Carmen L. Medina

When Carmen L. Medina walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Carmen was and how she impacted those around her. Carmen was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Carmen wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Carmen was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

She was the daughter of Natividad and Bartola. Carmen was raised in Aguas Calientes, Mexico. Always ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Carmen might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Carmen was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Carmen was raised with nine siblings. She had two older brothers, Esiquio & Benito, one older sister,Isabel,three younger brothers, Marcos G, Marcos, & Pablo three younger sisters, Teresa, Beatriz, & Marta. Carmen was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Carmen was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Carmen well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Carmen was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Carmen was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Carmen loved playing marbles with her brothers (and beat them too), flying kites and playing with a "Top". She was involved in church youth groups. Carmen's memorable achievements included, helping here mom and dad raise her brothers, and sisters. Carmen had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

On October 19, 1952 Carmen married Antonio Estrada Medina at Guadalupe Cathedral of Juarez, Mexico. Carmen's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Antonio's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Carmen was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Carmen was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Carmen, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Medina home. Carmen's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Carmen was blessed with eight children: Raul, Micaela, Antonio Jr, Raquel, Beatriz, Carlos, Patrica, and Pablo. They were also blessed with Twenty - Eight grandchildren, Twenty- Three Great grandchildren.

Carmen was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was a Seamstress and Nutrionist. She was employed for Azusa Unifed School District for 15 years. Carmen was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Carmen had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Carmen's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Carmen loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were crocheting, embroiding and gardening. Carmen had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Carmen's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Carmen derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Carmen was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were soccer, especially the world cup, and the Dodgers.

Throughout her life, Carmen was actively involved in professional and community organizations. She was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Carmen seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Carmen usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with her, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Throughout her years, Carmen was an active member of the PTA.

Carmen was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of St. France of Rome Catholic Church for 42 years. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Carmen's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Carmen took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included traveling with her husband anywhere, as long as they were together. Especially if it involved Casinos.

Carmen was a lover of animals and cherished her carnaries.

When Carmen's retirement finally came in 1994, Carmen handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Carmen to master. Carmen retired and stayed in Azusa. In retirement, she found new pleasure in traveling with her husband, and spending time with her family. Even in retirement, Carmen continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Carmen Medina passed away on March 27, 2012 at her home of 42 years. Azusa, California of natural causes. Preceded in death by her son, Antonio L. Medina Jr. , and she is survived by 7 children; Raul Medina ( Deborah) Micaela Alba, Raquel Cruz (Tony), Beatriz Quiroz (David), Carlos Medina ( Denise), Patricia Loera ( Sal ), and Paul Medina ( Roxanne). 28 grandchildren, and 23 great grandchildren. Services were held at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church. Carmen was laid to rest in Oakdale Memorial Park , Glendora, California.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Carmen. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Carmen Medina for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Carmen was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.