Consuelo Reyes Regalado

Consuelo Reyes, age 99, née Regalado, passed away on Monday, May 18, 2026, at her daughter Olga Elena’s home. Consuelo was a woman of strength, resilience, faith, and deep love for her family. She leaves behind a legacy defined by perseverance, sacrifice, and unconditional love.

A devoted mother of 14 children, she faced hardships with determination and courage, always placing her children at the center of her life. Known affectionately by her family as “Ama,” she will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Consuelo was born in a small mountain town of Camarones, Nuevo León, Mexico, as one of 9 children. Family meant everything to her. Having lost her mother, María Bernal, at the young age of eight, she left school to care for her siblings. Consuelo also worked at her abuela’s tiendita, making chorizo every week for customers.

Having been raised by a strict father, Juan Regalado, she rarely had a chance to go dancing. She made up for this in her later years, dancing to her favorite rancheras as often as possible. Music, dancing, and even singing were always present in her home. She especially loved corridos.

Later, she married and immediately immigrated to the United States, where she worked as a migrant worker alongside her family, harvesting crops as they moved from state to state. She met other migrant workers from many different countries and enjoyed interacting with them despite the language barriers. During these years, she had children born in Texas, California, and eventually, Illinois, where the family settled.

Eventually settling in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago after a house fire, Consuelo found a second life - full of community, friendship, and joy. She was a resident of Little Village for fifty-five years. She became known for her warm personality, love of conversation, and ability to make friends wherever she went. She enjoyed staying active through walks, treasured time spent socializing at Park District Senior events and playing bingo with friends. She met Mayor Daley when she represented Dvorak Park as the Senior of the Year at the annual Chicago Park District Senior Awards Ceremony and placed her portrait with him proudly in her home.

Consuelo had a special lifelong bond with her loving daughter Olga Elena, who took her on many adventures –- traveling to visit family in the U.S. and Mexico, attending senior events with the President of Cicero, and always celebrating life’s milestones and many joys.

Music and dancing brought her great happiness throughout her life, and she was always ready to enjoy a song, celebrate with family, and dance whenever the opportunity arose. She spent many years devoted to her role as a mother and homemaker, but she also found joy in life’s simple pleasures—dancing, playing bingo, and going to garage sales (a love she shared with many of her children and grandchildren). With her friends, she loved cozying up to share and hear good chisme, filling the room with laughter, stories, and companionship. She was always a Señora – she was beautiful inside and out and always carried herself with dignity – it was important for her to always be presentable.

Consuelo also loved her TV novelas. They were an important part of her daily life, and she rarely missed an episode. If she knew she would be away, she always made sure someone was ready to tape the show for her so she could catch up later. Those small routines brought her joy and became cherished memories for the family who lovingly teased her about never missing her stories.

There were difficult financial times throughout her life, but her ability to make the best rice, beans, and flour tortillas sustained her family. Hot food was always waiting for her children when they came home from school and work. Fresh flour tortillas with butter were a favorite. Special treats included buñuelos at Christmas, capirotada at Easter. Consider yourself lucky if you ever had her Yankee Donuts – mmm, delicious. To know Consuelo was to know her tamales, lovingly made, generously shared, and remembered by family and friends. Her kitchen was a place of comfort, laughter, and togetherness. Even through tough times, anyone who came into her home was offered something – she never let a handyman leave without offering a plate of food. For family and friends, visiting her home was a cherished tradition, especially during the holidays. Her house was always the gathering place for birthdays, celebrations, and weekends spent together as a family.

She had a strong work ethic and instilled this in her children. She never put off to tomorrow what she could do today, always organizing and planning ahead. She was a master at packing for trips to Mexico, preparing months in advance to bring her sister Chita items to keep or sell. This work ethic never left Consuelo – even while in a walker and eventually a wheelchair, she did not let that stop her from continuing to clean up and organize – even cooking an occasional meal when it was probably not the safest thing to do.

Although she left school to care for her family at eight years old, she ensured all her children graduated from high school (and one earned a GED). Studying came before chores; graduating wasn’t just an option, it was a requirement. Three children also graduated from college and two with Master’s degrees with many of her grandchildren now college graduates.

There were many hardships in her life – her marriage, eventually raising her family as a single parent, a house fire, and the loss of her beloved sons Joe, Arthur, and most recently Luciano. She also endured the loss of most of her siblings and many friends as she outlived them. Still, she persevered with strength, knowing she was still needed by those who remained. Her unwavering devotion to her children carried her through every obstacle life placed before her.

In her later years, Consuelo faced many physical and health challenges. Despite serious falls and fractures, she remained remarkably strong and resilient. During the last three years of her life, she required additional care, but she was never alone. Her daughters worked together to ensure she was supported and cared for at all times and she cherished spending time with her sons.

Above all, Consuelo will be remembered for her fierce love as a mother, grandmother, and friend. Her life was a testament to endurance, hope, and the importance of family and community.

Consuelo is survived by her loving children: Maria; Isidoro (Carmela); Rosa Linda (Miguel); Chelo; Olga Elena (Don); Gloria (Rutilo); Johnny; Rachel (Jose); Nimfa Susana (Angel); Ofelia; and Christine (Phillip); Margaret, wife of her late son Arthur; her grandchildren, Margarita, Jacob, Chaz, Luciano Jr., Patricia, Christian Daniel, Alex, Izzy, Miguel, Antonia, Carlos, Vanessa, Sonia, Veronica, Susana, Angelica Maria, Marissa, Isabel and Rebecca; her sister Juanita and brother Lupe; numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews in the United States and Mexico.

She was preceded in death by her beloved sons Joe, Arthur, and Luciano, whose memories she carried in her heart throughout her life.

Visitation Wednesday 5/27/26 from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Funeral Thursday 5/28/2026 Chapel Prayers 9:00 am from Wolniak Funeral Home 5700 S. Pulaski Rd. Chicago, IL. 60629 to St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church (64th and Kilbourn Ave. Chicago, IL. 60629) Mass 10:00 am. Interment St. Mary Cemetery Evergreen Park, IL.