Anna M. Juarez

Anna M. Juarez, 82, a longtime resident and respected member of the Mountain Home community passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on May 6, 2009. Anna's viewing will be held on Friday, May 15, 2009 from 3:00 pm until the Rosary at 6:00 pm at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel. The Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 10:00 am at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church and burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery, in Mtn Home. Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel in Mtn Home.

Anna was born July 17, 1926 in Monterrey, Mexico to Neneseo Reyes and Maria De La Luz Alvarado, the third of three daughters. She was a telephone operator. Divorced as a young woman, she and her son Raymond, came to the United States and lived in San Francisco, California where she educated herself in the English language, and met James A. Wright. They married and had two daughters Aline and Patricia before moving to Mountain Home in 1958. Once settled in Mountain Home she worked to help support her family by selling Mexican style food meals to the local businesses, after a short time she developed a reputation for making some great Mexican food.

With a little urging from her customers, she opened a restaurant and grew it into a full-time business, Anna's Cafe Mexican Food, introducing Mountain Home to their first authentic Mexican style prepared meals. She also grew her family too, having another son, Robert. She divorced after 17 years of marriage. She later then her met the love of her life Nicanor C. Juarez, a love that has lasted 39 years.

As a reputable business woman, she was approached by the farming community to represent them and get assistance for the farm laborers in the form of food vouchers to use in the winter. By her perseverance, funding was granted. As their representative she paved the way for funding of the Idaho Migrant Council and Legal Aid. She was a member of the Treasure Valley Comprehensive Health Planning Agency, the board of directors for Legal Aid and the president of the local Migrant Workers Council. After completing her terms in office, she said "Now it's time for the people with education to keep these programs going."

She closed her Mexican restaurant after 21 years. For the remainder of her life she devoted most of her time to her family, kept busy with the rentals, tending to her roses, playing with her little dogs, and loved to go on trips to Jackpot.

During her lifetime she was a homemaker, wife, mother, grandmother and friend. The sound of her voice, her hugs and kisses, and sense of humor will be dearly missed, but her love will live on forever in our hearts.

Anna is survived by her husband Nicanor; two sons, Raymond Reyes and Robert A. Wright; two daughters Aline A. Wright and Patricia Wright-Smith; three grandchildren, DeAnn Bassett, Deena Smith, and Nicholas Wright; two great-grandchildren, Joshua Anderegg and Linsey Thimsen; and a great-great-grandchild Ezekeil Anderegg; and her sister Catalina Haro. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Carmen.