Maria Gutierrez

Mary was born on December 3, 1972 in Sahuayo, Michoacán to Maria and Raul Gomez Acevedo and was raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco. As a teenager, Mary met Jesus Gutierrez in their hometown and dated for eight years until they finally got married on March 14, 1998 and moved to Los Angeles, California where she spent the second half of her life.

She was a mother to many. As the eldest daughter, she often served as a surrogate mother to her younger siblings. She had to take on a lot of responsibilities from a young age as a result of having two parents who worked full-time jobs. Mary sacrificed a lot for her family, most notably she discontinued her education after middle school and gave up the opportunity to be a flight hostess. After she moved to Los Angeles, she then birthed three of her own daughters.

Mary was a model stay-at-home mom. She was a gifted cook - everyone enjoyed eating over at her place. Mexican cuisine was of course her specialty: enchiladas, tamales pozole, birria, chiles rellenos, carne en su jugo. Aside from her recipes, her sister-in-laws would also ask for advice on cleaning, mending and tailoring clothes. In her downtime, you would see her watching novelas in the evening or spending hours talking to her family on the phone.

While her family could not be with her during her last moments because of restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to see her for the last time that morning for a couple minutes to say their final goodbyes. Mary is survived by her husband Jesus, and her daughters Valerie, Emily, and Nathalie.

The family will be holding a livestream for virtual attendees to pay their respects. A gofundme was made to help with the expenses that have accrued since her first diagnosis last January - details will be made available soon - otherwise donations can also be sent to her eldest daughter Valerie Gutierrez (Venmo @gv718, QuickPay [email protected]).