Araceli “Chely” Tejeda Manzanares, who often worked two or three jobs at a time and went without so the people she loved could have more, died Sept. 28, 2026, in Chicago, surrounded by her family.
She was born in Teotlaco, Puebla, Mexico, to Ines Manzanares and Raul Tejeda, one of 10 siblings. The bonds of that big family stayed with her always, her family wrote.
She made her home in Chicago and was proud to work as many jobs as she could manage. Her family called her “the hardest-working woman to have ever lived.”
Her devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe guided her through every hardship and every joy. She loved decorating for family celebrations down to the smallest detail, chose every touch in her own home with care and helped anyone close to her who needed it: family, friends and neighbors.
She is survived by her children, Hugo Tejeda (Adam Wiatros), Berenice Tejeda (Elio Castro), Diana Zarate (Miguel Valtierra), Adriana Zarate (Rigoberto Lopez) and Agustin (Martha Elisa) Zarate; her niece Erika Medina (Vicente Delgado), whom she loved as a daughter; her grandchildren, Gloria, Mariana and Eduardo Delgado, Damian Enrique and Emma Sofia Zarate, and Santiago Rafael Lopez; her siblings, Trinidad, Julia, Alicia, Magdalena, Simon, Ines and Esteban; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her brothers Raul and Angel.
Visitation and Mass: Thursday, Oct. 8, 4 p.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 2127 W. 22nd Place, Chicago.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Flowers may be delivered to 3709 W. 54th St., Chicago.