Viola M Lucero

Viola Lucero of Farmington NM, born February 19, 1934 died of a life well lived on March 15, 2022. She was born to Celestino Mascarenas and Magdalena Quintana during the height of the Great Depression. Viola grew up during a tumultuous period of American history and it shaped the woman we knew and loved as our mom and grandma. Viola was a fiercely independent, strong-willed woman who raised her children to value hard work, family, and fresh tortillas. Her homemade tortillas were second to none.

Viola was a powerhouse in the kitchen, creating the best tamales, fried papas, oatmeal, biscochitos, and apple pies (just to name a few). In addition to her prowess in the kitchen, she was also a highly skilled seamstress making clothes for her children when they were young, and teaching her granddaughters to design and sew scrunchies, parachute pants, ponchos, and doll clothes. She also was a master at crotchet, spending thousands of hours crafting homemade gifts for those she held most dear. She even tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to pass her crochet skills down to her granddaughters. She was more successful in passing on her skills in the kitchen to her children and grandchildren.

Never one to shy away from risk, our beloved Viola could often be found playing Bingo with at least 150 of her closest friends. And if she wasn’t playing Bingo, she was always down for a game of Rummy, Go Fish, or Concentration with her grandchildren.

While we are sad to say goodbye, we are grateful for the time we had with Viola and are thankful she is no longer suffering. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, and her oldest son, Floyd Lucero. She is survived by 6 of her 7 children: Lucas Lucero, Miguel Lucero, Marcus Lucero, Velma Armenta, Lawrence Lucero, and Veronica Lucero; 12 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren.

Services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bloomfield, NM on March 22, 2022, with Rosary starting at 10am and burial to follow Mass. Reception will be held at the Parish Hall at St. Mary’s following the burial.