Rose Zuniga

Rose was the third oldest of 12 children, 3 girls and 4 boys. Her family settled in San Bernardino at the turn of the 20th century. Her mother, Amadita, followed her mother, Mama Grande (a widow) to San Bernardino. Her father Eusebio, found work at Santa Fe railroad, and settled in San Bernardino, soon after marrying Amadita, this was around 1919. Her parents had a hunger to work hard and did their best to consolidate the traditions of Mexico with the new cultural boundaries and identity that their children had to adapt to.

Rose was energetic, ambitious, beautiful, charismatic, intelligent and popular. People noticed her and wanted to be her friend. She married, then divorced and never remarried. She was one of the many who were identified as the “greatest generation,” this generation endured many hardships and heartache. Rose had her share of setbacks and more in her lifetime. The conventions of the time, put women in their place and then, of course, there was poverty, racism, the Great Depression and WW II. Despite these obstacles, Rose had the motivation to teach herself to drive, to go back to school to study nursing, and to clothe feed and nurture her six children: Sofia, Irma, Philip, Alfred, David and Frankie. She retired from St. Bernadines after 25 years of nursing and calming the fears of cancer and psych patients.

Rose died at home after a very long and slow illness. She was the center of her family’s lives, and never hesitated to pitch in and help. Sometimes this involved helping raise grandchildren, and also had a pot of beans and rice at the ready. She has left her family with a huge ache in their hearts that can never be filled.

She was a dreamer and wanted to be and do more, now the dream is waiting to be fulfilled by her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren.