Details
About Patricia Margarita Rios
Patricia Margarita Rios, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend passed away peacefully on July 31, 2025 in Gold Canyon, Arizona at the age of 80.
Pat was born on April 22, 1945, in Chihuahua, Mexico to Carlos and Margarita Alvarez. The family migrated to Phoenix, Arizona in 1957 when Pat was just twelve years old. She attended St. Mary’s High School where she graduated in 1962. After high school she worked as a secretary for various companies, but her true calling was to the arts.
Pat had two sons, Billy (Born Christmas day 1969) and Gary (also born Christmas day 1972) from her first marriage. She loved being a boy mom. She would jump at the chance to take them to the zoo or the park, often prioritizing these outings over household chores or grocery shopping. Family gatherings were essential during these formative years, allowing her boys to cultivate enduring relationships with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Pat and Peter met through a mutual friend and even though she said she would never date an “engineer”, especially if he was 10 years younger than she was, Peter did not waiver. Eventually they married in 1982, becoming a family with Pat’s two sons, Bill and Gary.
Peter, recognizing Pat’s talent for art, encouraged her to enroll in Mesa Community College, where she received wonderful art instruction. This launched her lifelong quest as an artist. Some of the family’s most treasured remembrances of Pat are the paintings she did of her grandchildren. Being an award-winning artist, Pat saw the world very differently than others. She saw the majesty and beauty of God’s creation, and also shared her own personal journey with the Lord through her art. The “glue” that held Pat’s marriage to Peter together for 42 years was their mutual faith in the Lord. As devoted Christians, both Pat and Peter gave credit to the Lord for keeping them together, through good times and bad times. The strongest bond that Pat and Peter shared was their faith in Jesus.
“I will not die, but live, and I will tell what the Lord has done.” – Psalm 118:17 (NCV)
Pat is preceded in death by her mother Margarita and father Carlos and also a son Petey Jr.
Pat leaves behind her beloved husband, Peter Rios. Sons: Bill (Amy) Hegel, Gary (Jamie) Hegel. Bill’s children: Breanne, Brooke, Melanie, Bailee, Brecklyn and Alex. Gary’s children: Devan, Makayla, Trenton, Shaylyn, Landon and Ashley. Along with a growing number of adorable great grandchildren. Siblings: Flor Hickman, Maria (Bob) Blayter, Carlos (Bobbi) Alvarez. And many beloved nieces and nephews.
VIEWING: Echoes Church HQ, located at 10153 E Hampton Ave #106, Mesa, AZ 85209 on August 15, 2025, from 9:00 am
CELEBRATION OF PAT’S LIFE: Echoes Church HQ, located at 10153 E Hampton Ave #106, Mesa, AZ 85209 on August 15, 2025, at 10:15 am
GRAVESIDE PRAYER: Mesa Cemetery 1212 N. Center St. Mesa, AZ following the Celebration of Life
In memory of Pat, we invite you to honor her love for one of the following charities in lieu of flowers.
- Wall Builders: https://wallbuilders.givingfuel.com/donate
- First Liberty Institute: https://firstliberty.org/donation/support-first-liberty-main/
- Scottsdale Artists’ School- Youth Outreach: https://www.scottsdaleartschool.org/support
If sending Flowers – Please have them delivered to the below address on August 14th:
Bunker Family Funerals & Cremation ~ University Chapel
3529 East University Drive, Mesa, AZ 85213
Telephone: (480) 830-4105
Arrangements by Bunker’s University Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.
