Zena Marie Zuniga

Zena Marie Zuniga, age 58, of Lewisville, Texas passed away on Friday May 17, 2024. Zena was born July 7, 1965 in Louisville, Kentucky, and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was a 1983 graduate of John F. Kennedy High School in New Orleans. After graduating, Zena decided to enlist in the Army, where she spent most of her military career in telecommunications. Zena served two tours, one of which she served during Desert Storm. Zena traveled to many places during this time, developed a love of travel and took steps to make life what she wanted and how she wanted.

After she retired from the military, she decided to start the next phase of life in Irving, Texas with her husband, George, and two children Pierre and Krista. Zena and George were married in 1993 and had her third child, Gabby in 1997.

She made a career of Telecommunications, where she retired in 2023. Though, in between living, growing, and raising her children, she was always learning and trying new paths. Zena went back to school, at the Texas Women’s University, in Denton, Texas and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in 2009. While there, she worked in the bookstore, the Social Security Administration, and for Denton County. Zena started the next phase of life with Teresa and CoCo, who shared Zena’s love of travel and they did so often.

In May of 2019, Zena decided to do something she wanted to do since the first time she visited New Mexico. She moved to Sante Fe, New Mexico and eventually found her a new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2021, Zena was diagnosed with stage 4 Clear Cell Carcinoma and started her battle with cancer. Zena knew from the beginning that this particular cancer was aggressive, but she did not shy away from trying every treatment possible. In 2022, Zena decided to move back to Texas, to be close to family. She loved her time in New Mexico and had no regrets for making that move. She fought a good fight and was able to see and spend time with her third grandchild. “Ya-Ya”, (her grandmother name) was loved and cherished by all who knew her.

ZENA WAS THE BELOVED DAUGHTER OF ZELDA MAE COUSIN AND EUGENE NOEL SMITH. SHE IS MOURNED BY HER THREE CHILDREN, PIERRE DAVID SMITH, KRISTA MARIE HOWARD, AND GABRIELLA ZUNIGA; SISTERS, THE LATE EUGENIA “GENA” NELSON AND ZOE LAURENDINE; GRAND CHILDREN, DEZMOND SMITH, SHAUN - MARIE HOWARD, RYLAN JAMES MILLER; NEPHEWS, SHANE ANTHONY NELSON, ANDREW MICHAEL LAURENDINE, THE LATE ZACHARY NEIL LAURENDINE

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