Elia Bonmati Sanjume

Elia Bonmatí Sanjume was a beloved educator, nurse, parishioner and the cherished matriarch of her grateful family. She died Oct. 20, 2023 after 90 years of life well-lived.

Affectionate, feisty and fun, the longtime Wheatland, California resident was born into Spanish aristocracy in Madrid on Sept. 22, 1933, just a few years before the start of the Spanish Civil War. She fled with her family to Italy and Portugal during the conflict and returned to her home in Spain’s capital when she was a girl.

As a young woman, Elia worked as a surgical nurse in an ophthalmologist office and then in a periodontist office at a military hospital dental clinic at Torrejón Air Base, where she fell in love with one of her colleagues, now-retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Glenn Sanjume, when he was stationed in Spain. Glenn was her devoted husband and companion for over 60 years. Elia’s love for Glenn, strengthened by her indomitable will, boldly led her to America after their marriage. She gave birth to their four children — Helen, Elia, Tony and Michael — in Maine after Glenn was transferred to Loring Air Force Base. The family later moved to Goose Bay Air Base in Canada and then Beale Air Force Base in 1973. Elia and Glenn lived in Yuba County ever since.

Elia’s natural compassion bolstered her work as a teacher’s aide helping children throughout her 27-year career with Wheatland School District at Lone Tree and Bear River schools. While at Lone Tree, she also worked part-time at a military clothing store at Beale, where elegant Elia enjoyed employing her artistic sensibilities arranging window displays.

A member of Saint Joseph Parish - Lincoln, Elia’s deep Catholic faith was a lifelong comfort. She served as a Sunday school teacher and principal at Beale, and as a member of the Canossian Daughters of Charity. She also volunteered at A Woman’s Friend Pregnancy Resource Clinic.

The classic beauty had a wonderful sense of humor and was as traditional as she was pioneering. Elia was proud to become a U.S. citizen and hold dual citizenship with her native Spain. She is the daughter of Elia Montoya Bonmatí and Francisco Bonmatí de Codecido, a doctor and writer who served as a secretary and biographer for an heir to the Spanish throne and his father the king.

Elia loved her daily walks and leading her family on adventures strolling through God’s country, never afraid to duck under a fence in pursuit of the greenest hills — or climb a tree to rescue her eldest child from aphids. She lived in the present moment and could find joy in everyday tasks, like watering her many flowers. Elia had an affinity for the ocean, a love that developed during her childhood summers in coastal Spain and grew during trips to Oahu, her husband’s homeland. With a sly smile, Elia liked to say that she might have been a mermaid in a past life. The immensity of her nurturing love is forever in the hearts of her loved ones.

Elia is survived by her husband Glenn Sanjume; children Helen George (and husband Todd), and Elia, Tony and Michael Sanjume (and wife Caroline); grandchildren Carmen Kohlruss (and husband Craig), William George (and wife Chandra), and Isabela and Lily Sanjume; great-grandson Gideon George, and more extended family members and friends.

There will be a 9 a.m. Nov. 9 viewing at Saint Daniel Catholic Church, 214 Main Street, Wheatland, followed by a 10 a.m. recitation of the rosary, 10:30 a.m. funeral Mass, and burial immediately following at Wheatland Cemetery, 4865 Wheatland Road, Wheatland.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.