Florence B Quintana

Florence Quintana
February 26, 1928 ~ October 26, 2017
Florence Bonita Quintana, she preferred Bennie, was born on February 26, 1928 in Montrose Colorado to the proud parents of Frank and Jacobite Quintana. She had three sisters Mary Saiz, Margie Rivera, Helen Alvarado and one brother Robert Quintana. She was the youngest child and it was said that she was the apple of her parent’s eyes and a little more pampered than her siblings.
She married her high school sweetheart, Chris Quintana, and they were married in 1945 and remained married until Chris was deceased in 2014. They had three children Christine, Larry and Linda. She was a loving and devoted mother and always put her family’s needs above her own.
She was on the leading edge when it came to career women. She worked side by side with Chris in the restaurant business throughout their marriage. She became a co-owner of the Stockman’s café in the 1960s. She worked the front end of the business; Chris would often say that her fun personality and her ability to lend a caring ear to the customers made them want to keep coming back. She and Chris both agreed that no person who was hungry and could not afford a meal would l leave the restaurant hungry.
Her life was filled with many good times. She traveled with Chris to Mexico, Florida, Nevada and Hawaii. She hit many jackpots in Las Vegas. Chris would smile and say “She is so lucky, she even hits three jackpots at the same time”.
Bennie had many talents such as sewing, ceramics, gardening, bingo and of course fishing. No one could ever doubt her fishing abilities, she out fished her fishing companions many times. Chris would tell us that he started on the other side of the bank and watched as Bennie brought fish after fish
and he could not even get one. He would proceed to creep to her side of the bank and ask her what bate she was using. She would reply, with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face “it does not matter what the bate is you just have to have a positive attitude”.
She possessed a wonderful sense of humor and an ability to see things in a humorous light which was learned while mastering the art of living. She was able to bring a smile to your face by simply sharing humorous joke or personal story. In her new environment at assisted living she would tell Chris “It is time to go have dinner with all of the other q tips (referring to their white hair). This put a humorous ring to their dining experience.
Practical jokes were one of her favorite past times. One early morning at the breakfast table, Chris heard a rooster crowing. He asked her if she heard it and she confirmed. He proceeded to go outside to listen for the rooster but could not hear it. He said” I’ll be darned, it stopped crowing” but then they heard it again. He looked at Bennie puzzled; she smiled with the twinkle in her eye and held up the ceramic rooster that crowed.” There are many similar stories that brought us much joy and laughter.
Bennie faced obstacles with courage and faith. One of her favorite mottos was” if there is a will there is a way”. Her children heard this often and each of them adopted this motto in approaching life’s challenges. Underlying this motto was her strong belief in praying to the Lord our God, Saint Mary and Saint Anthony for peace and for assistance. She would always tell her family to ask the to help us and to have faith that he would hear her prayers. For all of us who had the privileges of knowing Bennie, please remember the twinkle in her eyes the smile on her face. She wants each of us to live our lives to the fullest, to enjoy the simple pleasures of life and she looks forward to seeing us in heaven.
A Vigil followed by a rosary will be held on Monday evening, November 6, 2017 at 7:00 P.M. at St. Mary Catholic Church. A Funeral Mass is scheduled for Tuesday morning, November 7, 2017 at 10:00 A.M. at St. Mary Catholic Church. Rite of Committal will follow the mass at Cedar Cemetery, east of Montrose. A reception for family and friends will take place at the Montrose Elk’s Lodge immediately following the graveside service. Crippin Funeral Home & Crematory in Montrose is assisting the family.