Christina Zuniga

At 1:22 AM, January 24th, Christina Zuniga passed from us into peace.

Born in Toppenish the Tenth of October, 1972 

She was the second daughter of a hard working family and started working as early as she can remember, helping pick asparagus and other produce in the fields alongside them around the Yakima Indian Reservation.

She was raised by her Father Adam Zuniga and her paternal grandmother Aurora Navarro. Learning early on how to cook and run a household, she excelled in school but loved working with her family and did so at every opportunity.

She met her first sons (Isaiah) father in high school, and when his family looked to move back to Montana, she saw the opportunity to start a nice quiet life out in the country and worked towards that for the rest of her time, never ceasing in her work to provide a home for her family. 

Coming to Montana and leaving behind her support system, she soon found herself a single mother and started working at Little Big Men Pizza. Eventually meeting many of her friends that would become family, including the father of her second child (Matthew), Clayton Fortune, with whom she raised her sons with together for the next 7 years.

She was never afraid of starting over and would soon find herself running kitchens at the Crow and Hardin nursing homes applying the nutritional learning she’d received while going to Little Bighorn College. During this time she had two more sons (Bryan & Paul) and finally got the baby girl she always wanted (Krystal). 

She eventually would seek out her own opportunity and reopened the KFC in Crow Agency.

Around this time she met her partner, Juan Salazar, with whom she would spend the rest of her life with. 

They came to work together and would become competitors/partners as she realized her dream of opening her own restaurant(s). Starting at the Golf Course, she came to owning the Taco Shack which she ran with her children.

Through all of this, she never failed to remember a birthday or a holiday.

Taking time to celebrate all those around her. 

Catering for events and taking any opportunity to bake, she dedicated her life to taking care of us, being the Mother that we all needed.

She took pride in taking in all of God’s children as her own and many would know her simply as “Mom”, and knew that in her was always a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and a hot meal waiting. 

She always kept her door open for those in need and truly lived her life in service of her people. 

She is preceded in death by her father Adam Zuniga, Grandmother Aurora Zuniga, and sister Rhonda Hayes

She leaves behind a large and loving family.  Her children Isaiah Scott, Matthew (Chelcie) Fortune, Bryan Harris, Paul (Nevaeah) Harris, Krystal “Pickle” Garcia. Her partner Juan Salazar.

Selina (Gerardo) Gonzalez, Kelcie “Belcie” Roan, Her grandchildren, Abrianna Henderson (Fortune), Kaysen Harris, Layla Gonzalez, Odysseus Courage, Kendra First Rider.

Her Aunts whom she loved very much. Her siblings, Amy, Adam & Irene.  Her sisters Rhonda “PowWow” Jefferson, Marnie (Andrew) Woodson, Francesca (Jaime) Galaz and Wilma LaForge.

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