Elizabeth Ybarra Obituary
Mass of Christian Burial for Elizabeth Ybarra will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 11, 2019 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Las Animas, Colorado with Father Henry Wertin officiating. Rosary/Scripture Service will take place prior to the Mass at 9:30 a.m. also at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Interment will follow in the Bent/Las Animas Cemetery.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at Horber Funeral Chapel from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, January 5, 2019, at the age of 72, Elizabeth (Gallegos) Ybarra took the Lord's hand and walked together in peace. Elizabeth known to most as Liz, was born on March 20, 1946 in Garcia, New Mexico to Martin and Rachel (Cordova) Gallegos.
She was the fifth child of eleven. The Gallegos family relocated to Las Animas, Colorado and many years later Elizabeth met and married her best friend, partner and husband, Guadalupe Ybarra. They celebrated 56 years of marriage and raised four daughters, Sandra Ybarra, Audrey Taylor, Monica Ybarra and Lupe Martina Woodall.
Elizabeth has 9 grandchildren who were the absolute apple of her eye and every beat of her heart. Liz was the center of her family and will be an everlasting inspiration. Her loving spirit and kind heart easily drew people to her. She taught for the Las Animas School District for over 30 years and loved all of "her" kids. Elizabeth had a passion for English as a Second Language (ESL) and taught students worldwide from Japan, Columbia, Mexico, Sweden, Saudi Arabia to Portugal.
She often said that she learned just as much if not more from the kids as they did from her. Elizabeth was a lifelong resident of Las Animas and loved her community. She served as a board member for the Las Animas City Council, the Las Animas-Bent County Library District and the Bent County Nursing Home. She always had a warm and delicious meal for anyone who crossed the threshold of her front door.
She poured love and compassion into every pot of green chile, every tortilla, enchilada and every savory bowl of salsa. She left us with beautiful and cherished memories of love, laughter, family and embodied the very meaning of a loving mother. Elizabeth is survived by her husband, Guadalupe Ybarra of Las Animas, Colorado; daughters, Sandra Ybarra of Pueblo, Colorado, Audrey (Joseph Jr.) Taylor of San Antonio, Texas, Monica (Joe Nunez) Ybarra of Las Animas, and Martina (Mike) Woodall of Colorado Springs, Colorado; 7 grandsons, Jason Ybarra, Joey Ybarra, Adam Ybarra, Joseph Taylor III, Jakob Taylor and Brendan Taylor; two beautiful granddaughters, Kaitlyn Taylor and Lexcina Woodall; and two great grandchildren, Tysan Minjarez and Aspen Brewer; as well as many other relatives and a host of friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Martin and Rachel Gallegos; brother, Lou Gallegos; and sisters, Irene (Gallegos) Vasquez and Rose Marie Gallegos.
