Maria Theresia ((Zimmermann)) Chavez

This obituary was originally published on Rogers & Breece Funeral Home.

Maria Chavez, age 87, passed away peacefully on Saturday morning June 6, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Maria was born on August 31, 1938, in Gennach, Germany, a small Bavarian village near the foot of the Alps. Maria met her husband, retired Army Colonel Juan Chavez, on a blind date in 1957 while he was stationed in Augsburg, Germany with the 11th Airborne Division, it was love at first sight, Juan recalls, and they were married a year later. In January 1959 Maria first set foot in the United States when her husband was reassigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC.

Assimilating into a new country, a new culture and military life did not prove difficult for Maria. Her vibrant personality, vitality and love of people enabled her to quickly make friends, master the English language, and learned how to navigate through the challenges she encountered. As her small family grew, Maria devoted herself to her children and their modest household. She became a superb mother and homemaker.

Maria was loved by many and was an exemplary military wife for 34 years, supporting her husband as he ascended to positions of higher responsibility. Upon her husband’s retirement from the Army, she was awarded the Department of the Army Commander’s Award for Public Service for exemplary voluntary service to the United States Army for generously contributing her time and talents to programs and activities in support of soldiers and their families to include service with the Army Community Service, Red Cross, family support groups, officer wives organizations, family medical practice programs and church ministries. She also was a faithful supporter of Juan’s volunteer service with the Cape Fear Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America after their military retirement in 1992.

In 1982, Maria earned a cosmetologist license, a dream she had as a young girl, but one she postponed until she became an “empty nester”. She struck up a home business that was a source of joy and personal connection with all her clients whom she pampered to a fault. She practiced her trade for 40 years to her very last days and loved every minute of it.

Maria loved sports and was an accomplished athlete, she was a member of the first women’s soccer league at Fort Bragg and was an avid tennis player winning two Miller Light tennis tournaments and the Fort Jackson Women’s Singles Tennis tournament in 1985. She persisted in the state rankings for decades in NC including the Senior Olympic Women’s Doubles.

Maria, along with husband Juan, did long distance bicycle touring. They helped raise substantial amounts of money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society as riders of “Bike MS” 150-mile fund raising events. Her love for biking was throughout her life; and her vehicle of knowing every neighbor in their golf community at Baywood. She was a darling of her neighborhood recognizing everyone and befriending many in a loving, interested and joyful manner.

With Juan and the family, Maria enjoyed many skiing vacations in Austria, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Later in her years, she learned to play golf and was extremely proud of having scored a “Hole-in-one,” a rare feat for even the most accomplished players.

Maria loved to sing and did so as a member of several choral groups and choirs over the years including Carleers (Army War College, Carlisle PA), Stars and Stripes Singers (Fayetteville/Fort Bragg, NC); JFK Chapel Choir (Fort Bragg); and St. Ann’s and San Isidro choirs in Fayetteville.

Maria was an inspirational gardener and landscaping designer; she also earned an Ikebana Master certification while in Japan and exhibited her arrangements in Tokyo. Moreover, she became an international cooking aficionado through years of study and practice of the culinary arts. She also was a fine arts performer in line-dance, in Fayetteville, for over a decade; and became a state champion awardee in this discipline as well.

Maria also was a well-seasoned traveler visiting exciting places like Austria, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, Paris, France, Beijing, China, Canadian Rockies, the Caribbean, and Alaska. She immersed herself and embraced each culture. She visited Germany often, enjoying her brother Erich, and her extended family.

Maria was predeceased by her parents, Hildegard & Wilhelm Zimmermann; and siblings Willie and Hildegard Zimmermann.

She is survived by her husband, retired Army Colonel Juan Chavez; her children, Lisa LaHam (Stephen), Gilbert Chavez, and Barbara Raizen (Michael); seven grandchildren Danny, Michelle, Nick, Rosie, Rachael, Isadora, Zoe and three great grandsons, Caleb, Lucas, and Raziel.

Maria never met a stranger, she loved everyone and everyone loved her. Her passing will leave a huge void in her community.

Maria will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Cape Fear Chapter, Military Officers Association of America ROTC Scholarship Fund in Maria’s memory.

SERVICES

VISITATION

Friday

June 26, 2026

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Saint Patrick Catholic Church

2844 Village Drive

Fayetteville, NC 28304

FUNERAL MASS

Friday

June 26, 2026

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM