Rosario Angelica "Chayo, Rose" (Zambrano) Zambrano-Sims
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6A - September 10, 2021
Rosario
Angelica
Zambrano-Sims
July 10, 1963 - September 3, 2021
Rosario “Chayo”
Zambrano-Sims died
peacefully at the Hospice
Care Center on September
3, 2021, after an eight year
battle with colon cancer.
Rosario was born July 10, 1963, in El Paso, Texas, to
Rosa Maria Luna and Odilon Zambrano. She was the
youngest of seven siblings. Rose graduated high school
in 1982 from Grand Junction High School where she
played the clarinet. She always had a love for animals
and worked at J&M Aquatics for years. Rose drove
school buses briefly before getting her CNA license.
She lived her life to the fullest. Even during her
treatments, she always had a smile on her face and was
so grateful for every day. You never saw her wearing
anything but her favorite color, purple. Rose’s family,
friends, and faith were her main priority. Although she
never had children, her nieces and nephews were her
“children,” and she spoiled them rotten. Rose made
the best bean dip in town and always had a tradition to
make spaghetti at Christmas.
To say she was the strongest, most courageous woman
we’ve ever known is an understatement. Her smile and
laugh was so contagious, along sometimes with her
stubbornness. Rose “Chayo” is already deeply missed.
She was an incredible woman, and we’ll cherish every
moment we had with her.
Rosario is survived by her siblings, Efrain Zambrano,
of Colorado Springs; Susan Lederman-Santy, of
Olympia, WA; Virginia Wheeler, of Grand Junction,
CO; Carlos Zambrano (Kathy), of Denver, CO, and
multiple nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death
by her mother, Rosa Zambrano; brothers, Hector and
George Zambrano; nephew, Domenic Zambrano, and
brother-in-law, Dan Wheeler.
Rosary to be held at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary,
Thursday, September 9, 6:00 p.m. Memorial Mass will
be at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Friday, September
10, at 10:00 a.m., with burial to follow at Orchard Mesa
Cemeter
