Lee Duarte Ruelas
TEMPE – Lee Duarte Ruelas of Tempe died Nov. 29 of heart failure. She was 86.
Lee was a strong woman who was devoted to her family, her ever-growing circle of friends and the proper making of Mexican food, particularly tamales. She was also a staunch supporter of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and made sure that the tribes were properly supported through the operation of slot machines, specifically those installed within the Gila River Indian Community.
Lee was raised in Tempe and was a member of the first graduating class of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parochial School. She attended Tempe High School through her sophomore year, when she left to help out her family after the death of her brother by working at the five and dime store on Mill Avenue.
In 1955, she married Ralph Ruelas, a union that would last 66 years. The two met at the Calderon Ballroom in south Phoenix when he asked her to dance. Lee moved to Maryland for a year while her husband, a draftee in the Korean War era, served in the Army. The couple returned to Arizona and Lee was hired as a seamstress at Penn-Mor, an undergarment factory that had opened in Tempe. When her children reached school age, she found work at the Tempe Elementary School District. Here, she found more than a job. She found her passion.
Lee worked for many years as a bilingual classroom aide at Frank Elementary School in Guadalupe. For years, former students would warmly greet “Mrs. R” when they ran into her around the city. Lee attempted to earn her teaching certification, but dropped her sociology class after getting in an argument with her instructor over a passage in a textbook that said Mexican women were subservient to their husbands.
Lee and Ralph, as equal partners, raised three children: Cecilia, who worked for the Tempe Union High School District; Anthony, a Marine and retired officer for the Phoenix Police Department; and Richard, a reporter for The Arizona Republic. Her children and husband survive her, along with grandchildren, Vanessa, Manuel, Michael, Anthony and Daniel and four great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Irene Trujillo.
Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Dec. 14 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 2121 S. Rural Road, Tempe. Burial to follow at 1 p.m. at St. Francis Cemetery, 2033 N. 48th St, Phoenix. Her family is trying to balance honoring Lee’s life with safety. Those attending are requested to be vaccinated and will be asked to appropriately space out through the church and wear masks. The service will also be streamed at https://www.olmctempe.com/specialevents.
In lieu of flowers – she actually preferred plants – the family asks that tax-credit donations be made to Frank Elementary School through the website tempeschools.org.