Leticia Vallejo Newton

April 12, 1938 – February 7, 2021

To say that Letty was a loving person is an understatement – she was love in human form. She generously gave that love as a wife, mother, grandmother, and was a friend to all she met. Patience was a virtue she practiced throughout her life, including during her years-long battle with the rare neurodegenerative condition, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), which ultimately took her life but not her spirit, on Sunday, February 7, 2021.

Letty was born on April 12, 1938 in Mexico City as the only child of Maria de la Luz Alveláis and Augusto Vallejo. She is preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Kenneth Hugh Newton and survived by her daughter Erica Luz Newton Fessia and her family; husband Gary Fessia, daughter Madison, and son Parker of Bonita, CA; her son Augusto Kenneth Newton and his family; wife Sabrina, and daughter Emma of Santa Clarita, CA; and many loving family members across Mexico.

Letty was proud of her family’s commitment to education, both as teachers and lifelong learners. As the granddaughter of a renowned medical professor and the daughter of an elementary school principal, she was dedicated to studying hard and getting good grades. She graduated from the American High School in Mexico City achieving her goal of becoming fluent in English and preparing for her first job as a bilingual executive secretary for the President of Columbia Pictures Mexico. Her career as a bilingual secretary resumed at Sweetwater Union High School District once her kids started school and continued through retirement. Her dedication as a student persisted through her decades-long pursuit of a college degree. She ultimately completed her studies in retirement at the age of 68, receiving a B.A. in Spanish at San Diego State University and proving that it is never too late to go back to school.

As an Americanophile, Letty was well versed in U.S. history, pop-culture, and set her sights on marrying an American man. She met her future husband, Ken, while he was studying in Mexico City. Their courtship included many American movies, facilitated by free passes from her job at Columbia Pictures and began a lifelong tradition of family movie dates. Letty’s love for all things American, started with Elvis in the 1950’s and culminated in her becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2001.

In addition to being an enthusiastic learner and American, Letty loved cultural arts, visits to museums, and expressed her creativity through floral arranging. She was also the luckiest Yahtzee player in the family and enjoyed keeping company with her robot cat, Gurrumino. But above all else, her passion was for her family, especially her children and grandchildren, whom she always showered with unbridled joy and affection. She could fill a room, and the hearts of those she encountered, with her enthusiastic greetings and warm hugs.

Letty’s ashes will join her husband’s as they are interred at Miramar National Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 10th at her daughter’s home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Paul’s Senior Services Foundation (EIN: 33-0627795).