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Carmen Marquez, Obituary for Rose Mortuary Carmen Teresita Marquez (Lopez), age 87, of Palm Desert, California, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 8, 2026. She was born October 12, 1938 in El Paso, Texas, the second of five children to Antonia Lopez and Jose Agripino Lopez. She will be profoundly missed by her family and numerous friends. Carmen grew up in west Texas with her cousins as her first friends, and she never lost sight of the importance of family in her life."Family first" was a motto she would often repeat. One of her favorite days was her birthday, but not just because she always received countless birthday wishes from loved ones (although she did appreciate those); her birthday was an opportunity to speak with all of her family members, and she took full advantage of it! Carmen was active in high school as the president of the Panther Pep Club and as treasurer of the Future Homemakers of America club, where she became a skilled seamstress, quilter, and gourmet cook. Carmen graduated from Gadsden High School in El Paso, Texas in 1957 and began working at First National Bank. She met the love of her life, Joe, and they were wed on August 15,1964 in El Paso. She and Joe had many adventures throughout their 61 years of marriage. They began their married life in Texas and went on to live in many places including California, Ohio, Massachusetts, Mexico City, Hong Kong, and Seattle. In retirement, Carmen and Joe settled in Palm Desert and enjoyed traveling to visit their kids and grandkids as well as the numerous friends they had made along the way from all over the world. Carmen understood the value of education and worked tirelessly to help provide opportunities for her children, grandchildren, and members of her community. She was active as a volunteer in schools and her church and never passed up an opportunity to lend a hand. She loved to travel, entertain, watch baseball (Go Mariners!), sew and quilt, and cook. The kitchen will never be the same without her presence. Her family will miss her Mexican food that she always made with love. She was also an avid board game player and very competitive when it came to Mexican Train. But most of all, Carmen loved people. While she was Carmen or Mom to many, she cherished her nickname of Grandma Pink-"Pink" for short-a name given by a grandson. She always saw the goodness in others. Her family would often jokingly ask if she had invited the bank teller or grocery clerk she met while running errands to Thanksgiving dinner because she saw a potential friend in everyone she met. Carmen made something out of every situation. She had that ability to bring people together and make them feel important. In her life, she visited 5 continents, numerous countries, and made a home wherever she and her family moved. She will be missed by all those who knew her in life. While there's an absence in the lives of those who surrounded her, her presence will always be felt as the matriarch of the family she helped raise. Carmen was a devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt, daughter, cousin, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is survived by her husband and best friend, Joe, three children, six grandchildren and one great grandson. She is preceded in death by her parents, a brother, and a sister. A funeral mass for Carmen will be held Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 11 am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 43775 Deep Canyon Road in Palm Desert, California. Following the mass, a memorial gathering will be held at Indian Ridge Country Club at 76375 Country Club Drive in Palm Desert, California. All are welcome to join us in celebrating Carmen. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in Carmen's name to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation here: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/PFFTribute/CarmenMarquez Thank you

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Carmen Teresita Marquez

October 12, 1938 - May 8, 2026