Rebecca H. Jaramillo

Becky Jaramillo was an advocate for our community in everything that she did. I first met her in 1971 at a retreat sponsored by the Women's Union of UMKC. She came to the meeting with ideas and questions, because she didn't want to waste precious time, just discussing how we felt. She wanted the women there to develop actions to enhance the lives of all women. She made sure that those attending understood that they had to be inclusive and reach out to minority women. She was adament that the retreat not end with discussion only, but with action.

She practiced what she preached and was a woman of action: one of the founders of the Panel of American Women, the Central Exchange and Fiesta Hispana. She was an associate editor of Dos Mundos and a member of the board of the Guadalupe Center, Inc. Throughout the 34 years that I knew her, she mentored before mentoring had a formal name. She helped me and other women learn the ropes, make contacts and speak out. She joined with women from other cultures who were doing the same thing and made sure that there was a unity in what was said. She showed us the importance of working together and she acted as peacemaker on more than one occasion.

Becky pushed us to analyze situations, speak out if there was injustice, act without hesitation and always endeavor to do what was right. She was a very devout Catholic, a Guadalupana, who prayed unceasingly for the issues she was concerned about and for those who needed a little extra help. This quiet devotion brought her strength throughout her ordeal with cancer. It helped her as she exuded peace and gracious acceptance when it became apparent that further operations would not be possible. Becky was a woman with class and style who worked relentlessly for what she believed. Our community has lost a true leader. I feel blessed to have known her. Our community will miss her greatly.

Click here for the article written by Mary Sanchez about Becky. It appeared in the Kansas City Star on Saturday, May 14 2005.

Services for Rebecca H. Jaramillo will be held this evening at St. Patrick's Church, 1357 N.E. 42nd Terrace, Kansas City, MO. Visitation will held from 4-7pm, followed by a funeral mass at 7pm. There will be a graveside burial on Tuesday, May 17 at 10am. at Mt. Washington Cemetary, 614 Brookside, Independence, MO.