Amelia Cavazos Rangel, 84, of Dinuba, California, died surrounded by her children in her daughter Maria's home of complications from Alzheimer's and dementia on September 21, 2023. Amelia was deeply loved by all that knew her. In her life, her family was most important. She spent her life faithfully devoted to her Lord Jesus Christ and her family. Amelia spent most her days travelling between her children and grandchildren's homes sharing her love and compassion with everyone she encountered. She will always be remembered for her selfless nature, her kindness to others, and her way of being humorous without even realizing it. Amelia was one of a kind.
She was born in Cuidad Mier, Mexico on February 7th, 1939 to Paula and Reynaldo Cavazos, and started school in Mexico at the age of seven. She lived in Mexico until she was ten years old and in 1949 her family started their journey to seek a better life in Rio Grande, Texas. Amelia, her mother, father, oldest sister ELida, two little brothers Candelario and Javier, and newborn baby sister Manuela were helped across the Rio Grande River by a nice man who pushed them in a steel tub across the river and into the United States. In Texas, they settled in a small house on a ranch in a city called Agua Verde. When she was just eleven years old, she worked in the harvest fields with her parents and oldest sister Elida. The family was deported back to Mexico for 30 days to get citizenship cards and on May 24, 1954, her and her family were admitted in the United States.
Amelia met Ernesto Rangel at school in Roma, Texas, and they married on January 4, 1955. In 1956, AMelia and Ernesto had their first child, Dalia San Juanita in Rio Grande, Texas. After moving to different towns within the Rio Grande Valley, they settled in McAllen, Texas where they had their next three children; Ernesto Jr. in 1957, Maria Guadalupe in 1958, and Maria de Jesus in 1959. In 1961, they moved to Dinuba, California because Amelia's parents had moved the whole family to Dinuba to work the harvest fields of the San Joaquin Valley. Amelia and Ernesto eventually bought their first home on Park Way where they would raise their four children. Their daughter Maria and son-in-law Ernie would later build a home directly across the street and would raise their own three children. Amelia took her final breaths at her daughter Maria's home on Park Way.
Amelia worked many different jobs throughout her life. After moving to Dinuba, Amelia worked at the Cornett Five and Dime Store, Otis' Country Store, United Market Deli, and different fruit packing houses before going to work at Dinuba Public Schools where she worked in the Dinuba High School Cafeteria, most notably the Brunch Shack. Amelia ran the Brunch Shack until her retirement from Dinuba Public Schools and can be remembered by many high school students as the nice lady that ran the Brunch Shack.
Amelia was preceded in death by her parents Paula and Reynaldo Cavazos, her brothers, Candelario Javier, Eloy, and Martin Cavazos, her sisters Elida Villareal, her former husband Ernesto Rangel, Sr., her daughter Juanita de Leon, and is survived by her brothers and sisters; Meme Gonzalez, Lupe Cavazos, Alice Galvan, and Reynaldo Cavazos, her children Ernesto Jr. and Frances Rangel of Dinuba, Maria and Ernie Pasillas of Dinuba, Jessie and Flavio Gonzalez of Brownsville, Texas, Son-in-law Genaro de Leon III of Dinuba, thirteen grandchildren, and eighteen great grandchildren
Mass is 10:00 am, October 9, 2023 at Saint Catherine's Catholic Church - 356 N Villa, Dinuba, CA 93618, and the graveside burial is immediately following the mass at Smith Mountain Cemetery - 42088 Road 100, Dinuba, CA 93618. Donations in her memory to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) would be greatly appreciated.
