Maria DeJesus Pina

Maria De Jesus Piña, 64, of Benton Harbor, passed away on Thursday, May 4, 2017, at Lakeland Regional Hospital after battling cancer for five years.   Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 AM, Monday, May 8, 2017 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 211 Church St., St. Joseph with Father Robert Creagan officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in St. Joseph. Family will receive friends from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM, Saturday, May 6, 2017 and also from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM, Sunday, May 7, 2017 at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Rosary will be recited on Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to the Marie Yeager Cancer Center. Friends wishing to leave a condolence or share a memory of Maria may do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com.   Maria was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico on May 23, 1952 to Antonio & Eugenia (Quevedo) Galvan. On April 7, 1971 Maria married Santiago Piña in Mexico. She worked as a food service manager for Telamon Sodus Migrant Head Start. Maria most loved spending time with her family and going on family vacations.   She is survived by her husband Santiago Piña of Benton Harbor, MI; her children Aracely (Pedro) Nerio of Benton Harbor, Karina Piña of Benton Harbor, Francisco Piña of St. Joseph, Antonio Piña of Grand Rapids, Ana Lilia (Jesus) Gasca of Sodus and Isabel Piña of Benton Harbor; grandchildren, Pedro, Adriana, Diego & Enrique Nerio and Jesus A. & Hector Gasca; one sister Maria Guadalupe Martinez of Mexico.   She was preceded in death by her parents.