Cecilia Guzmán. Obituary

Cecilia (Cece) Aragón Guzmán passed away peacefully on October 6, 2008 at Broadmoor Court Assisted Living in Colorado Springs where she had resided for four months. She had spent the previous seven years living in Colorado Springs with her husband Guadalupe "Gus" Guzmán (who preceded her in death in May 2008), their daughter Dr. Nadyne Guzmán, and their grandson Manuel V. Gómez II and his family. Prior to their move to Colorado Springs, the Guzmáns had lived in Alamosa, Colorado since 1947. Cecilia Guzmán was an active citizen in Alamosa. She served there as an volunteer at the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church and later at the First Presbyterian Church as an elder, a deacon, member of the church choir, and several other committees. She retired from the San Luis Valley Federal Savings and Loan in 1987 where she had been an administrative assistant. Cece's passion was working on the board of La Puente, a non-profit that provides shelter and assistance for homeless individuals and families. She was a founding board member and served La Puente's mission from 1982-2000. Born October 2, 1920 in Alamosa, Colorado, to Manuel Aragón and Juanita (Suazo) Aragón, Cecilia was the only one of four siblings to survive childhood. She graduated from Menaul High School, a Presbyterian boarding school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After a short time attending the University of New Mexico, she went on to study at a private business college and then took a job in Santa Fe, New Mexico with the Army Corps of Engineers. During World War II Cece proudly joined the United States Marine Corps as one of he first women to be inducted into the Corps. After the war she moved to San Bernardino, California to serve as a Presbyterian missionary where she met and married Guadalupe "Gus" Guzmán. Cecilia is survived by her daughter Dr. Nadyne Guzmán. In addition to her grandson Manuel Gómez, Cece is also survived by grandsons Jayson Mengel and Matthew Mengel and granddaughter Christine Mengel Duis, all of Colorado Springs. She is also survived by 11 great-grandchildren. Cece is remembered for her passion for making the world a fairer and better place, her "get it done" attitude, her loyalty to friends, her sense of humor, and her faith in humankind. Prior to her death she declared her joy at "going to join Gus and God." The family requests that memorial donations be made to La Puente Home, 913 State Avenue, Alamosa, CO 81101. Phone: 719-589-5909. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 3:00 pm at Faith Presbyterian Church, 1529 North Circle Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80909.