Maria "Mary" Marquez

Maria “Mary” Marquez of Waukesha passed away on October 12, 2020 surrounded by the love of her family at the age of 96. She was born in Lockhart, Texas on March 25, 1924 the daughter of Amador and Rosa (nee Balandran) Llanas. On January 28, 1948 she married her beloved husband, Alfredo Marquez; he preceded her in death on November 17, 2012. Born the fourth in a line of fifteen children, Mary grew up in a family of proud, hard-working migrant farm laborers. Like so many others of humble beginnings, she did not have the opportunity to finish her education, but she loved learning, and always understood the value of it. She always encouraged others to keep learning and to not take their education for granted. She joyfully spent decades working as a custodian for the School District of Waukesha and developed a genuine respect for educators. For many years, Mary was an active participant in senior water exercise through both the YMCA and Waukesha Park & Rec. She treasured that experience and the many friends she made through those classes. Mary was also very adept at crocheting, knitting, and sewing. Her compassion, generosity, open-mindedness, and charismatic nature earned her many friends from all walks of life. Most of all, Mary was deeply proud of her family, especially her children. She enjoyed playing bingo with her sisters, travelling with her daughters, listening to her sons’ 50’s & 60’s rock ‘n roll band, The Rockin’ Robins, and going on all kinds of adventures with her granddaughter, Marcy. The annual Llanas family reunion was always a much-anticipated event for Mary as she looked forward to reconnecting with her many relatives and meeting the younger generations.

Mary’s bright smile, sharp humor, and gentle nature will be sadly missed by her children, Alfredo “Freddy” Marquez of Brookfield, Mario Marquez of Oconomowoc, Teresa Mata of Muskego and Genoveva “Genny” (Steven) Marquez-Meyer of Mount Pleasant. Mary was also blessed with three grandchildren: Michael (Kim) Marquez, Marcela Mata and Adrian Mata and three great-grandchildren, Michael Jr. and Xavier Marquez and Benicio Garcia-Mata. She is further survived by her brothers and sisters, Juana “Janie” Marchan, Inez (Carmen) Llanas, Paul Llanas, Susie (Santos) Gomez and Charlie Llanas along with countless nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her brothers and sisters, Josefina Llanas, Socorro Llanas Torres, Fidela Llanas Ybarra, and brothers Cristobal, Juan, Pedro, Isidro “Chilo”, Walter, and Angelo “Pepino” Llanas.

Services for Mary will be held on Friday, October 23, 2020 at St. William Catholic Church, 440 N. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha with visitation from 2:00 PM until the 4:30 PM funeral service all at church. Private family burial will be at Prairie Home Cemetery. Memorials are appreciated to The Park Foundation of Waukesha, Inc. P.O. Box 2006 Waukesha, WI 53187-2006.

Per the Wisconsin mask mandate face masks/coverings are required and the church will be following strict social distancing protocols.