Maria Edna Duran

MARIA “EDNA” DURAN

 It is with heavy hearts that we announce that our Matriarch, Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother, sister-in-law, aunt and friend, was called home to be with our Heavenly Father on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the age of 88, after a brief illness.

Edna was born on April 16, 1935, in La Cuchilla, Chimayo, New Mexico, to Juanita and Desiderio Romero. Edna was reunited with her parents, Desiderio and Juanita Romero, her husband Jose E. Duran Jr.; son Jason Duran; daughter Doris Gurule; four older brothers Felipe, Domingo, Espiridion, and Carmen Romero; two grandsons Gary Duran Jr. and Michael M. Martinez Jr.

Edna is survived by her son Gary Duran; three daughters Sandra (Michael) Martinez, Joanne Baca and Nancy Garcia; eight grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and six great-great grandchildren.

Edna was a waitress at the Bridge Cafe where she met her soulmate Jose E. Duran Jr. They fell in love, got married and throughout the years, they had six children.  Edna stayed home to care for her children.   She had lots of love and patience. After her children started having children, Edna started caring for her grandchildren. When her grandchildren grew up, she volunteered as a cook at the Chimayo Headstart for several years.  She was well liked by the children and everyone in the community, she was known by all as “Grandma Edna.”

Edna was a beautiful, kind and gentle soul, her smile would light up any room she walked into. She was always cheerful and would warm the hearts of everyone she met. Her family and her church were very important aspects of her life. She had an angelic voice and could be heard throughout the church, as she was part of the church choir. Edna liked to crochet blankets and sew. Another one of her favorite past times was to plant flowers around the outside of her house. She had different colored rose bushes, snowball bushes, and tiger lilies.

Edna’s home was always open to family and friends. She was an amazing cook. She always had food on her stove and offered everyone who came through her door a meal. She made everyone feel welcome, even if she had just met them. She made tortillas daily, early in the morning. She loved canning fruits, making jams and jellies, from her own fruit trees. She made the best apple pie and apple empanaditas, among lots of other foods she was known for.

Edna loved to travel.   She visited a couple of islands in Hawaii. She visited Pearl Harbor in Oahu.  She went snorkeling with the turtles in Maui, traveled to the bottom of the ocean by submarine, and went whale watching while on a dinner cruise.   A few other places she traveled to were, Universal Studios in San Diego, Epcot Center in Florida, Texas, and Colorado.   She also traveled with the Santa Fe County Seniors tour bus to Laughlin, Nevada a few times.

Edna loved celebrating birthdays and making people feel special on their special day.  She would give birthday cards containing money, take them out for a birthday meal and would make the best birthday cakes. She was very generous woman. Edna was beautiful soul, inside and out and lived life to the fullest. She is going to be missed tremendously. If there is one thing that our beloved Grandma Edna left behind was an example of how to love unconditionally.

A Memorial Service for Edna will be held on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 6:00 pm in the Sangre de Cristo Chapel at DeVargas Funeral Home in Espanola, New Mexico.

Funeral Service will be on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 11:00 am at the El Buen Pastor Presbyterian Church in Chimayo, New Mexico. #30 Camino De Mision, Chimayo, N.M.

Interment will be at 1:30 pm on February 21, 2024, at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.  

The family of Maria Edna Duran has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the beautiful Espanola Valley.   www.devargasfuneral.com   505-747-7477