Lara (Lois) Carbajal

Lara Carbajal, fondly remembered as Lois (Wilson) Carbajal, was born in West Texas on August 19, 1939, and grew up on a farm in Hobbs, one mile inside the New Mexico line. She attended college with music and academic scholarships, earning a BS degree in music and education. She taught choral music in middle school and high school the first four years after receiving her New Mexico teaching certification in the Belen and Los Lunas public school systems. While in New Mexico, Lara married a man who became a State Representative and they had three handsome sons and one lovely daughter. Throughout her teaching career, she prepared her students for positions in the All-Region choirs, All-State choirs and scholarships to universities. A few years later, she relocated and accepted a choral director's position in the Friendswood Public School System, south of Houston, Texas. She spent the next twenty-six years in the Houston area. Her choral groups won many awards, sweepstakes and "Best in Class" at choral festivals and University Scholastic League judging. She directed musicals, and each year her students performed a minimum of two concerts, in addition to community shows with her show choir at hospitals, etc. She was a member of the Texas Music Educators' Association, the Texas Choral Directors' Association and the American Choral Directors' Association. Lara wrote a curriculum that was used throughout her school district entitled, "Teaching non-English speaking adolescents English Through Music." She was chosen "Teacher of the Year" by her peers and is listed in two editions of "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" because of her student's nominations. She continued her education through classes and clinics at various colleges and universities, concentrating much of her energy toward her Master's Degree from the University of Houston. Concurrently, Lara developed an adult church choir and served as music director in a large church in Houston for many years. She arranged, wrote script, and often composed music performed at holidays and special events. Over an eight year period, her annual "Patriotic Tribute" for the 4th of July was enjoyed by thousands. For a short time Lara left teaching and became the top national sales consultant for Princeton Industries, a fund raising company. She helped schools raise money for reading programs, etc. She was asked to give sales training and motivational talks within the company and for other businesses. She enjoyed it but felt her calling was teaching music, so she resumed her teaching career. She toured many countries in Europe three times with a Houston dance band. Independently she traveled the US, Canada and Mexico, and she sang with the Houston Symphony Chorus. In the late '90's Lara moved back to New Mexico to be with her family. She spent lots of time between Albuquerque and Denver, CO. Many years prior to all of the above, a naive young woman, Lois (Wilson) Carbajal, was a sophomore home from college when she was coaxed into entering their first ever local Miss America pageant. In a whirlwind of unexpected events she won the title of Miss Hobbs, Miss New Mexico and competed in the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City. These were new, exciting and awesome (first) experiences, and she vowed to return soon to Atlantic City to attend the pageant as an alumni! But life had other plans for Lara; Atlantic City became a distant, faded memory, overshadowed with continuing education, marriage, children, career, changes and challenges, extreme grief and tragedies, triumphs and joys. Through the years, even decades of, "life being life" she bore little resemblance to that young girl in the Miss America Pageant. As is only natural, age and maturity especially in her senior years molded her into a woman who viewed life with much more wisdom and faith, authenticity, courage, acceptance, gratitude, compassion, joy and love. She always reminded us that the opposite of fear is Faith! There is truly an Unseen Power, and miracles occur throughout our lives with or without our conscious awareness. Lara was granted her wish of fulfilling an almost forgotten promise to return to Atlantic City, representing New Mexico and performing on the very stage she had performed on in the Miss America Pageant so many years ago. She sang in the MS. SENIOR AMERICA PAGEANT as not only a contestant but an alumni. Lara viewed life with a positive attitude, anticipation and enthusiasm. In 2006 she taught the Denver based United Airline flight attendants the music that would be sung at the memorial to the crew of 9/11's Flight 93 and flew with them to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for their dedication. Up until her illness she continued to perform and to teach music part-time and lovingly care for her family. Lara passed away at the University of Colorado Hospital, from heart disease, on December 16, 2013. Lara is survived by her loving husband, Dick Carbajal; daughter, Francine Carbajal-Mennenoh; son, David Carbajal; brother, Don F. Shea; sister, Della Dancer and grandchildren, BreAnna Grace Mennenoh, Dylan Carbajal and Daniel Carbajal and preceded in death by her beloved sons, Richard Jr. and Donald Ray Carbajal. A Memorial Service was held in Lara's memory on Saturday, December 21, 2013 at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 11150 East Dartmouth Avenue, Aurora, Colorado, 80014. Another service was held on January 4, 2014 at French Funeral Home on Wyoming Blvd., in Albuquerque, NM. The family would like to thank all of their many friends and family for the prayer, support and kindness that they we have received.