Mercedes F. Valles, 71, of Elgin, IL died Sunday, December 13, 2015. She was born to Hermenegildo Frausto and Clara Ramon on January 10, 1944 in Knippa, TX .
Mercedes is preceded in death by her parents and three grandchildren; Valerie Valles, Ramiro Garcia Jr., and Miranda Valles.
She is survived by her five children: two daughters; Gloria Valles and Dora Valles, three sons; Santos Valles, Carlos Valles and Ramiro Garcia, and 22 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Mercedes was one of four children born to a poor family. When she was 8 years old, her mother took her out of school and told her, “Women don’t need to learn. They only need to take care of the family and the home.” She was put to work to help her family make ends meet and did not stop working until age of 69 years when she retired from her job. Mercedes always believed when it came to cooking and cleaning and raising a family, it should be done with love and passion. Her sole objective in life was to raise her kids and watch them raise families of their own. She raised her five children on her own and helped raise her grandchildren. She had an incredible work ethic and an unbreakable will. She rarely took a vacation or slept more than 4-5 hours per night.
Mercedes was happiest when she was spending time with her family. She enjoyed playing board games, word finding puzzles and gardening.
Visitation will be Wednesday, December 16, 2015 from 9:00am until time of service, at O’Connor-Leetz Funeral Home, 364 Division Street, Elgin. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 272 Division St, Elgin at 12:00, noon and will officiated by Father Jesus Dominguez. Interment will be at Mt. Hope Cemetery, 1001 East Villa St., Elgin, immediately following the church service. For additional information please visit our website call 847-741-1400