Elizabeth Zamora

Margaret Elizabeth Zamora, 96, of Rio Rancho, NM, went home to be with the Lord on August 27, 2024. Elizabeth passed away peacefully and her final days were spent surrounded by family. A year before her passing, she celebrated her 73rd Wedding Anniversary with her beloved husband Joseph before he passed. Elizabeth was a loving and dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother with a quiet inner strength, unwavering faith, who was always generous and kind.

Born in San Rafael, NM, on December 4, 1927, to Martin and Ruth Baca, Elizabeth was the eldest daughter in a family with seven children. The family later moved to Belen, NM, where Elizabeth grew up and graduated from Belen High School in 1945. Elizabeth qualified for the United States Cadet Nurse Corps and received a scholarship to the Hotel Dieu School of Nursing in El Paso, Texas. The Sisters of Charity built Hotel Dieu in 1894. It was the first general hospital in El Paso, Texas. 

Elizabeth graduated as a Registered Nurse on July 1, 1948 and began her nursing career at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albuquerque, NM. There, she met her future husband, Joseph Zamora, while caring for him as a patient recovering from rheumatic fever. Elizabeth and Joseph were married on June 4, 1950. Joseph was accepted to Stanford University, and they moved to Palo Alto, CA, where their sons Joseph and Brian were born. Elizabeth continued to work as a nurse while Joseph earned a Bachelors and Masters Degree from Stanford. They moved to Oakland, where Joseph taught school for several years, and their son Kenneth was born. The family returned to Albuquerque, where they welcomed one more son, Eric. Elizabeth was a nurse at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albuquerque for 30 years and retired in 1984. She ran the Recovery Room at the VA for many years by herself. When she retired, she heard from co-workers that it took three nurses to replace her. Elizabeth and Joseph moved to Rio Rancho in 1980. They spent their retirement years by each others’ side gardening, taking care of Joseph’s car collection, enjoying their family, and being faithful members of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Elizabeth also made many beautiful and cherished quilts for her family.

Elizabeth is survived by three sons, Brian (Kit Faubion) Zamora, Kenneth (Josephine) Zamora, Eric (Sharon) Zamora and daughter-in-law (Kathy); 9 grandchildren and 5 great-children. She is also survived by her sisters Pauline Rael and Theresa Hidalgo (Sandy) and brother Thomas Baca (Pat),. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Joseph Herman Zamora, and her beloved eldest son, Joseph Anthony Zamora.

Please join us in celebrating Elizabeth’s life. A Rosary Service will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 10 a.m., with the Funeral Service to follow at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 1502 Sara Rd SE, Rio Rancho, NM. Entombment will take place immediately after the Funeral Service at Vista Verde Memorial Park, 4310 Sara Road SE, Rio Rancho, NM. A reception will follow.