Guillermina Lou

Our dear mother, Guillermina Arredondo Lou, passed away on Monday April 9th, 2012 at 7:00am. Born on February 10, 1934 in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora to Petra Lizarraga Sanchez and Rodolfo Arredondo Montijo. “Guille” was fiercely proud of her Mexicaness and instilled that sentiment in her children. “Chiquita pero Picosa,” our mom was known for her warmth and generosity as well as her tongue-lashings, blue sense of humor, and her direct honesty. At thirteen my mother immigrated alone to Tijuana with only a second grade education and the gritty wisdom of a survivor. She was from Panuco, a small silver mining town of the southeastern mountains in Sinaloa, Mexico some 1200 miles away. Our parents met in Tijuana at a coffee shop where my mother worked as a waitress. She was married for over 40 years to Ming Yet Lou who passed away in 1990. The circumstances of their meeting highlights their courage as an interracial couple in the 1950’s brought together by a world war, the racist aftermath of the Chinese Exclusion Act, sexism, and poverty. She will always be remembered as the “Queen of the Swap Meet” where our family sold a variety of merchandise, from plastic trees to comforters and pillows, for over 25 years at the National City Swap Meet. For all in our family she will remain the symbol of strength and integrity, as she was the pillar and focal point of our family. She is survived by both of their children: Robert Lou of Mira Mesa, Linda Smith of Imperial Beach, Richard A. Lou of Memphis, TN, Mina Salter of Murietta, and Francisco Lou of San Diego. Her grandchildren Debbie Lou, Michelle Munoz, Michelle and Michael Lou, Gloria, Maricela, Magda, and Ming Lou, Skye and Blake Salter also survive her. Great grandchildren would include Alex Ramirez and Ryan Jones Jr.