Hector Zamudio, after he was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago, he dealt with his illness the same way he approached most other things: with quiet strength and a smile, relatives said. “He never wanted us to know he was in pain, even though he was,” said his daughter Laura Castro. “He stayed strong for us, was always there for his family.” Mr. Zamudio, a former grocery store owner, died Saturday of breast cancer at the Hospice of the Calumet Area. He was 62. Mr. Zamudio owned a pair of grocery stores in South Chicago and Calumet City, where he lived. A native of Mexico, Mr. Zamudio grew up in the small town of Huaniqueo in the state of Michoacan. He was the first in his family to earn a college degree, having majored in accounting at a university in Mexico, Mr. Zamudio’s daughter Lorena Belmonte said. “That degree meant a lot to him. He was very proud of it,” Belmonte said. Mr. Zamudio moved to Chicago in 1972 with his wife, Josefina, whom he had married eight years earlier. Though he’d wanted to put his accounting skills to use right away, Mr. Zamudio spent his first few years in Chicago doing factory work to support his family. During that time, he also saved up the funds to open his first grocery store, La Moderna, in South Chicago. Mr. Zamudio kept his store for about a decade and had opened a second location in Calumet City when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2000. The father of four was forced the father of four to close both stores, but he kept his spirits up, spending most of his time with his children and grandchildren, Belmonte said. “He was a family man … cheerful, affectionate and willing to help [others] in whatever way he could,” she said. In addition to Castro and Belmonte, Mr. Zamudio is also survived by his mother, Elvira Lopez; his 43 years, Josefina; sons, Hector Zamudio Jr. and Ricardo Zamudio; sisters, Martha, Ana, Gloria, Maria and Leticia;, brothers, Juan, Ruben, Gustavo, Jose-Manuel and Esteban; 13 grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. Visitation will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Schroeder-Lauer Funeral Home, 3227 Ridge Rd., in Lansing. A Mass will be said at 9 a.m. Thursday at St. Victor Parish, 553 Hirsch, in Calumet City, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City.
