Nica Chavez: Loved for 100 years

Dominica “Nica” Chavez, the beloved matriarch of her family and a lifelong resident of Lemitar, celebrated her 100th birthday on Tuesday.

Born on December 17, 1924, Chavez has witnessed countless changes throughout her life, yet she has remained anchored in her love for her family and her faith in God.

Surrounded by her daughters last week, Nica reveled in laughter and nostalgic conversations, reminiscing about cherished memories from the good old days that have shaped her life.

Born in Lemitar to Evaristo Garcia and Isabel Luna, she is the youngest and tallest of her five siblings: Florentino, Laura, Pauline, Frances and Oldelia. She recalls growing up in Lemitar, before electricity and indoor plumbing, when she picked chile and corn on her dad’s farm and raised livestock.

As a young woman, she met her husband at a local dance, which was popular in those days and featured live Spanish music bands from Albuquerque. Her love for dancing and music continued her whole life. She married in 1944, and only three years later, while starting her own family, she had to face the hardship of losing her mother.

“I don’t know what happened, she got sick after I had my second child and she died,” Chavez said.

She ended up having seven daughters, some of whom were born at home. However, by the time her youngest was born, women were sent to the hospital because doctors preferred not to attend home births anymore.

“When I had Cathy, the doctor got there, you know, and he was a young doctor. I was used to having a lady doctor, and when the doctor came in and he checked me, you know, I already had Cathy. He comes and tells me, he says, ‘You got a beautiful little girl!’” and I say, ‘Another girl?’ He says, ‘What’s wrong?’” Chavez said.

She said she laughed when a nurse named Priscilla chimed in and said, “Well, she has about 20 of them!”

“I thought it was funny the way she said it with her arms and everything, you know,” Chavez said.

About four years later, she faced the challenge of divorcing and becoming a single mom, which left her often working two or more jobs to support her family. She attributes her strong faith in God, which gave her the strength to raise her seven daughters on her own.

She said her faith is the secret to a long life.

“It was hard but I made it through thanks to God,” Chavez said, “Only God that has helped me a lot, because if he wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t have the strength that I have now.”

Although she wasn’t able to get her diploma because of circumstances that didn’t allow her to finish, she always valued education. Her granddaughter recalls seeing her teaching herself cursive and learning on her own.

To say she is popular in the community is an understatement; when she goes out in public, it’s not uncommon for people to flock to her. She said even strangers will approach her.

“They used to stand up to and come and say, ‘I don’t know who you are, but everybody’s standing up to talk to you, you must be something, big’, you know, and somebody says you should be running for mayor, and says, ‘I’m gonna try it’.” Chavez said with a laugh.

Chavez’s daughters said the community has always loved her; even their friends called her “Mom,” and some of the younger generations called her “Grandma.” They fondly recounted stories of their childhood, reminiscing about how their mom would engage them in countless games. Whether they were playing marbles on the living room floor, shuffling cards at the kitchen table, tossing jacks , or playing baseball, she took the time to play with them.

“We used to get together and I would be laughing with the girls, playing baseball out there with them. I didn’t mind, you know I used to go outside and play too,” Chavez said.

Her daughters said the neighborhood kids loved her too.

“They (the kids) would ask me if we win (baseball) will you buy us a coke and I say yes if you win I will buy you a coke, I wasn’t rich but I did it anyway,” Chavez said “Still they call me Mom, mostly everybody calls me Mom, I’m their mom,” Chavez said.

Once Chavez learned how to play 8-ball pool, she became a force to be reckoned with. She won countless local tournaments and has dozens of ribbons from the Senior Olympics to prove her ability.

With her daughter by her side, Chavez said they would partner up and go to pool tournaments all over the county.

“There would be people coming in that wanted to play, we used to be partners, and we used to win. They would get mad at us,” Chavez said with a smile.

She said one year at the senior Olympics, she decided to try the frisbee competition even though she’d never done it before, and she went home with a blue ribbon.

Chavez is surrounded by a loving family, with twenty grandchildren, over forty great-grandchildren, and more than ten great-great-grandchildren. Her home is filled with countless photographs that showcase the smiles and cherished moments, reflecting the strong bond that connects them all.

When asked what her birthday wish was, Chavez said she just wanted to be together with her family and have a good day.

Even at one hundred years old, this spirited centenarian can be found sharing her love of mariachi as she dances with her great-grandchildren in her kitchen, telling stories of her pool championships and enjoying her family.