Amanda Loo-Marroquin

Amanda Loo-Marroquin, of Gilbert, Arizona passed away on September 8, 2018 at Banner Dessert Hospital in Mesa, AZ. Funeral/memorial/graveside services will be held September 21, 2018, at Garden of Memories, 4900 Airline Highway, Metairie, LA 70001-5694. Visitation: 12-200pm, Service: 2:00pm, Interment: 2:30 pm. The family will be greeting friends and relatives at Garden of Memories.
Amanda was born on October 15, 1928 in Guatemala, Central America to the late Oscar Loo Flores originally from China and the late Consuelo Marroquin Bermejo originally from Guatemala.
Amanda was married to the late Jerry Mullen and had two children, the late Darlene Duet and the late Jerry Mullen, Jr. Amanda is survived by a granddaughter, Dena Duet of Marrero, LA. Amanda was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Oscar Loo-Marroquin, a sister, Maria Antonieta Loo-Palomo and is survived by her brothers Arturo Loo-Marroquin of Harvey, LA., Raymond Arroyo of Metairie, LA., and Efren Arroyo from Lacey, Washington. She’s also survived by many nieces and nephews. For the last 13 yrs. she lived in Arizona close to her niece Elizabeth and her husband Grant Ketterman of Gilbert, AZ.
Amanda’s journey to Arizona began with hurricane Katrina in 2005. She was evacuated to Houston after having been in her apartment on Esplanade Ave. for five days, waiting to be rescued. She was taken to the Superdome, processed and transported to the Astrodome in Houston. We looked for her and for 2 days, we didn’t know where she was. We contacted the Red Cross and the Coast Guard and after two days, we had a call from them that she was OK and we spoke to her at 11:30pm. After a few days, she decided to go to family in Baton Rouge, who were kind to receive her for a few days. We contacted her and decided that she should move to Arizona since the Governor opened their doors to Katrina victims. She moved to AZ, lived with us for five months until we found an apartment just 3 miles from our home. Grant and I flew to NOLA to pick up her belonging and moved her to AZ. She spent 13 years in the same apartment until this June when her health and dementia prevented her from living alone. Amanda lived next door to the Gilbert Senior Center, in Gilbert, AZ. She walked there every day for lunch where she made many friends. She became active at the Sr. Ctr. and she taught painting “to the old people”, as she often said; of course, not taking into consideration that she was 80 yrs. old. She also volunteered by serving food at lunch time and one of her favorite things to do was to dance on Tues. and Thurs. when there was live music. She joined in other activities that kept her busy. Amanda and I had a “date” on Tues., we had lunch together and went to the grocery store or shopping at the mall. I’ll surely miss her and our time together!
Amanda was an artist for over 30 years; she sold her artwork in New Orleans on Jackson Square. She was a very talented woman who had a thirst for knowledge like no one I have ever met. She was well traveled; she visited many parts of the world, Hong Kong, Philippines, Mexico, Italy, Spain, The Panama Canal, and Canada as well as many cities in the US. She learned braille, had books to learn languages for every place she visited, she had a zest for life and for learning.
We will miss her and as Roy Swope, my son, said very eloquently, “Been thinking about her all day. I hope she knew how much we loved that spitfire spirit she had. We are grateful to have known her and her sassy, always attention getting self. She knew how to make an entrance, and now she has exited…many blessings!” Yes, Amanda had a way about her, I remember when I was much younger, Amanda would walk on the street or entered a room, and heads would turn. She was always well dressed and eye-catching. It was undeniable, Amanda knew who she was and was proud of her background, achievements, and accomplishments in life. In her career, for many years, she worked for a Shipping Company; she was an instructor at a Beauty School in New Orleans. She could sew, crochet, knit, and carve wood, and so many other things that would make a person wonder, where did she have the time to do so much? If I have to say all of the things she did in one word, I would say that she was blessed with “talent” that allowed her to do so many things and do them well. Her greatest love was painting and transmitted her feeling in each and every one of her paintings.
Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Funeral Service on Friday, September 21, 2018 at 2:00 pm at the Garden of Memories Funeral Home, 4900 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA and the visitation will begin at 12:00 pm until service time. Burial will follow in the Garden of Memories Cemetery.
Condolences may be left on Amanda Loo-Marroquin’s online guest book at www.gardenofmemoriesmetairiecom   
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Gilbert Senior Center, 130 N Oak St., Gilbert, AZ 85233

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