Maria Cardenas, beloved wife, patient mother, doting grandmother, and creative business woman, co-foun-der of the Casa Grande and Red Iguana Restau-rants, died peacefully in her home on Friday, April 5th, 2002.
Maria was born March 25, 1924 in Chihuahua, Mexico to Manuel and Luz Corral Quinonez. She came to the United States in 1953. She met and married Ramon Cardenas, Sr. in 1957 in San Francisco, CA where they started a 45 year career together, serving authentic Mexican recipes. In 1965 Ramon and Maria moved to Salt Lake City, where Maria's award winning cooking made Mexican food a local favorite.
She is survived and greatly missed by her husband, Ramon Cardenas, Sr.; children: Eleazar Moreno, Olivia Martinez, Lucy Cardenas (Bill Coker), and Ramon Cardenas, Jr.; and several grandchildren and great-grandchil-dren.
A funeral mass will be celebrated Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple. A vigil service will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Neil O'Donnell and Sons Mortuary, 372 E. 100 S., where friends may call from 6-7 p.m. Committal: Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 4th Avenue and T St. May her light continue to shine brightly in the heavens.