But that's not why Tony Velazquez wanted to name the bridge after her. His motivation was personal.

In the late 1960s, when Velázquez was nine years old, he and his siblings were removed from their alcoholic parents and placed in foster care, spending the rest of their childhood in Bejarano's home.

“Seven little kids, seven little Indians came to her house, and none of us were ever separated,” Velazquez said. “We have so many reasons to be grateful to our foster parents and the Bejarano family for making us who we are.”

After several months of campaigning by Velázquez, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Voters voted Thursday to dedicate Rio Rico's newest bridge to the Bejarano Bridge. The box culvert structure that carries Pendleton Drive over Sonoyta Creek on the east side of the Santa Cruz River will now be called the Lucila G. Bejarano Bridge.

“This award couldn't have been given to a more deserving person,” Superintendent Rudy Morella said. “(Her) family has done so many great things for this community over the years, and it's truly a blessing.”

Board of Supervisors Chairman Manuel Ruiz said he felt especially fortunate to be able to honor Lucila “while she is still with us on God's green earth.”

“I'm so glad we're doing this. Too often we forget about our citizens who have seen so much,” Lewis said.

Lucila Bejarano has lived in Santa Cruz County her entire life, except for a brief period during her childhood when her father moved the family to Yuma or Wilcox in search of work.

She was born on August 5, 1919, in one of the last vestiges of Calabasas, a former railroad depot built in the late 19th century on the Santa Cruz River that was once the site of an O'odham village, a Spanish mission, a Mexican fort and a U.S. military camp.

Lucila's parents lived across the river from the Santa Rita, an abandoned two-story hotel in Calabasas, and when her mother gave birth, she was carried in a horse-drawn carriage across the Santa Cruz River to the hotel's old post office.

“The midwife was there and that's where she was born,” said the former police officer, who now runs his own business. “Viva Nogales!” Facebook Group Dedicated to local history.

In 1937, at age 17, Lucila married Raul Alvizu Bejarano, a young cowboy from another pioneer family. The couple settled in Tumacacori and the first of their four children was born the following year.

Raul died in an accident in 1960 at the age of 43. Lucila and Raul still live together, just a few steps from their house. Tumacacori National Historical Park.

The address has been home to more than 20 foster children over the years, Velazquez said, “some were there for just one night, others were there for years.”

He said the Bejarano home was initially a “culture shock” for him and his siblings because it was the polar opposite of the chaos and neglect they had experienced up until then.

“She created a wonderful home for us. Devotion, kindness, love, she showed us it all.”

Even when their parents visited their children in Tumacacori, it was Bejarano who made sure their bellies were full and their schoolwork was done, with help from her own grown sons and daughters.

“Her family, her children, accepted us as part of their family. There was no hesitation. They treated us like brothers and sisters,” Velazquez said.

About 20 of Bejarano's relatives, including his three great-grandchildren, attended the supervisors meeting Thursday at the county courthouse in Nogales. (Bejarano also has nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.)

Velazquez said she had relatives there she hadn't seen in years: “It's a family reunion in a way.”

When it was time for speeches, Bejarano's youngest son, Raul, took the stage and thanked the coaches for honoring his mother.

The 79-year-old former superintendent of the Nogales-Sunnyside Unified School District expressed his gratitude for all that Velazquez has done and continues to do for Lucila.

“I think of him as a brother,” Raul Bejarano said.

One of the only people missing was the Woman of Time.

Family members said they decided not to accompany Bejarano to the visit because they worried it might be too stressful for her.

She also had to move around in a wheelchair, which she hated.

Raul Bejarano said his mother, who turns 105 in August, prefers to get around with a broom, which helps her walk and sometimes even sweeps around the house.

“Sometimes you'll find her raking leaves,” Velazquez added.

Family members said they plan to surprise the family patriarch with the news of the bridge dedication after Thursday's meeting.

Raul Bejarano said his mother has recently been having trouble with her short-term memory, so he'll likely surprise her with this news a few more times in the future.

They also hope to take her to see the signs with her name on them once the county installs them on both ends of the bridge.

Velazquez first approached supervisors about the issue several months ago and has since collected more than 300 signatures from county residents in support of the idea.

“It was quick,” he said of the petition drive. “The people of Tubac and Tumacacori responded in droves.”

Velazquez can think of no more fitting tribute to his adopted mother: a crosswalk built near where she was born, designed to make life better in Santa Cruz County for future generations.

As he stated in his initial request for supervision, “Lucilla has built bridges of love and compassion to help all our children grow and embark on life's beautiful journey.”

Now she will be remembered with her own bridge.