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Melendez, Maria "Mary"

October 16, 2023 –
 July 2, 2013

Obituary

Maria (Mary) Melendez, 89, passed away July 2, 2013 in Carrollton, Texas. She was born in Morenci, Arizona on October 16, 1923 to Jose Garcia and Luz Posada Garcia. The family moved to Texas in the 1930’s and settled in El Paso, where she lived most of her life. She married Juan Melendez on October 2, 1949. They were married 29 years when he passed away in 1978.  Mary retired in 1988, after 36 years as an esteemed employee of the laboratory at Providence Memorial Hospital. Mary valued education and learning, and did her best to instill her love of learning in her children. After high school, Mary started working at El Paso General Hospital at 17, completing a two-year training program for medical technology and working at the hospital throughout the war years. In 1945 she also trained as a bookkeeper and worked at several businesses. In 1952 she went back to the work she really loved at the lab in Providence Memorial Hospital.  At Providence, her work ethic and compassion made her a valuable resource.  She became Chief of the Hematology department and taught students participating in the UTEP clinical rotation.  She took advantage of many continuing education programs for medical technologists and belonged to the Texas Society for Medical Technology and the International Society for Clinical Laboratory Technology. Her family proudly remembers how much she loved her job and the impact her presence made on the lab. Mary also loved music and took music lessons as a child. Because of her example, her children and grandchildren all play an instrument. After she retired, Mary spent time gardening, volunteering at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, and enjoying her family and grandson in El Paso until 2003, when she moved to the Dallas area.  Although her health was fading in the last years of her life, she was as an optimistic person who looked forward to spending time with her local family, her beloved dog Amber, playing bingo, going to movies, watching PGA golf, Animal Planet, and the Dallas Cowboys on TV, and enjoying the visits from her El Paso and San Antonio family.  Mary will be remembered by her caregivers at Villagio Assisted Living and Vitas Hospice Care for always having a smile on her face no matter how she felt. Mary is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Yolanda Joosten and Rick Joosten of Plano; her son, John Melendez and daughter-in-law, Esther Melendez of El Paso, her grandson, Johnny Melendez and Johnny’s wife, Tamara of El Paso and her grandson Daniel Joosten of Plano. She is also survived by her loving and devoted sister, Mrs. Lucy Montes and many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her beloved parents Jose and Luz Garcia and her brothers Jose Alberto Garcia, Juan Garcia, Jose Guadalupe Garcia, Carlos Garcia, Edmundo Garcia, and sister, Josefina Garcia Mendez. A memorial Mass will be held at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 1050 N. Clark, El Paso, Texas, at 11:00 am on July 18, 2013, followed by interment at Ft. Bliss National Cemetery at 2:30 pm.  Memorial gifts may be made to Vitas Community Connection, www.vitascommunityconnection.org or The American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas 75252, 214-306-6700.

    Richard Montes
    14 Jul 2013
    10:48am

    Aunt Mary love by many. A wonderful and beautiful person. From our family to yours, our sincerest and deepest condolences. May peace find everyone during this time.

    Charlotte Ceniceros and family
    15 Jul 2013
    9:24am

    Our sincere condolences to you and your family. Virgen De Guadalupe pray for us. May Aunt Cuca rest in peace!

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R. Driver
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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

    BELTLINE ROAD
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      214-340-8009
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      972-526-7410
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