Exceptional Love, Aunt Connie

“A strong woman is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” - Unknown


Consuelo “Connie” Gutierrez DeLaGarza
September 5, 1943 – June 21, 2004


June 20, 2004 - I was in Irvine CA. at the Fleetwood Mac concert, Say You Will Tour. Stevie Nicks was in the middle of playing "Landslide" when the phone rang. It was my cousin Phillip DeLaGarza on the other end of phone and he simply said, "She just passed." My wife seeing the tears run down my face, grabbed my arm and said, "She's alright now, she's home."

My cousin was referring to his mother Consuelo “Connie” Guttierrez DeLaGarza, she was my Aunt, my Godmother, and my friend. Aunt Connie was an incredibly good woman, a kind loving woman. It’s such an easy thing to say when you’re talking about someone who has passed away. Especially, when the words are coming from her nephew, it’s the expected thing to say. But this assessment isn’t because I’m being cordial by no means, it’s because it’s true. I say, “an incredibly good woman” because she lived her life with honesty, integrity, and purpose. It was if she never tired from giving us all so much, all the time. Let's just say she was the anchor of our family.

When I was a child she loved on me with her words and actions. There wasn't a weekend I wasn't with Aunt Connie, Uncle Butch and my cousins. I was always there, every weekend because my Mother worked double shifts at Los Corrals for years. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t with them. My cousin Phillip and I were raised like brothers. I can recall Aunt Connie getting me ready, every Sunday night, for my Mother. She’d give me a bath, clip my nails, and Q tip my dirty ears. Every Sunday, while she did the routine her process, she’d tell me how much my Mother loved me, how much everyone loved me, and how, how much she loved me. This went on every weekend from birth until I was about eight or nine years old. Every Sunday, without exception, the same routine, then she’d let me watch The Sunday Night Disney Special.

Words can't describe the love I hold inside of her, for her, and because of her. As I got older, there were so many lessons that I realized that she taught me. One that shaped me was that my beautiful Aunt never once said a bad word about anyone. More importantly, she never said anything bad about my Mother. My Mother was connected to my Dad's side of the family through him and us. Aunt Connie was married to my Uncle Butch, my dad's brother. It would have been so easy to pull out digs about my Mother, because that's usually the human nature or chemistry of most people and families. But not my Aunt Connie, she made it a point to tell me, reassure me, that my Mother was a great hard working woman. Aunt Connie would always say, “Your Mother is a great woman, she loves you, and works hard for you.” Those were words from a healthy person who always seem to do what was right, they were words from an angel, my angel - my Godmother, my Aunt.

Dear Aunt Connie,

I look forward to the day I see you again. I know this goes without saying but please take care of my baby, Landen, and let him know how much I miss him. And if you could, in your words, like you used to do for me, tell him…”your Father loves you and misses you, everyone loves and misses you, and I love, love, love you so very much!”

PS – If I never told you, thank you so much for always loving me!


Michael A. Quijas