Guadalupe “Lupe” Navarro, 94, of Riverside, died on April 21, 2026. She was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico to Andres and Maria Diaz de Leon on Dec. 11, 1931. Following their marriage in 1951, Lupe and Rey embarked on an adventure to Chicago, where they eventually chose Riverside as their home.
She was quietly strong, endlessly patient, and deeply devoted to her family, which has grown to more than 40. One of the ways she showed her love was through her cooking: chiles rellenos, tamales, chilaquiles, rice, or beans, attest to this. She kept a cake ready for any moment and guarded her recipes, sharing only a few ingredients and instructions before saying, “and that’s it!”
Her prayer list was long and often delayed bedtime as she added prayers for her growing family. She celebrated her “Dia de su santo,” her saint day each year on Dec. 12 and instituted the famous Our Lady of Guadalupe feasts at St. Mary Church. She was a longtime member of the St. Mary Lenten prayer group, who remained friends for a lifetime.
Lupe was also very proud of her work at the young men’s department of the North Riverside Carson Pirie Scott. She was hired shortly after the mall opened in 1976 and proudly helped style many of the youth of the near west suburbs. The sock wall in her department was never as organized as when it was under her watch. When a 4-year-old Spanish-speaking boy, Paco, got separated from his parents, she calmed him, then set out to search the mall and within 5 minutes, had Paco reunited with his parents who had been frantically looking for him. Crisis resolved, she returned to work.
Her talents and interests were many: Cub Scout den mother, volleyball league player, Blythe Park PTA mother, gardener who could save any plant with care and love, skillful seamstress, RB cross country mom who would bring watermelon to the summer workouts (thoughtfully deseeded), NRT supporter who anxiously waited for her team members at the Chicago Marathon with orange wedges and bananas, patient Vintage MG Car Club wife, Indianapolis Speedway driver, racing the oval in her ’54 MG TF, with young Marco in the passenger seat sans seatbelts.
Hallmark cards will suffer a drop in sales with the passing of one of their most loyal Gold Crown members.
It is said, “To be kind is more important than to be right. Most times what someone needs is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens.” Her heart was always listening.
Lupe is survived by Reynaldo, her husband of 74 years; her sister, Nieves; her children, Reynaldo (Debi), Carlos (Kathy), Luis (Allegra), Cecilia Williams (Craig), and David (Kelly); her daughter-in-law, Melody; her 11 grandchildren, Reynaldo (Anabell), John (Wendy), Christina (Salar), Matthew (Lindsey), Adam, Luis (Michaela), Joseph, David II, Nicholas, Logan, and Lilly; her 19 great-grandchildren, Reynaldo IV, Isabella, Benjamin, Nathan, John Jr., Angelica, Isaac, Carlos, Vincent, Alex, Diego, Aliana, Mateen, Noah, Henry, Emmy Lou, Lucy Rey, Jonathon, and Nicole; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her sisters, Carmela and Kika. She lost her youngest son, Marco, to cancer in 2014, which was a challenge to her faith, but she persevered with prayer and her belief in God.
Sincere thanks to the caregivers from Young at Heart, who gave her care and attention in her later years. Special thanks to caregivers, Alecia, Amanda, and Giselle.
She believed that hugs gave energy (she was right) and was happy to give that energy when needed. In lieu of flowers, donations to St Mary School, 97 Herrick Road, Riverside, IL 60546 are appreciated — or just hug someone you love and give them some energy.
Visitation was held on April 28 at Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Riverside. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Mary Church, followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.