Carlotta Lujan

Carlotta Lujan, 93 years of age, passed away peacefully on January 22nd, 2024. She was the Wife of Charles Lujan. Born in Petaca, New Mexico Carla lost both of her parents at a young age and she was raised by her Grandmother Rebecca. In 1950, she married Macario Valdez, they started their life together in New Mexico, where they shared 10 children, Lorna, Erlinda, Orlando, Yvette, Rosemary, Emily, Angela, Dorothy, Michael and Becky. They had the opportunity to live in many different States, when Macario was working in the mining industry, and she was raising their children. She would later move to Salt Lake City, Utah with all her children, as a single Mother.

She eventually met her “honey” Charles Lujan, and they married on December 16th, 1983 and she would add his son, Charlie to the family, making her a mother to 11 children. They were on the road a lot when he was working in the trucking industry and then spent time living in Nevada but later moved back to Utah. They had many great years together as a family, enjoying and celebrating birthdays, holidays, and various get-togethers. She loved to spend time gardening, listening to Mexican music, and cooking. These were joyful times for Carla.

Carla was a strong woman, who was a true example of perseverance. She did not have an easy life and was faced with many trials, but her best quality was her ability to move forward every day. In her later years, she experienced an aneurysm and had open heart surgery. Several years after that, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In true Carla fashion, she survived those challenging times and continued to rise every day. She then lost her daughter Erlinda, and several years later her daughter Dorothy passed, then her son Michael followed. These losses were hard on her, and just as she was, she managed to keep going. You would never hear her complaining.

Over the last year, her health began to decline, and her children all pitched in to help care for her. This created a nurturing and loving environment for her in the last stage of life. Her children were able to give her a level of comfort and ease that brought a lot of peace to the tough times she had in her early years. They were united in the love they share for their mother and this was a beautiful ending in Carla’s life story.

She is preceded in death by her children; Erlinda, Dorothy, and Michael. Her daughter-in-law Patsy, and great-grandson Damiano.

She is survived by her husband, Charles Lujan, and her children: Lorna, Orlando, Yvette(Brent), Rosemary(Roberto), Emily, Angela(Austin), Becky(Frank) & Charlie. As well as her 20 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren.