Cover photo for Mrs. Mabel Lopez's Obituary
Mrs. Mabel Lopez Profile Photo

Mrs. Mabel Lopez

October 2, 1961 — March 25, 2023

Mabel Del Carmen Rodriguez Moreno Lopez was predeceased by her immigrant parents Luis and Canderlaria Moreno as well as her brother Oscar Moreno. She is survived by her sisters Marta and Maura, brothers Jorge, Luis Edgardo, and Mauricio, as well as her loving husband Oscar Lopez and their two children Candice (daughter) and Kevin (son).

A woman of absolute power, she loved anyone and everyone who was in her presence unconditionally and passionately. And she was loved in return for her humble, loving, giving, forgiving, and generous nature. She was a ray of sunshine on the darkest days, the onion ring in the french fries, the first sip of freshly brewed coffee, and a warm embrace on the coldest nights.

When she wasn’t ruling her home with an iron fist and proudly owning the title of “La reina de la casa”, she was a connoisseur of a multitude of arts ranging from cooking to sewing/knitting. Her admiration of culinary arts was noted in the hours that she spent studying the work and talent of Chef Bobby Flay. Watching as many would compete to defeat him in a cook off but fail. But she would also experiment and try a plethora of recipes, all using sofrito and Adobo. The results of her ventures in the culinary world were always well received by anyone who tried her cooking as many would clean their plates and ask for more as well as extra to go home with. She was always happy to provide for anyone who was hungry as she always cooked like the End of Days were to occur tomorrow. She carried a garlic onion smell with her while she would dance around the kitchen, happily and excited to eat that will now be a fond memory for all who knew and loved her.

She loved celebrations and holidays. Christmas being her all time favorite holiday as it was always full of cheer, bright lights, hope, endless hours of Hallmark films, and the day her son was born. One would recount the time she asked a store manager to allow her to purchase the display Christmas tree at a local store and took it as is, decorations and all, as it was the only one available. Halloween was her second favorite as it was her daughter’s favorite holiday and during a month where she as well as her husband and daughter celebrated birthdays. She always opted for a more family friendly Halloween, more along the lines of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” as she loved all things Snoopy and Peanuts, despite her children and husband always wanting something out of a horror film. The ventures to Spirit Halloween and Party City where she would jump in comedic fright at the displays as well as her fondness for KitKats from her children’s trick or treat bags “just to check if they’re safe” will be remembered fondly now. But if there was a good reason to celebrate, she found a way to make it known and a celebration was always held. From her children getting good grades in school to major events such as relatives visiting from Puerto Rico or her wedding anniversary to her husband (they recently celebrated 31 years of marriage in February 2023). Usually these celebrations, if there was no planned location, were always celebrated at her favorite restaurant: Applebees. But she would also opt for Cecilia’s if she wanted to be reminded of El Salvador and give her children a history lesson on the traditions and customs of the country. Proudly reminding them of their Indigenous heritage alongside their Latinidad.

She was always full of song. From the sound of her voice accompanying musicians like Bon Jovi, Marc Anthony, Natalia Lafourcade, and Romeo Santos to the little hums that she would sing to herself while going about her daily routines like judging the prices at the local Shop Rite to doing her laundry. She would also comment on how the music she loved and once collected on vinyl back in El Salvador was the best and no one could replicate their sound. Of course, she always spoke highly of the artists of the 60s, 70s, and 80s as their music had taught her to speak English so that she could fully immerse herself and enjoy the music in two languages. But her voice was strong enough to wake Rip Van Winkle from his nap. She was outspoken, never afraid to speak her mind and voice her opinion and anything that was important to her. She’d use her voice to stand up for those she loved and comfort anyone who needed to hear something good. She was everyone’s Mama and she made it well known to the world around her.

As someone who greatly enjoyed cinema and television, she would watch everything and anything. A lover of romance, intense action, and even venturing into the world of Anime for a bit thanks to her children. But her comfort films were always a Disney film. It was always a battle between Cinderella, Tangled, Frozen, and Beauty and the Beast over who would receive the title of her favorite film. Ultimately, anyone who knew her knew that she would always ask to watch Encanto and Black Panther. It should be noted as well that she would drop everything to watch any and every film with actors such as Idris Elba, Jason Momoa, Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, and her favorite: Kevin Costner (who serves as the reason for her son’s name). She would remember someone’s favorite film(s) and watch it with them whenever she had the chance and it was playing on tv. Bloodsport and The Fifth Element being the films she watched the most with her daughter and she knew that the Rocky Balboa franchise was her son’s favorite. With her beloved husband, she’d enjoy a soccer game (especially the World Cup and she would always cheer for Argentina’s Lionel Messi) as the sport was how they met or episodes of reality competition shows in Spanish. She watched it all.

A natural storyteller, she loved to tell stories to anyone who would listen. She would recount tales of all kinds. From the daily news to cautionary tales and urban legends from El Salvador to her children who loved the spooky tales the most. But, apart from the stories of surviving warfare as a lesson to be grateful every Thanksgiving, the best story she ever told was the one about her first night in America. In summary, she attended a Bruce Springsteen concert in 1985 with her brother Mauricio’s ex, Patty who delivered mail to Jon Bon Jovi himself, and enjoyed it. As they were leaving the concert, coincidentally and accidentally, she bumped into Lionel Richie who was also attending and enjoying the concert. This brief encounter alongside The Boss’s concert made an everlasting impression on her first night in America that is now a memory that will live alongside her forever.

Oye como va (Carlos Santana), she was a Dancing Queen (ABBA), a Material Girl (Madonna), an Uptown Girl (Billy Joel), who was livin’ on a prayer (Bon Jovi). She knew when doves cry (Prince) and time after time (Cyndi Lauper) would remind us that ‘nunca es suficiente’ (Los Angeles Azules y Natalia Lafourcade) but that she was going to ‘vivir mi vida’ (Marc Anthony). She had the time of her life (Bill Medley and Jennifer Warrens) and she saw all the stars (Kendrick Lamar and SZA). One would suppose that’s the power of love (Huey Lewis and The News) for you.

Welcome to the Hotel California, Mama. Be sure to say hello to Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Juan Gabriel, Robin Williams, and Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers Shooting Guard and Small Forward, #8 and #24) for us!
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Mrs. Mabel Lopez, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

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Visitation

Friday, March 31, 2023

5:00 - 8:00 pm (Eastern time)

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Crabiel Parkwest Funeral Chapel

239 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

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