Elisa Estrada Rodriguez

January 27, 1919 - May 11, 2013

With tender love, respect, and admiration we present this biography to our family and friends. This small homage is in loving memory of our Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother. Elisa Estrada de Rodriguez was born January 27, 1919, in the city of Calexico, California. Her father Cirenio Estrada (1887-1970) and her mother Carmen Avalos (1892-1978). Maternal grandparents Bonifacio Avalos and Maria de Jesus Jaramillo. Paternal grandparents Mr. Estrada and Felipa Partida.

Elisa was baptized in the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe on April 27, 1919, in city of Calexico, California. She had a total of five siblings, two brothers and three sisters; her brothers were Pedro and Ignacio, and her sisters were Guadalupe, Josefina, and Consuelo. During her first eight years of life the family lived between Calexico and Sacramento; she attended her elementary education between the cities of Calexico, Oxnard, and Tulare California.

Due to maternal customs, her mother would make annual trips with her children to her native city of Ocotlan, Jalisco, Mexico. In one of those trips there were three significant changes in her life:

1. Due to the Cristeros War she was forced to remain there and finish her elementary education in Mexico.

2. The President Elect of Mexico Honorable Mr. Lazaro Cardenas makes a decree to settle the state of Baja California Norte, inviting the entire family to travel by ship via Manzanillo-Ensenada with a final destination to the city of Mexicali. Her father was Commissioner of the land repartition movement.

3. She met her future husband when she was still a little girl, at the house of her uncle and Aunt Juan & Adela in Ocotlan.

At the tender age of sixteen she witness a very important historical event in City of Mexicali named “El Asalto alas Tierras” which was headed by the President elect General Lazaro Cardenas.

She married Manuel Rodriguez Macias the love of her life at 21 years of age. They had four children; Manuel, Bedilia, Belia, and Dalila. For Elisa and Manuel it was very important their children had the opportunity to a university level education. Therefore, they send their kids to The Autonomous University of Mexico. (U.N.A.M.) in the great city of Mexico; were she lived from 1963 to 1974.

In the forest of Chapultepec in the city of Mexico, she enjoyed various arts and craft classes on Sundays; in which she learned how to make paper machete flowers, resin figures, and chaquira figurines. She also learned knitting, which she practiced and enjoyed late in life. Her favorite color was pink. She visited and enjoyed downtown Mexico City with her family. She also traveled to the nearby town of Amecameca, the surrounding outskirts of the Popocatepetl volcano, and the snowy mountains of Toluca, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Taxco, and Michoacán to name a few.

In 1974 Elisa follows her daughter Belia and moves to Tijuana. Elisa and Manuel were very conscious grandparents who always looked after their grandchildren, Mayanin and Carlos Gonzalez; they were the rock upon which there daughter Bedilia found refuge; for she widowed at a very young age in the year of 1979. In 1984, the love of her life husband Manuel dies of cancer in the liver. This life changing event compels her to definitely move to the city of San Ysidro, California.

Elisa would attend holy mass every Sunday in company of her family. After Holy Communion she would approach the venerated image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the church of Mount Carmel; were she would pray, talk, and receive our lady’s blessing. During her last days she would listen to father Rayito’s mass in the radio. Later she would enjoy the televised masses of the Pope Benedict sixteen, and of the late Pope John Paul II.

During her last days of life, she was never left alone. Day or night her children Manuel, Bedilia, Belia, and Dalila looked after her every need. On May 11, 2013, Elisa dies at 11:30 am from natural causes at age 94; her daughter Belia was praying for the sake of her soul.

Grandma Elisa was loving, independent, and of great character. Therefore, she will always be remembered by:

Her children: Manuel, Bedilia, Belia, and Dalila.

Her daughter-in-law and sons-in-law: Manuela Lopez, Ampelio Alvarez, and Juan Carlos Gonzalez (deceased).

Her grandchildren: Zaira & Rafael (spouse), Ivan, Dayren, Carlos & Gabriela (spouse), Mayanin & Joe (spouse), Saul, Yezabel & Carlos (spouse).

Her great grandchildren: Yanice, Rafael, Elijah, Haile, Kael, Emmanuel, Isaias, Alexis, Natalia, Nadia, Samantha, Carlitos, and her last great grandchild Leonardo.

Funeral Services

Viewing: will be held Thursday May 16, 2013 from 1700-2100 hours.

Location: Glenn Abbey Memorial Park

Little Chapel of the Roses

3838 Bonita Road, Bonita, CA 91902

Holy Mass: will be Friday May 17, 2013, at Corpus Christi Church at 11:00 a.m. She will be buried at Glen Abbey Memorial Park.