Lucy Rael, the matriarch of the large and devoted Rael family remembered for her faith, resilience and quiet strength, died Jan. 31. She was 98.

In her final years, Lucy was rarely alone. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren filled her days, a living testament to the life she and her late husband Malaquias Rael Sr. built together. To them, her passing is both a loss and a celebration of nearly a century of love, faith and service.

“She had a good life. We’re happy to celebrate that,” said one of her youngest grandchildren, Miguel Rael. “We’re happy she’s with our grandpa now. She longed to see him again.”

For Monica Aguilar, Lucy’s oldest grandchild, her grandmother’s house was more than a home, it was the center of family life.

“My parents worked a lot of hours, so I basically grew up at her house. I was there all the time,” Monica said. “I remember coming home from school and there were beans stirring on the stove, the news on, coffee brewing. It truly was a house for all of us.”

Lucy’s kitchen was a place of comfort, but her home was a place of faith. She regularly hosted prayer meetings that drew women from across the community.

“Kids would play and women would come together,” Monica recalled. “It was a safe place for women to go and socialize. That same spirit of coming together is something we still carry with all of us.”

Her warmth, however, was balanced with discipline.

“I remember her ruling with an iron fist,” Monica said with a laugh. “She wouldn’t put up with any guff. She raised a lot of boys, and she made sure they helped outside. You worked hard. Everyone had to earn their keep.”

Yet beneath that firm exterior was a grandmother whose pride in her growing family never faded.

“There was never anyone prouder than when a new grandbaby came into the family,” Monica said. “After I graduated, I moved out of Questa, and she would call me just to tell me about the new grandbabies. She just loved every part of her family.”

Lucy’s influence stretched far beyond her own household. She instilled in each generation the importance of giving back — not just in words, but by example.

“She taught all of us to give back to the community,” Monica said. “She supported my grandfather in the hardware business, she supported her church, and her children went on to become deacons, judges, lawyers, city managers, doctors, scientists, fire fighters, EMT’s, business owners. Every one of them contributes to their communities.”

“Her love and family multiplied,” Monica added. “Her legacy will keep on going in each of us.”

At a time when it was uncommon for women locally to work in business, Lucy stepped into that role with determination. Miguel, now a business owner in Questa himself, said her example continues to guide him.

“She was one of the first women working in businesses at a time when that wasn’t common,” he said. “That kind of tenacity and resilience was so impressive. She was strong-willed and very dedicated.”

Her honesty was part of that strength.

“She wouldn’t sugarcoat things,” Miguel said with a laugh. “She told you the truth and what you needed to hear, sometimes even with a bit of sass. But it was always given in love.”

During her service, a story was shared by her son. She would tell him that he could live with her, and he retorted, saying they’d kill each other because they’d argue too much. She replied, “Well, how would we kill each other? I don’t even have a gun.”
Her Catholic faith was the anchor of her life. A devoted member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Lucy loved traditional church music and encouraged her family to use their gifts in service to God.

“I don’t like singing,” Miguel admitted, “but I remember my grandma always saying, ‘Don’t be afraid to sing for the Lord. The Lord gives you these talents — show praise and thanks and use them to glorify Him.”

Today, Miguel leads the choir at St. Anthony’s 8 a.m. Sunday Mass, something he credits, in part, to her encouragement.
Even as her health declined, her faith remained unwavering. During her 98th birthday celebration over Easter weekend, surrounded by generations of family who had traveled home to be with her, Lucy offered a blessing that Miguel says he will never forget.

“Toward the end, she would often forget things,” Miguel recalled. “But that weekend she prayed before the meal, reminding us about God and asking Him to teach our family to always follow Him and be His servants. Knowing her faith was that strong to the very end and that inspired me in my faith.”

For decades, Sundays meant church and then walking over to Grandma’s house next door.

“Going to church and then going to my grandma’s house after, that was our family’s tradition,” Miguel said with a pause. “Since her passing, it hasn’t been the same and that is something I’m already missing. But I’ll always hold those memories close to my heart.”

Though her seat at the table is now empty, her lessons remain.

“She instilled in all of us a love for God and the importance of hard work and giving back to your community,” Miguel said. “That’s something that will always stay with us.”

In the end, Lucy Rael’s greatest legacy may not simply be the generations she leaves behind, but the faith, work ethic and generosity she planted in each of them — seeds that continue to grow throughout Questa and beyond.