Funeral services for Blanca Valdez, 58, of Portales, will be at 10:00 AM, Tues., Dec. 5, 2017 at the Southside Church of Christ with Pastor Luz Elda Olivas officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with nephews, Senovio Chavez, Hector Sigala, Gabriel Sigala, Elias Sigala, Adrian Sigala, A. J. Iturralde , Jonathan Esparsen, Anthony Ontiveros and son, David Gurwell serving as pallbearers. All of her brothers and brothers-in-law will serve as honorary pallbearers.
Blanca Estella Valdez was born May 10, 1959 in San Antonio, Mexico to the home of Tomasa (Baltazar) and Elias Sigala and died on the evening of Nov. 29, 2017 in Lubbock, TX. She and her family came to Portales in 1969, and she graduated from Portales High School in 1979. Blanca went on to study at Eastern New Mexico University for a year pursuing an art degree. She was a natural entrepreneur, constantly selling one thing or another, and she was a very persuasive sales person. In addition, she was an extremely hard worker, and often worked two jobs.
Blanca was very outgoing, and friendly, making friends wherever she went. Blanca was always able to find the good in someone. She was always ready to help someone in need. She was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother. Blanca’s Christian faith was a very important part of her life. She was an active member in the congregation of Iglesia de Dios de la Profecia.
She is survived by a son, David Gurwell of Eagle Pass, TX; a daughter, Julissa Toledo of Portales; four grandchildren, Marissa, Analissa, Marcos and Isaiah Guzman; her mother, Tomasa Sigala of Portales; three brothers, Jose Sigala of San Antonio, Mexico, Elias (Maria) Sigala, Jr. of Clovis, and Ramon (Olga) Sigala of Monahans, TX; six sisters, Lydia (Manuel) Salazar of Portales, Arcelia Baeza of Midland, TX, Maria Elena (Roger) Chavez, Tomasa (Ronald) Fonseca and Elvira (Aldo) Iturralde all of Portales and Ynelda (Carmen) Garcia of Odessa, TX. She was preceded in death by her children’s fathers, David Gurwell and Franklin Toledo, along with her late husband, Jose Valdez, and her own father and a brother-in-law, Urbano Baeza.
