the Operating Room Supervisor specializing in high-risk surgeries.

In 1979 she was interviewed and accepted by HCI – Hospitals Corporation International based in Nashville, Tennessee. This company represented the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here she became the Assistant Head Nurse in the Operating Room and also taught Operating Room Nursing Techniques to a selected group of students.

In 1985, she returned to Phoenix, Arizona to care for older sister, Amalia (Mollie) who suffered the severe consequences of a near fatal auto accident. Not wishing to remain dormant in her new life, she attended Lamson School for Computer training and qualified for employment by the new Scottsdale Memorial Hospital – no, not as a surgical nurse but as a Secretary and Computer Technician.

Needless to say, computers opened up a whole new world of challenges and interests in books, handcrafts and sewing. She leaves behind numerous projects which reflect her love of always giving to those in most need of assistance. Projects such as, A Dress at a Time; First Way Pregnancy Center; Women’s Choices; Banner Hospital Children’s Ward and many others were recipients of her handiwork.

Services for Raquel will begin with the Viewing at A.L. Moore-Grimshaw Mortuary, 710 W. Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013 on March 7th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed at 3 p.m. The funeral Mass will be held on March 8 at 10 a.m. at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, 6351 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013. A private burial will follow at 11 a.m. at the Greenwood Memory Lawn Mausoleum, 719 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, 85009. Raquel will be laid to rest beside our older sister, Amalia Soza. Rest in peace, dear sisters.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or your own personal choice.