Maria Rodriguez was born April 25th, 1951 to Tomas and Anastacia Maldonado in Sunnyside, Washington.She was a longtime resident of Dade City, FL except for the last two years in which she lived in Zephyrhills, FL.Maria worked 31 years as a dietary aide at Royal Oaks Nursing Center. She would at times hold as many as three jobs to ensure her family was taken care of. Maria always put her family first and herself last. She enjoyed spending time with her grandson. They were always known as "Two peas in a pod."July 14th, 2014 would be the beginning of a three month battle that would ultimately take her life. She fought hard but in the end her body just couldn't take any more as she was exhausted. Her daughter, who always put Maria first through this whole ordeal, was a witness to her passing and held her hand as she took her final breath.She is survived by her daughter Norma Lisa (John) Bartlett, grandson Lucas Rodriguez, brothers Joe (Marie) Maldonado, Jesus Maldonado, Pedro Maldonado, Manuel (Annid) Maldonado, Francisco Maldonado, Benito Maldonado, David Maldonado, and sisters Rosalinda Clark and Carolina Comparan, nine nephews and eight nieces. She is pre-deceased by her brother Tomas Maldonado.