Longina Ponce

Services are scheduled at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 28, at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church for Longina Delgado Ponce, 1211 w. Dallas Ave., Artesia, New Mexico. Mrs. Ponce, 70, died Friday, January 23, 2009 at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. Fr. Brian Guerrini, SS.CC. will officiate at the services with burial at Woodbine Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Albert Mata Jr., Lupe Jimenez Jr., Gabriel Bustamante, Martin Aguilar III, Anthony Ponce, Ben Valenzuela, Maurelio Ponce Jr., Joseph Ponce, and Fernando Valenzuela Jr. Honorary pallbearers will be her sons and all other grandchildren. A rosary is also scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Grace Church. Visitation will be at Terpening Son Mortuary beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Mrs. Ponce was born October 8, 1938 in Lake Arthur, New Mexico; the daughter of Antonio Delgado and Elvira Hernandez Delgado. On Sept. 15, 1955 she was married to Sisto A. Ponce in Artesia. She was a lifelong resident of Artesia. She was a housewife and member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, and Cursillistas. She was preceded in death by her parents, a son Eliseo Ponce, a daughter Elisa Ponce, three brothers, two sisters and two granddaughters Mariaelena Jimenez and Veronica Ponce. Survivors include her husband Sisto Ponce of the family home; sons Abel Ponce and wife Tammy of Artesia, Adrian Ponce and wife Rosa of Artesia, Maurelio Ponce of Odessa, Texas, Richard Ponce and wife Samantha of Artesia, and Joe Ponce and wife Tina of Odessa; daughters Rosemary Valenzuela and husband Fernando of Artesia, Diana Jimenez and husband Fernando Galindo of Artesia, and Jesusita Aguilar and husband Martin of Artesia; sisters Theodora Ruiz of Artesia, Thomasa Salas of Artesia, and Clotilde Fuentes of Artesia; 38 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren.