Catalina Caldera

Catalina Caldera, 78 years old, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 26th, 2018, at Legacy Emanuel Hospital, in Portland Oregon, the morning after her final birthday. Catalina was the beloved matriarch of her family and was surrounded by all of her children and grandchildren, final visits from good friends, prayers and bible scriptures.

Catalina was born on November 25th, 1940 in Calera de Víctor Rosales, Zacatecas, Mexico. She had 14 brothers and sisters. They were all raised in a rural area of Zacatecas where her father Jesus Caldera and her mother Consuelo Montoya had abundant livestock that Catalina loved tending to. She was the 7th of 15 children: Enrique, Guadalupe, Hilario y Jose, Amparo, Emilia, Raquel, Catalina, Carmen, Rosendo, Reynaldo, Jesus, Alfredo, Isabelle y Consuelo. Catalina was first married to Fortunato Peñalver in Zacatecas and from her first marriage, she gave birth to Eduardo, Fortunato Jr., Jaime, Joel, and Esmeralda. After having difficulties providing for her children as a single mother in Mexico she immigrated to Los Angeles, California where she met her second husband Salvador Meza. In Los Angeles, Catalina gave birth to her sixth and final child Jorge.

Raising six children in Los Angeles during the 70’s was difficult. After a traumatic event in which her teenage son Fortunato was shot one night and almost lost his life, Catalina decided to move her family up north to escape the gangs of East Los Angeles. Catalina moved with her children to Oregon, to live in North East Portland in May of 1980, just days before Mt. St. Helens erupted. While in Portland she worked at the Jantzen Clothing company as a seamstress. Afterward, she worked as a cook at the Bull Ring Restaurant for many years before opening up her own restaurant Catalina’s at 517 N.E. Killingsworth with her two beloved sons Fortunato and Joel. In her later years, she ran the restaurant with her oldest son Eduardo while her younger son Joel ran the second Catalina’s on Sandy Blvd.

Catalina’s story is one of a strong, independent, hard-working Mother who devoted her life to always putting her children first. Her work ethic and commitment to family is something that every member of her family has known to be a top priority for Catalina. While most people may have seen Catalina as a hard working business owner who rarely took a day off, she also had a very dear, sweet, charming, funny, and witty personality. Catalina collected antique dolls and miniature shoes. She loved bringing struggling plants back to life and making culinary miracles in the kitchen. Catalina prided herself in keeping authentic Mexican recipes alive and cooking from scratch to the delight of the many. She demonstrated her love through the artfully crafted dishes she created, including the handmade flour tortillas she used to make every day. You were lucky if you stopped by to visit when she was in the back making up a batch of her fresh hot tortillas right off the comal. Catalina believed in showing her love more than saying it. She loved being at her restaurant meeting new people and employing anyone who needed a job. Catalina was known and loved by generations of customers in the community, and many lovingly called her “momma”. She often gave food to those who didn’t have money and got to know and watch countless numbers of children in the community grow up into adults. During her final moments, Catalina made it clear that she wanted her family to be happy. Her exact words were to go to the Happy House and have a drink.

Catalina is survived by her four children Eduardo, Jaime, Esmeralda, and Jorge, and her grandchildren Alejandra, Yesenia, Emiliano, Andres, Lorenzo, Sophia, Eduardo, Jorge, Benecio, Kyavet, Amelia, and Joel, her daughters’ in-law Linda, Mónica, Geraldina, and her son-in-law Andrei Haynes. She is preceded in death by her beloved sons Joel and Fortunato.