Evelyn Marina (Abeyta) Carabajal

Evelyn Marina (Abeyta) Carabajal

1922-2022

Evelyn Marina (Abeyta) Carabajal, was born on May 25, 1922, in Tiffany, Colo., to Abel and Margarita Abeyta.

Evelyn is survived by one daughter, Antoinette (Toni) Castillo, of Los Lunas; two grandsons, Chris (Jackie) and Carlos (Eileen); and two grandchildren, Anthony and Sophia Castillo.

She had a special place in her heart for a nephew, Preston (Angie) Abeyta; and a niece, Doreen (Manuel) Candelaria. They always kept in touch with her and enjoyed visiting with her, whether it was on the phone or in person.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Antonio Carabajal; her parents, and siblings, John Abeyta, Lilly Marquez, Margie Martinez, Julia Garcia and Beatrice Garcia.

Evelyn was raised on a farm with many animals; her family grew their own vegetables, fruits, meat and milk products. Her chores consisted of milking cows, making cheese and butter, feeding animals and helping with the garden. She and her brother, John, would take care of the herd of sheep and move them to different pastures as needed.

She would also help with cooking, cleaning the house, mending clothing, canning fruits and vegetables. During the harvest season, they were kept home or went in late to school as they were needed more on the farm. They would ride horses to school, which was about three miles away.

She played on a girls’ basketball team in 1938-39. For fun once in a while, her father would take her and her sisters to a dance and stayed and watched until he said it was time to leave. She had stories of living through The Depression and WWII, while her brother was in the U.S. Army.

She moved to Albuquerque in 1942, and worked for the dietary Department at Presbyterian Hospital. She also worked for Pioneer Wear, where she made leather belts, purses, etc.

She met her husband, Antonio, shortly after she relocated to New Mexico, and they loved to go dancing. They were very good dancers and people would admire and compliment them often. They married in 1943.

Antonio was a machinist for AT&SF, and Evelyn was a homemaker. They were foster parents for several years, and their only child was born in 1956. Evelyn continued to be a stay-at-home mom and did babysitting for several children for many years.

Her husband, Antonio, passed away in 1968, which left Evelyn as a young widow at the age of 44 with a young child, which changed her life drastically, as her husband was the love of her life! She ran a shelter care home for the elderly after the passing of her husband.

She later worked for the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office until she retired. A few years ago, she moved to Los Lunas to be closer to her daughter and her family.

She was affectionately known as “nana” not only by her family but to many who knew her. She really loved piddling around in her yard with her plants and flowers. She was a wonderful cook in her younger years but continued to make tortillas and sweet rice for her family. At Christmas time, her specialty was posole.

Evelyn passed away peacefully on Dec. 12, 2022, at the age of 100. She had a great time at her birthday party in May with family and friends; good food, and mariachis  serenaded her.

As per her wishes, she had a private graveside service with her immediate family. She will be missed by all of us, as she had quite an influence on us and lots of stories that many people will remember. God willing, she will continue to watch over us all.

A special thank you to Dr. Joseph Aragon and his staff, all the staff that worked with her from Amber Care and to the staff from Kaghan House.

Arrangements are being handled by the caring professionals at the Noblin Funeral Service Los Lunas Chapel, 2211-D Main Street, SE Los Lunas, NM 87031, 505-866-9992 where an online guest register is available at noblin.com.