Zola M. De Luca went home to the Lord in October 14, 2019 after a long battle with cancer. Zola was a strong woman and vowed to be a survivor. She was born January 23, 1942 to Roy A. and Victoria (Ryba) Stevens in Nebraska. Her family moved to Fresno in the early 1950s. She graduated from Fresno High School in 1960. In 1962, she started her career at Pacific Telephone as a long distance operator in Downtown Fresno. In the late 1960’s she met her husband Jim DeLuca who had just started his own trucking company. She and Jim welcomed their only child, Mary Victoria in 1972. Zola retired after 29 years of dedicated service from AT&T. After her retirement, she traveled around the country with her best friend and co-worker Trudy Graber. She took care of her husband Jim until his passing in 2001.
Zola was preceded in death by her husband Jim De Luca, Her parents Roy A. Stevens and Victoria Stevens, and her brother Leroy Stevens. She is survived by her daughter Mary De Luca-Finch of Orland, grandsons Jeramie Finch Jr, and Jackson Finch of Orland, brother Michael Stevens of Fresno, and great grandson Corbin James Finch of Orland, and her very close friends who she adored as family: Jay Hayes, Jeri Lopez, Helen Harvey, and James Burman. Her family would like to thank Dr. Thomas Hackett, Dr. Norwood, and the staff at Stanford hospital who helped her in her battle, and a special thank you to James and Rosemary Vallis.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 12:00pm at the Hayes Family Clubhouse 1346 N. Brawley, Fresno, CA.
In lieu of flowers, her family asks that you honor her by donating in her memory to the Fresno SPCA Animal Hospital, or Meals on Wheels for Senior Citizens.
