Obituary for Rita Charlene Reyes (Sierra)
Rita Charlene Reyes, age 70, of Alamosa, Colorado peacefully passed Friday November 26, 2021 in her home that she cherished so much.
She was born September 4th 1951 to Felix Jose Sierra and Nellie Donnaciana Rael in Antonito, Colorado. Growing up in Del Norte, Colorado she was the oldest of five children; her siblings were and are Marie “Lillian”, Mary, and Mellisa, all now deceased, and her surviving brother Felix “Gene”.
She attended and graduated from Del Norte High School and went on to become an LPN through attending school in Trinidad, Colorado. After working a short time in Albuquerque, New Mexico she returned back to the San Luis Valley and began working at the Colorado State Veterans Center in Monte Vista, Colorado. She would work here for the next 35 years in their restorative program and physical therapy departments. She enjoyed and valued her time working with the residents immensely and missed them when she retired.
On June 9, 1979 she married hardworking Bonifacio “Boni” Reyes and began a beautiful marriage of 42 years. Once married they built a rock and stucco country home together and a community of neighbors and friends. In 1993, after trying for many years, they finally had one daughter Consuelo Anita Reyes which she was so proud of.
Rita connected cooking and baking into every aspect of her life and was excellent at it. She loved homemade Mexican food such as red chili enchiladas and was always willing to share with others. This was especially seen with festive holiday feasts she would prepare for family and friends that she enjoyed so much. She even prepared for future meals by canning delicious jellies, pickles, and green beans.
She appreciated all seasons of the year. She would get excited when robins and tulips started to appear as these were signs that warmer weather was on its way. Summer was spent maintaining and monitoring the hummingbird population in her backyard, and watching her flowers grow and bloom. In the fall she loved to view the orange spectrum of leaves found in our mountains, and walk through fallen leaves to listen to the crunch. After the first snow of the season she would bundle up to make fresh shoe prints in the quiet crisp air and enjoy a winter walk.
The thing she enjoyed the most was spending time with her family and friends. Both her and sisters Lily and Mary quilted and this allowed them to work on many projects together. Through this she became an excellent quilter and was very proud of all of her projects. She looked forward to holidays and yearly events because of the quality time spent with people. She never missed eating candy at a Fourth of July Parade or enjoying festival food from the Sunshine Festival. She also enjoyed the arts and travel. She loved to attend at least one play at the Creede Repertory theater every year, and attend as many Sundays at Six concerts at Cole park that she could. No matter what the reason for travelling, she made each trip an adventure by trying new and foriegn places to eat, such as Panera Bread, or exploring local attractions. She also enjoyed watching her favorite programs. Sundays were spent eating breakfast while watching CBS Sunday Morning and eating popcorn during Bronco games. She enjoyed bingeing shows and rewatching favorite movies with her daughter and pets. Her four dogs, one granddog, and cat were just as much a part of her family as their human counterparts. She enjoyed their personalities, companionship, and warmth every day.
She truly enjoyed her life and lived it well. She was an amazing family member, friend, and neighbor. So many will miss her calls and conversations. She is now at peace after fighting hard for over a decade with diabetes, kidney and liver failure, and figuring out new technology such as her smartphone.
A celebration of Rita’s life will be held Saturday, December 11, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church here in Alamosa, Colorado starting at 9:30 AM followed by a meal at the same location. Interment of ashes will follow services in the Alamosa Cemetery.
The family would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and prayers. A special thanks to all past and present staff of DaVita Alamosa Dialysis for their care and support of Rita as their patient. Expression of sympathy may be made by contributing to flowers for the service by calling Accent on Flowers here in Alamosa (719) 589-6272.
Rogers Family Mortuary is in care of the arrangements. To leave online condolences, tributes and words of comfort for Rita’s family, please visit www.RogersFunerals.com
She was born September 4th 1951 to Felix Jose Sierra and Nellie Donnaciana Rael in Antonito, Colorado. Growing up in Del Norte, Colorado she was the oldest of five children; her siblings were and are Marie “Lillian”, Mary, and Mellisa, all now deceased, and her surviving brother Felix “Gene”.
She attended and graduated from Del Norte High School and went on to become an LPN through attending school in Trinidad, Colorado. After working a short time in Albuquerque, New Mexico she returned back to the San Luis Valley and began working at the Colorado State Veterans Center in Monte Vista, Colorado. She would work here for the next 35 years in their restorative program and physical therapy departments. She enjoyed and valued her time working with the residents immensely and missed them when she retired.
On June 9, 1979 she married hardworking Bonifacio “Boni” Reyes and began a beautiful marriage of 42 years. Once married they built a rock and stucco country home together and a community of neighbors and friends. In 1993, after trying for many years, they finally had one daughter Consuelo Anita Reyes which she was so proud of.
Rita connected cooking and baking into every aspect of her life and was excellent at it. She loved homemade Mexican food such as red chili enchiladas and was always willing to share with others. This was especially seen with festive holiday feasts she would prepare for family and friends that she enjoyed so much. She even prepared for future meals by canning delicious jellies, pickles, and green beans.
She appreciated all seasons of the year. She would get excited when robins and tulips started to appear as these were signs that warmer weather was on its way. Summer was spent maintaining and monitoring the hummingbird population in her backyard, and watching her flowers grow and bloom. In the fall she loved to view the orange spectrum of leaves found in our mountains, and walk through fallen leaves to listen to the crunch. After the first snow of the season she would bundle up to make fresh shoe prints in the quiet crisp air and enjoy a winter walk.
The thing she enjoyed the most was spending time with her family and friends. Both her and sisters Lily and Mary quilted and this allowed them to work on many projects together. Through this she became an excellent quilter and was very proud of all of her projects. She looked forward to holidays and yearly events because of the quality time spent with people. She never missed eating candy at a Fourth of July Parade or enjoying festival food from the Sunshine Festival. She also enjoyed the arts and travel. She loved to attend at least one play at the Creede Repertory theater every year, and attend as many Sundays at Six concerts at Cole park that she could. No matter what the reason for travelling, she made each trip an adventure by trying new and foriegn places to eat, such as Panera Bread, or exploring local attractions. She also enjoyed watching her favorite programs. Sundays were spent eating breakfast while watching CBS Sunday Morning and eating popcorn during Bronco games. She enjoyed bingeing shows and rewatching favorite movies with her daughter and pets. Her four dogs, one granddog, and cat were just as much a part of her family as their human counterparts. She enjoyed their personalities, companionship, and warmth every day.
She truly enjoyed her life and lived it well. She was an amazing family member, friend, and neighbor. So many will miss her calls and conversations. She is now at peace after fighting hard for over a decade with diabetes, kidney and liver failure, and figuring out new technology such as her smartphone.
A celebration of Rita’s life will be held Saturday, December 11, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church here in Alamosa, Colorado starting at 9:30 AM followed by a meal at the same location. Interment of ashes will follow services in the Alamosa Cemetery.
The family would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and prayers. A special thanks to all past and present staff of DaVita Alamosa Dialysis for their care and support of Rita as their patient. Expression of sympathy may be made by contributing to flowers for the service by calling Accent on Flowers here in Alamosa (719) 589-6272.
Rogers Family Mortuary is in care of the arrangements. To leave online condolences, tributes and words of comfort for Rita’s family, please visit www.RogersFunerals.com