Juana Falcon

My grandmother, Juana Ponce Falcon was born in Barretos Leon Guanajuato on December 29, 1924. Her parents were Concepcion and Romulo Ponce. She was the eldest of eight siblings; Crispina, Severino, Elvira, Luz, Socorro, Roberto and José. She married my grandfather, Marcos Falcon on June 29, 1944. They were blessed with ten children; Guillermo, Maria, Luz, Rigoberto, Magdalena, Rosalva, Guadalupe, Marcos, Juana and Angelica.

They lived in Barretos, Guanajuato, where they owned a small store. While my grandfather traveled to the United States as a laborer to further support his family, my grandmother stayed behind to care for their children and to manage the store. It took my grandfather a total of sixteen years to migrate his family to the United States. He began the process in 1950. They rented a house located in Pasadena, California, where they lived for twenty-two years. In 1988, my grandparents moved to a home in Azusa, California.

Many of us have beautiful memories of my grandparents in both the Pasadena and Azusa house. My grandmother enjoyed making us arroz con leche, champurrado, tortillas con crema and anything else we would ask her for. Every time one of us would leave, my grandfather would stand outside and pray over us. Both my grandparents were such hard workers and would do anything for their family. My grandmother enjoyed sewing, crocheting and embroidery. She made many of us dresses, blouses, skirts, doilies and embroidered pillow cases. She loved to dance, listen to music and be in her garden. She enjoyed road trips and vacations. She was able to enjoy Hawaii, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Alaska and New Mexico. One of her favorite places to camp was at Hobson State Beach in Ventura, California. She loved talking on the phone to get the latest news of the family and then share that news with anyone that would listen but you were also told that you didn’t get the news from her. Holiday’s were always special. She loved being surrounded by her family. Sunday’s became a traditional day to visit. We would enjoy each other’s company, share laughs and of course food. She was a devoted Catholic and was unable to go to bed until she would pray first. She was always ready to give us her blessing before leaving. Although, your presence is no longer with us, we will continue to hold these memories in our hearts.

May you Rest In Peace, abuelita. We love and will forever miss you!