SOUTH TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Raúl Grijalva’s funeral will be Wednesday morning—followed by a Celebration of Life that afternoon.
After the funeral for Raúl Grijalva, El Casino Ballroom will be the site of the celebration of life for Raúl Grijalva; and it’s only fitting because so much life has passed across the dance floor there.
El Casino manager Fred Martinez says many families choose El Casino for their celebrations of life because the old ballroom was the site of so many events in their lives.
“What people say—we kid around a lot, it's sort of like the cycle of life. You know, we all grow up here, coming to events. I mean, this place had been here since 1947 many people have had their events here, weddings, quinceañeras you name it, everything.”
He says for Raúl Grijalva, El Casino was a place for the political, and the personal: campaign ralllies, his 50th wedding anniversary and plenty of nights on the dance floor.
“One of the things I kid people about is, how many laps did you do on this floor? And Raúl and Ramona, they did many, many.”
He says Raúl Grijalva’s celebration of life will include food, friends and memories added onto the deep well of memories El Casino has built over 75 years.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
