- Date Of Birth: April 8, 1960
- Date Of Death: September 6, 2009
- State: Arizona
Maria Delores Nelson Ruiz was born on April 8, 1960 to Jake and Lydia Nelson in Glendale Arizona, themselves recently from the northern area of New Mexico. Maria was the youngest of “The Three Sisters”, Beverly, Janet and Maria.
She was raised in Tempe Arizona attending Tempe Schools. She had a daughter Angelica Nelson Pieser, a Freelance stylist assistant in New York City. Victoria secrets being one and other well known clients. Her son Evan Pieser, finance manages in sales at Reno Nevada Hyundai and wife Radhika Pieser. Their father is David Pieser. Later, she married Dennis Thomann and had her youngest son Sean Thomann.
A senior in biology with a full ride scholarship, to Arizona State University. Maria has spent the last five years with her soul mate, best friend and fiancé, David Lambrechtsen. Maria helped start and open the Burkenstock store in downtown Tempe Arizona, now known as The Shoe Mill, owned and operated for the past 25 years by her father and stepmother Beverly Nelson. She also opened and operated the In Season Deli, now owned and operated by her mother Lydia Ruiz for the past 30 years, also downtown Tempe. Maria has owned The Morning Glory Café for 24 years at 115 S San Francisco St, Flagstaff Arizona. She has had a handful of wonderful co-workers by her side; they have been with her through thick and thin.
They have been a great support to Maria.Maria has always been a creative person, marched to her own drum, worked hard loved healthy eating and educating people of the wonders of good food for the body. She loved music, nature, feeding people, but especially feeding their souls. If the walls of her café could talk they would tell you of the countless people she has fed, helped, laughed and cried with. The guitar music that has filled these rooms and the students and adults that have felt like they had a home right here, at the café. She loved her dear customers, neighbors, and friends.She was an amazing mother to her children. She raised them to be “Doers” and to think outside of the box. She guided them like the sun draws flowers slowly upwards, towards it’s warmth, very gently and by example.
If you want to count her riches by friendships, family, respect and love. She has been the riches person I know. In a society that puts so much value on “things” and “stuff”. Maria put on people and doing. She proved “The Power of One” really works! Maria has had a wonderfully rich life, many lives are better for knowing her, she has left this earth a better place, we will all miss her.She survived by her children, Angelica Nelson Pieser, Evan and Radhika Pieser, and Sean Thomann. Her sisters, Beverly, Dr. Paul and Family, Janet and Christopher Nelson.
Her mother, Lydia Ruiz, Her father and stepmother, Jake and Bev Nelson. Her godfather, Jerry Nelson, her partner and soul mate and fiancé David Lambrechtsen. She also survived by many more aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, many amazing friends, and the wonderful customers of The Morning Glory Café.
