Sarah Grace Duran

SARAH GRACE DURAN

July 11, 1928 – March 24, 2020

Sarah G. Duran, our precious Mother and best friend, passed away unexpectedly and peacefully on March 24th.  She had not been ill, had no pain and was lucid until her final departure.  She left this realm in the same style in which she lived her entire life – with grace, ease, courage and strength.

Sarah was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ambrose; her youngest daughter, Patricia; her grandson, Jerome; her loving parents, Margaret (Maggie) and Augustine (Tinnie) Grace; her sister, Dolores Shelley, and brothers, Julian Grace, Herman Grace and Augustine (Gus) Grace, Jr.  Even with all those she lost, she never wavered in her faith or love of God and continued to acknowledge His blessings.  

Sarah is survived by her five loving children, Linda Kehoe (and husband, Larry), Jerry Duran, Dolores Fresquez, Mark Duran (and wife, Linda) and Adela M. Duran; her loving grandchildren and great grandchildren: Larry Kehoe, Jr., wife Linda, son Gregory and daughter Sophia; Brian Kehoe, wife Johanna and son Jacob; Kellie Pistone, husband Rob and son Robbie Jerome; Joseph Fresquez and daughter Amila Mae; and Jared Ambrose and Ana-Adela Duran.  She is also survived by her sisters, Pita Garcia and Veronica Perez (and husband, George) and her brother, Patrick Grace.  Sarah had many nieces and nephews from both the Duran and Grace families that she adored and whom adored her in return.  She was a faithful rock to all of us, giving us unconditional love, joy and laughter every single day of her life. 

Sarah was born and raised in Santa Fe.  She met Ambrose when attending the Loretto Academy and while he was attending St. Michael’s High School.  They were married for 68 years, and our Mom often reminded us that our father was her only boyfriend.  We were blessed to have our parents in our lives for so long, both mentally and physically healthy until the end of their lives.  They were wonderful parents that taught us good old-fashioned values of faith in God, that honesty was always the best policy, to be good stewards in our community and, above all, that family always came first. 

Our Mom worked with great pride for much of her life.  On the fun side, and before marriage, she talked about working as a teenager at the soda fountain at Butt’s pharmacy on the plaza.  She also entertained us with numerous stories about her experience bussing tables at La Fonda’s restaurant, alongside her mother, Maggie, who was a waitress there for 30 years. 

Sarah then devoted 60+ years to public service.  She began her formal career proudly serving from 1951 to 1954 as the Deputy County Clerk, under her father, Augustine, who had been elected Santa Fe County Clerk.  In 1955, she was persuaded by the head of the Social Security office in Santa Fe to apply there, and she spent the next 32 years taking a deep, personal interest in every benefit claim that crossed her desk.  She went above and beyond to help people, often having them call her at home.  She never hardened, despite the woes of her job listening to thousands of people’s individual worries.  Our Mom is still remembered today for the care, compassion and guidance she provided to those that needed help.  She was so widely respected that she was honored in the Congressional Record when she retired from the Social Security Administration.

Sarah began her third and final career in 1994, working as an Information Specialist, quickly becoming a cherished mainstay at the State Capitol, greeting governors, legislators, mayors, friends and tourists alike.  Nearly everyone that walked into the Capitol knew and loved ‘Sarita.’  She often took younger employees under her wing and had no problem being the voice for those she felt weren’t being heard.  She finally decided to retire after nearly 24 years, still feisty and active at the age of 89. 

Our Mom took as much pride and interest in her community and civic affairs as she did in her career.  She was proud to be the first Hispanic to be appointed in 1978 to the Santa Fe Public Library Board of Trustees, and she also served on the Board of the Santa Fe Community Housing Trust.  She contributed to numerous charities throughout her life and never hesitated to share what she believed to be her good fortune with others.  

Between raising a family and working, our Mom still enjoyed a few hobbies.  She and our dad were avid bowlers in their younger years.  Our Mom still loved to travel and see new places.  Las Vegas, Nevada was one of her favorite destinations, and, naturally, she made long-lasting friendships there too.  One of her greatest pleasures was dancing.  She had a sharp wit and a hilarious sense of humor.  She was so much fun to be around and constantly made people laugh because she had no filters.  She was gentle and yet strong at the same time.  Her love, her spirit and her beautiful smile will live on in our hearts forever.   

It is hard to name one area in which our Mom did not shine, whether as a wife, a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, friend or civil servant.  She had ‘jitos’ and ‘jitas’   all around her.  She was extremely close to and faithfully connected to her brothers and sisters.  Our Mom was also closely bound in love and friendship – for over 40 years to an exclusive group of committed girlfriends they self-named the 14 Karat Club – for over 30 years to special colleagues from Social Security that she considered family and that still remained in contact with her to her last day --  and for over 20 years to co-workers from the Legislative Building Services team at the Capitol that were and will forever be near and dear to her heart. 

We want to express our deepest gratitude to Father Dennis Garcia from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the gracious honor he bestowed upon our Mother.  We also extend our sincerest appreciation to Berardinelli Funeral Home, particularly to Raymond Lucero for gently and proficiently guiding us through this very difficult time.  Our Mom would want us to also thank Rick Berardinelli for his friendship. 

Finally, our family is grateful for the countless people that have reached out to us with such an incredible outpouring of love and support and beautiful, personal stories of how our Mother had touched their lives.  She was an icon in Santa Fe, and there will never be another like her.  She always instructed us to play I Did it My Way by Frank Sinatra at her funeral services, and we will.  We plan to have a huge celebration of our Mother’s remarkable life “as soon as this damned coronavirus thing is over!” (as our 91-year-old fearless Mom would have said it).  

With Much Love and Gratitude,

The Duran Family

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