Domitila T Gaxiola

Domitila "Tillie" Gaxiola was born on April 26, 1934 in Guamuchil Sinaloa to Miguel and Cleotilde Gaxiola. She was the 7th child to a family of 9 childern. Her father was a pastor who raised his children in the Apostolic Church. He took them on many missionary trips and furthered the Kingdom of God From Mexico to California.

All the children were musically gifted and used their talents to praise and worship Jesus wherever they traveled. Our mother was the trumpet and piano player and could sing. She also met her first husband Gonzalo Gonzales on one of those trips in the Delano Apostolic Church. At 17, she married and moved from Hermosillo Sonora to Delano California where she had two boys, Gabriel and Mike. Many years later, she married Alfred Alarcon and had four children: Richard, Leticia, Robert, and Jerry Alarcon.

She spent many years as a labor contractor and worked along side Cesar Chavez. She was educated at the Delano Adult School, Cal State Bakersfield and Santa Barbara Business College. She worked in many career fields helping people from teaching ESL in her home which was featured in the Bakersfield Californian newspaper, to a Coordinator of The Mexican Patrotica De America for the 16th of September Beauty Pagents. She worked as a Kern High School District Employee and was promoted to the BARC Center helping children with disabilities. She enjoyed working until her 78th year when she retired to focus on her grandchildren where she spoiled them with homecooked meals and her rice was a family-requested favorite.

She was a woman who loved to dress up. You could always count on her to wear glitzy, shimmery, and sequenced dresses with high heels. She loved her jewelry, wearing many rings, bracelets, necklaces and earings.

She loved to play music and sat at her piano singing "You Are My Sunshine" and many other songs. She also played the guitar and sang with such a powerful voice. She was generous with her time and she made you laugh. She was a optimist who loved the Lord and was very pleased to attend church at Family Life Christian Fellowship where her son Michael Gonzales is the pastor. She leaves behind all six of her children, 23 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-granddaughter, her daughter-in-laws and son-in-law, nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind 2 brothers and is preceded in death by her mother, father, brothers and sisters and grandson - Gabriel Gonzales.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hillcrestmemorial.com for the Gaxiola family.