Edilia Pantoja Mald

Edilia Pantoja Maldonado, 67, of Casa Grande died on Sept. 15, 2015, at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, surrounded by her family.

Visitation will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday at J. Warren Funeral Services, Cole & Maud, The Gardens Chapel. The celebration of life will follow at 7, with the Rev. Moses Sanchez officiating.

Mrs. Maldonado was born on Oct. 21, 1947, in Nixon, Texas, to Porfirio H. and Lydia G. Pantoja. The family moved to Eloy when she was about 6 months old. She attended Eloy schools and graduated from Santa Cruz Valley Union High School. She married Robert Maldonado and had a daughter and three sons. She became a businesswoman, starting a large child care center in Eloy, Los Ninos Contentos. She eventually moved her business into her home. She attended Central Arizona College to work toward a child development accreditation.

She recently retired but missed contact with children. She was a positive influence and helped shape the lives of hundreds of young children in the Eloy area as their child care provider. For the majority of them, she was their first teacher and "second mother." She provided a happy, safe and secure environment for children while their parents worked. She also had a special talent for cooking "Tex-Mex" meals, accompanied by homemade tortillas. She loved to read, travel and spend time with friends and family.

Survivors include a daughter, Rachel Rivera of Tucson; three sons, Eugene, Richard and Robert Maldonado Jr., all of Casa Grande; a brother, Porfirio Pantoja of Eloy; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Roberto, and four brothers, Teofilo, John, Jesse and Steve Pantoja