Mary Cruz Villegas

Mary Cruz Villegas, age 84, died January 21, 2026, surrounded by her loved ones. Mary was born January 9, 1942, in Kansas City, Kansas, to Delores Salas and her late father, Cruz Salas. She married her beloved husband, Anthony Villegas, Sr., in February of 1959 and enjoyed over 60 years of marriage before losing him in October 2020. She was a small but feisty force and deeply loved her three children: Anthony, Jr. (Sharron), Aquilino (AJ) (Susan), and Mary Kay (Tom); her grandchildren, Katherine (Brian) Vega, Brittany (Luke) Super, Christopher (Jaci) Ebert, and Claire Villegas (Abby Kwapiszeski); and her great-grandchildren, Ava Villegas, Ariana Vega, Izabella Villegas, Mia Vega, Cruz Vega, Evelyn Moore, Ronen Ebert, Luca Vega, and Lucia Ebert. Mary loved volunteering for fiestas, helping with dances, and cooking for the St. Agnes Guadalupe Circle for their events. Mary worked on the assembly line for over 30 years at General Motors until she retired. She was a proud member of UAW Local 31, doing a job that many would have problems doing in the hot summers of Kansas City. Mary was a devout Catholic and prayed to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She traveled yearly to Mexico to fulfill her “manda” to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mary was able to attend Mass daily and enjoyed interacting with the nuns each day. She dearly loved her grandchildren and babysat them whenever she had time off from work. Upon retirement, she immediately began babysitting her great-granddaughter. In her more recent years, she enjoyed cooking with Ariana and Mia Vega. She became a candy and cookie maker and enjoyed cooking just as much as feeding her sweet tooth. Mary was cared for daily by her daughter, Mary Kay, with weekly assistance from Anthony and AJ accompanying her to some appointments. She spent the past year at Villa St. Francis, where she was able to attend daily Mass with either Mary Kay or Anthony. She spent much of her time with Mary Kay recounting early memories and sharing stories. Mary was preceded in death by her father, Cruz, whom she did not get to meet. We are happy she has finally met him, as was her wish, and is now in his arms. She was also preceded in death by her mother, Dolores Torres; her beloved husband, Tony; sisters Juanita Hernandez, Josephine Roach, and Beatrice Ramirez; her younger brother, Joe Maya; brothers-in-law Johnnie Villegas, Luis Villegas, Daniel Villegas, Rick Villegas, Tony Martinez; sisters-in-law Katie Villegas, Maria Villegas, and Gloria Villegas; her Las Vegas travel companion, Rosie Martinez. Mary is survived by her sisters, Grace Hernandez and Carol LeDesma; brothers Raymond Rios and Gene Maya; and sisters-in-law Teresa (Bobbie) Pedroza and Ralph Villegas. We will hold you in our hearts and cherish the fond memories we were blessed to share. We hope you and Dad are dancing to Vicente Fernández’s “Y Volver.” The family would like to thank her doctors, Kent Huston and Montgomery Roberts, without whom we would not have had her for the past seven years; her caregivers, Jeri Vogrin and Larry Yoksh, for their devoted care throughout the years; and Flor and Alice, her nurses at Villa St. Francis, for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her honor to the Sisters Servants of Mary at www.sisterservantsofmary.org. A visitation will be held from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Burial will take place at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, with a luncheon to follow at Sacred Heart in Kansas City, Kansas. The family asks that all attending her services please wear your brightest diamonds, as they truly were her “best friend.”

Tributes

Mary Cruz Villegas

January 9, 1942 - January 21, 2026