Felice Reynoso Leyva

Felice Reynoso Leyva, 74, passed away suddenly on March 25, 2023, after a tragic car accident. Felice’s devastating loss leaves behind Luis, her beloved husband of 44 years, daughters Elena Fischer(David), and Rebecca Leyva (Brandon), and eight loving grandchildren, Kristen, Brandon Michael, Lindsey, Christina, Jason, Marcus, Tyler, and William. Besides her three brothers Alejandro, Phillip “Gordo”, and Rick (Sandy), many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins whom she was very close to also survived Felice. Her parents Felipe and Maria Elena Reynoso precede her in death. May Felice’s family and close friends always remember from this moment on December 21, as not only a day to mark the winter Solstice, but a day of remembrance, for being the birthday of one of the most loving, unifying, and generous souls to embrace those who knew her throughout her life - our dearest Felice.

Felice was born in Phoenix, AZ, at St. Monica’s Hospital (later Phoenix Memorial Hospital and attended Riverside Elementary School, followed by Carl Hayden High School, graduating in 1966. As a young woman, Felice lived life to the fullest and had a zeal for fun and adventure. Her favorite musical group was “The Beatles,” and one of her favorite hobbies was watching Cowboy and Western-themed television shows and movies, especially the movie Dune. She would text images or call family and ask them to guess what she was watching and 100% of the time it was Dune. Until the new came out, then she would ask which one?

Cousins Georgianna and Rosie were Felice’s close confidants during her youth and early years of marriage, as well as lifelong friend Sarah. After high school, Felice and Georgianna - inseparable since childhood (their mothers Elena and Ernestina were sisters) - followed one another to their first jobs at downtown Phoenix’s Mesa Optical, where they worked as optical technicians. Shortly thereafter, Felice met Luis, her future husband, one weekend at the legendary Riverside Ballroom. As the story goes, Felice was at a table in the middle of the ballroom when Luis first laid eyes on her, and the rest, as they say, is history. Then in the early 1970s, Felice joined Revlon, a national cosmetics company where she worked for three decades, until her retirement in 2001.

As a lifelong resident of Tolleson, AZ, Felice found her refuge and sanctuary in 1987 when she, Luis, and their girls moved into their spacious home at Tolson Farms. The ranch property was more than a home, it became the family hub of the Gastelo, Reynoso, and Leyva clan, especially when Felice’s mother Elena Gastelo Reynoso moved into the casita built on as an extension to the main house, after the passing of her father and family patriarch, Felipe Reynoso. Their home was a celebration from weddings, birthday parties, Easter egg hunts, Thanksgiving and funerals.

Everyone loved being around Felice. She believed everyone needed a harmless outlet for stress, and her outlet was going to Macayo’s Restaurant at Westridge Mall for happy hour margaritas on Fridays to destress and unwind at the end of the work week. She had an amazing sense of humor, an infectious laugh. Those of us who knew her well will remember and miss her bright, beautiful eyes. Her wit was razor sharp, and she said the most unexpected but honest things she could think of, hoping to help you see a new perspective. She was tireless, kind, and intelligent. In her spare time, she loved reading, her favorite series being the Jack Reacher novels. She enjoyed family gatherings at her house when her grandchildren were younger. Sunday dinners were a habit for them. Even though they were getting older and starting their lives as young adults. They would still make time to schedule their own Sunday dinner, but on a Friday or Saturday.

Felice kept a calendar she would update yearly with everyone she knew birthdays, anniversaries, dates and passing anniversary. Her family will remember her beautiful cursive writing of names and ages. She would always reach out to her loved ones on special occasions, whether through a call or a card. Celebrating her birthday in December was not her favorite. She asked the family to not do anything. It wasn't until her youngest grandson William was born, a few days before her birthday, would she enjoy it. Often allowing William to choose, saying we will celebrate our birthdays together. Hayashi Grill was a regular place for their birthdays. She loved the flaming entertainment from the chef.

Her evenings would wind down with her favorite snack of popcorn, chips, and dip. Her daughter Elena would call her at the same time every night to go over each other's day. They would laugh and talk about everything, especially about the kids and Luis. Some calls were long and some were short and sweet.

Easter celebrations with the family were consistent in the Leyva household pre-Covid. Over the generations, she prepared family feasts with her mother Elena and then later with her daughters Elena, Rebecca, and an abundance of family members. She took immense joy when her young grandchildren, nieces, and nephews hunted for Easter eggs hidden amidst the least suspected places.

Over the years, Felice bought none of her animals; rather, they came to her freely. Instinctively, the animals knew Felice welcomed them, like the rest of her family. Chickens, turtles, an owl, a chicken hawk, love birds, parakeets, a horse from a neighbor, Tamale the Cow, Kevin the Peacock, many dogs, and her favorite, Benz the Westie Terrier - who was loved by all - were some of the furry and feathered friends who lived on the Leyva grounds.

When Felice and Luis had the chance to get away, Las Vegas and Laughlin were frequent weekend jaunts, while San Diego was a favorite vacation destination for Felice to spend quality time with daughters, Elena and Rebecca. One of her favorite family trips was to Hawaii. Some of her happiest trips were when she traveled with her kids and parents, visiting relatives who lived out of state. Over the years frequent trips to Texas, California, and even Mexico, to attend family weddings, baptisms, family reunions, and funerals, gave her a chance to connect and rekindle ties with generations of aunts, uncles and ancestors, and share stories about familial roots and convey the importance of family history and pass that knowledge on to subsequent generations of Gastelo's, Reynoso's, and Leyvas through the oral tradition.

Felice was a rare individual who was a center of gravity for her family. She believed in autonomy and dignity and a person’s right to choose the life they wanted, and loved, her entire family, despite their quirks and dysfunction. She worried about them, rooted for them, protected them, would get frustrated with them, forgave them, but always kept on loving them. When her mother Elena Reynoso died in 2013, Felice became the matriarch of the family, and officially became seen as the lead caregiver and convener. However, she always seemed to act in that capacity since she was incredibly young.

To quote her cousin Georgianna Brinkley, “Felice was mature for her age and always watched over me, since we were small children. I remember in the playground at Riverside Elementary School in the 1950s, we must have been in second or third grade. She was a tough kid, and nobody ever messed with her–the other kids were afraid of her, and because we were cousins, they left me alone. We were the only two girls in a family of boys in the Gastelo family, so we stuck together. Sure, we fought, made up, and always had a hell of a fun time. She was my maid of honor at my wedding in 1971 and is godmother to my only daughter, Kristen, and will always be like a sister to me. We always had each other’s back, all our lives, and that’s a long time. I love her deeply and will miss her more than anyone will know.”

Her family was her sole focus, and she worried over and took care of them until the end, sometimes to the exclusion of her own needs. Felice was a free spirit. She believed in flexibility, modifications, and change. She valued fairness, loyalty, honesty, and authenticity. All those that she has left behind will desperately miss Felice. Our hearts are so broken by this unexpected loss. To be loved by her was truly a blessing.