Berta Dolores was born on May 25, 1935 in Puerto Cortes, Honduras to her parents Ismael Espinoza and Josefa García. Family and friends closest to her affectionately referred to her as “Loly” or “Lolita”. She was cared for and educated by her beloved grandmother Isabel García whom she affectionately called “mamaíta'', with her brothers Norma, Carlos Alberto (QDDG) and Miriam.
She moved with her family to Lima Nueva, the operations center of the banana fruit company Tela Railroad Company where she enjoyed her childhood. She attended the Esteban Guardiola Mixed School with her dear childhood friend Mauro Tejada. with whom she accompanied every day to school. She spent her teenage years as a catechist for children in the Catholic Church of Lima Nueva. As a young woman, she married Nazario Ortiz Álvarez (QDDG), and together raised his children Mariela, Lidia María (QDDG) and Héctor Nazario, and had 4 of her own children: Ricardo Alberto (QDDG), Ondina, Patricia and Diana.
She is a grandmother to Samuel Enrique, Helga Mariela, Juan Bosco, Héctor Eduardo, Allison, Christian, Debby Miroslava, Héctor Abraham, Mario Roberto, Paola Desiré, Jessenia, Gianni, Gabriela and Justin. Her great-grandchildren are Loren, Alessandro, Annette, André Roberto, Eloise, Natalie, Bella, James, Nova, Debby Nicole, Sophia, Daniela, Natalia, Camila, Diego, Christian Eduardo, Ricardo, Alejandro, Samy Junior and Lidia Maria.
Loly was adored by those who knew her in La Lima, New York and California, because she was a sweet person, with a calm voice and a beautiful smile. Her family knew her as a person who instilled in her children respect for others. She knew how to teach, guide, and advise with love accompanied by discipline. Her daughters became women who fulfilled roles as wives and mothers. She taught us the importance of cleanliness, maintaining our personal appearance, and how to conduct ourselves with dignity and respect.
A new life in America:
In 1969 she traveled to California and made a promise to herself to return to this wonderful country at some point in her life. In 1971, she traveled with our father for the first time to New York where they lived at her sister Norma's house for roughly 2 years. She returned to Honduras with our father, returning to live again in Old Lima in the Sitraterco neighborhood. After separating from her husband, she decided to travel to New York City in 1977 looking for new opportunities, and rebuild her life in America.
She stayed with her great friend Carolina Peraza. It was not easy at first, living in a strange country, with little money, and unable to speak the language. She felt a little lost but had great support from Carolina, who opened the doors of her house, supporting her when she needed it most and helping her get her first job. She had never worked since she was always taking care of her children. Facing fears with faith and trust in the Lord, she worked hard at various jobs. She achieved citizenship with help from Patty, which allowed her to work with freedom and enjoy its benefits in America. She renewed her evangelical faith and recognized God as her savior and passed that faith to daughters Patty and Diana, who also embrace the evangelical faith.
Without any experience, she learned to care for people as a home attendant, and went to school to become a licensed vocational nurse, which allowed her to live independently in her small but cozy apartment until 1986. In 1987 she decided to reunite with her daughters Patty and Diana in California.
Living at that time with Diana and her family in the city of West Covina, she resumed her work as a nurse in a care center for the elderly called La Rosa, working long hours. She also worked taking care of children while their parents worked, until the parents decided to live in New York. She continued to work as a home care nurse for the elderly until she was 62. She retired and lived quietly and peacefully at the home of her daughter Diana.
Loly has endured sadness and tribulation as a mother and wife. In 1988, her son Héctor Nazario suffered an accident that left him a quadriplegic. She supported him and provided the things he needed. In 1994, she suffered the loss of her former husband, with whom she had maintained contact. Two years later she lost her first-born Ricardo Alberto in La Lima. In 2016 she suffered the loss of her daughter Lidia María in San Pedro Sula. She also endured the loss of her son-in-law Bob in 2017, husband to her daughter Diana. That same year her last great-granddaughter Nova, had to undergo surgery 10 days after she was born. Loly’s faith in God turned this sadness into joy and the recovery for Nova, who is about to turn 4 years old. She survived the loss of her mother, her brother Carlos Alberto and her aunt Moncha, who at some point she entrusted with the care of her children when she lived in New York.
She had the opportunity to make her first trip outside of New York when she traveled to California for the wedding of her daughter Diana to Bob Perre. (QDDG) She made a second trip to Miami with her sister Norma to see her niece Olga and her son Frankie. She returned to Honduras 14 years later to visit her family and meet her grandchildren from Ondina, Mariela and Héctor Nazario, as well as her nephews Carlos and Alberto. She made several more trips, accompanied by her daughters sharing her joy of travel with the family and having fun, but her heart belonged to California.
She enjoyed traveling so much she ventured alone on a cruise, an experience that she always remembers with joy and liberation. She accompanied Patty and Brian on a trip to Italy and without thinking twice. All because she had seen it in a magazine.
She also enjoyed family trips to different places in California, as well as celebrations with her daughters, so we can say that she had a very beautiful family life in which she was valued as a mother, grandmother, friend and mother-in-law, an aspect that we thank her sons-in-law Brian and Bob (QDDG) who always gave her a place in their homes, enjoying her company and presence in their lives.
In 2007, she came to live in Bakersfield with her daughter Patty and her future husband Brian. At Patty’s house, she enjoyed her bedroom and her comfortable reclining chair from where she had a view of the street and flowers in front of the window. She spent a lot of time in her beautiful room enjoying her novels and show business as she liked to learn about the lives of artists. In 2008, she had the joy of seeing Patty marry Brian.
As she freed up time, she took up gardening! One of her passions was plants, especially with flowers, ever since she lived in La Lima. She cultivated this hobby and got so involved that she created a beautiful Garden at Patty’s house. She was always buying plants, pots and decorative figures that still remain there today. She did not mind investing her time and money, as long as she could enjoy the beauty of the colors and the wonderful scents of the flowers. She said that it was what the Lord created.
She has lived in Bakersfield and West Covina over several years, then moving to Moreno Valley to the house bought by Diana and Bob where she put her touch in a new garden that she enjoyed every morning. Diana once told her: Mommy don't fall asleep while watering and she turned to Diana and said that water is how plants stay alive and beautiful.
She returned to Bakersfield with Diana, to share a home with Patty and Brian. She lived there 18 months where she spent her last Christmas, her last Mother's day and her 86th birthday. Unfortunately, she passed in the early morning of Sunday, June 6. She would not live to see the fireworks of July 4 that she enjoyed so much.
As daughters we remember her as a very analytical person and always gave good advice and most of the time she was right, even when we hated to admit it. We had only one thing left to say; mom was right.
She enjoyed a pleasant chat, something funny that comes to my mind is that when we told her a joke she sometimes didn't understand it. We had to explain it to her and sometimes Diana would tell her: Mommy it’s a joke, just laugh! Once she understood it, we all laughed, and we said that it was a delayed action just like it was with Patty some times.
We became very close over the years, and we knew how to recognize when she was bored, needed to be left alone to rest, watch her favorite programs or read her beloved bible, texting and let's not forget she became a you tuber in her 80’. She prayed for family and friends especially in times of difficulty or illness. She also prayed for the firefighters, the police, the homeless and very much for President Trump etc. ...And despite not having a lot of money, she tried to help all of us, and also supported the church or evangelical ministries because she said that it was to put a grain of sand for the work of God. She supported the veterans and the children of St. Jude.
Her life and memories will never go unnoticed. She will live in our minds and hearts as that warrior who taught us to be strong and to give us the will to never give up. She always reminded us that the word of the Lord will add effort as long as we make an effort.
She lived a beautiful life overflowing with the attentions of her three daughters who pampered her, an aspect that was seen by all who watched us around her. when Diana asked Vickie, her mother-in-law, do you think Loly is spoiled? and she answered for sure!! She had the loving care and attention of her aid Lucy Amaro, who was by her side even in her last hours. We are grateful to God she did not go through suffering because she fell asleep until we saw her take her last breath.
We want to thank Lucy for her company and support in the midst of our sadness until the early hours of the morning waiting to give her the last goodbye. Likewise, we want to thank Leslie Castellanos another aid and friend who care and read a lot of information from Google like my mom used to say, Lupita and Marvin Hodgson for their support and friendship with our family for many years, and we cannot forget Ralph and Julia Rubalcaba also for their friendship in our mother's life and their kindness during these difficult times.
Lupita became very close with mom. These relationships arise from the absence of her mother Nidia Tejada because they were also friends who she was very fond of as well as her father Jose Pastor Tejada, known to us as “Totoy” (QDDG). Our friends and family have been very supportive in this process of grief. We have been filled with encouragement, Lupita with her beautiful messages, and Miriam and Josh, who took the time to travel from New York to visit our mother and offer kindness and comfort that our mother deeply appreciated.
To our mother, this is not a goodbye, but a see you later; as we wait for that time when the Lord lets us see each other again. We know that you are in a better place, but you do not know how much we will miss you and we thank God for giving us life and a family. You have sown the seed of faith through your prayers for us and for our family. you set the example of putting trust in the lord. Hugs to heaven with all our love, we love you our Lolitilla.
If we had a flower for every time we thought of you ... we could walk in our own garden forever. (Alfred Jennyon)
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