Herminia "Minnie" Cari�O

ELOY — Herminia S. “Minnie” Cari�o, 78, an Eloy native and resident, died on Jan. 30, 2011, at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church, with rosary recited at 7. Funeral Mass will be celebrated there at 9 a.m. Friday by the Rev. Juan Carlos Aguirre. Burial will be in Eloy Memorial Park.
Mrs. Cari�o was born on Aug. 9, 1932, and was a daughter of Fidel A. and Isaura A. Armenta Salazar. She graduated in 1951 from Santa Cruz Valley Union High School, in the second graduating class of the school. She continued her education with two years of college in the areas of education and child development. She was an advocate for education and proud of the many accomplishments and achievements of her children and grandchildren.
Her career included implementation of the first Migrant Head Start Program in Eloy, of which she was director and teacher, and teaching Mexican cooking classes for Central Arizona College. She then worked for Eloy Elementary Schools as an educational assistant, district supply clerk and director of Food Services. She was very active at St. Helen of the Cross Church in scripture reading and running the annual church bazaar baking booth. She often did volunteer work at Santa Cruz Valley Food Bank. She was also active in the Democratic Party and received a special certificate from former President Bill Clinton. She was best known as a very giving person with great wisdom by all her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, other family and friends.
Survivors include her husband of 59 years, Ralph V. Cari�o Jr.; five sons, Ralph Cari�o III of Stockton, Calif., Richard “Ricky” Cari�o of Eloy, Stephen Cari�o of San Luis, Colo., Robert Cari�o of Coolidge and Danny S. Cari�o of Casa Grande; six daughters, Deborah M. Rodriguez, Carol C. Lara, Sally Cari�o-Powell, Christina, Virginia S. and Cathy Cari�o, all of Eloy; two brothers, Gus Salazar of Arizona City and Mundy Salazar of Eloy; six sisters, Mary Leos of Picacho, Virginia Duarte, Dolores Badia, Armida Flores and Rosalie Ramirez, all of Eloy, and Dora Gaytan of Phoenix; 27 grandchildren; and 43 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Fidel Salazar Jr. and Rudy Salazar; a sister, Mary Lou Salazar; and a daughter, Sherrie Marie Cari�o.
J. Warren Funeral Services, Valley Chapel is in charge of arrangements.