Sophia Yvette Favela

Sophia Yvette Favela was born October 25th 1981 at Riverside General Hospital in Riverside, Ca. The Lord called her back Wednesday, October the 15th 2014. Though Sophia was currently residing in the Sacramento area with her aunt and uncle, the majority of her life was spent in Riverside. Sophia is survived by her parents Virginia and Joe Favela, her five younger sisters Natalie, Vanessa, Lucia, Christina and Rachel, her two brothers Victor and Scott and her nephew Ethan.

Growing up in Riverside, Sophia attended school at Twinhill Elementary, Loma Vista Middle School and Norte Vista High School where she was successful in creating lasting connections and friendships with everyone she came in contact with. Sophia’s unwavering loyalty and support of her friends only nurtured the already blossoming bond they all shared. Years and years later Sophia and her friends would still meet for movie nights, holiday parties and any other random gatherings they could come up with. The pride Sophia felt for her friends was clear to everyone as she would always talk about them, make sure to document their gatherings and post about all the new babies being added to the happy group of friends.

Sophia was the eldest of seven children with a 12 year age difference between her and the youngest. Sophia was not only a loving and caring sister and an assistant mother but her sibling’s best friend. Though there were years to separate her from her siblings, Sophia connected with each and every one of them as though they were twins. From a very young age Sophia helped taking care of all her siblings and she continued that loving practice even as her sisters and brothers grew older. Whether it was supporting her sisters in their many sports games, planning and cooking the holiday dinners for her family, being the designated photographer for all the gatherings or planning the next vacation, Sophia never wanted her family to do without.

The closeness Sophia had with her siblings didn’t stop there because she always felt there was more love to give. Sophia didn’t really have cousins because they were more like extra brothers and sisters. There was no way they weren’t going to get a piece of her personality; she just wouldn’t stand for it. The love and protectiveness she felt for her cousins, young or old, was probably only paralleled to their respective siblings and parents. Because of Sophia’s beautiful and strong personality, her siblings were blessed with a colorful immediate family life but also extended family life. Christmas’ at the Favela’s were blessed with a few extra kids and when most kids at sleep overs with their friends, Sophia had her cousins come over. She was fun and excited about life, always wanting to celebrate something. Her compassion and beautifully loud laugh always lit up the room and no party started until she arrived, which was usually with bells on as she would joke.

Sophia’s wit and silliness is one of her biggest signatures. There is hardly anything you could say without Sophia either turning it into a joke, a movie quote or singing a song with matching lyrics. She could carry on a full conversation with just movie quotes or lyrics from her favorite songs. She taught all her siblings what great music and movies were; they had no choice but to listen and watch. Sophia had such a vibrant and loud personality from such a young age that most people naturally gravitated towards her and most ended up staying there. Sophia’s brain and heart were quite unique; she seemed all knowing and all loving. She was so many people’s “go-to” person because if she didn’t already know it, she was so competitively hungry for knowledge that she would instantly go figure whatever it was out.

Though this is such a hard loss for her family and friends, Sophia’s strong faith in God’s will brings comfort. Sophia was a faithful traditional Roman Catholic who tried to better herself no matter what past mistakes were made or current heartaches felt. Sophia held tight to her faith no matter what was happening in life. She owned up to her mistakes and did her best to correct them and move past it. Sophia saw every one as a child of God and never held people’s faults, mistakes or insecurities against them but instead loved them, supported them, cheered them on and did her best to guide them to a life of faith and hope. Sophia’s prayers were always dedicated to her family and friends before herself. For all those who felt her love and light here on Earth will now feel her heavenly guidance from above. Sophia would never leave those she loved alone and so lucky for us Sophia had a huge heart with so much love to give. Truly an angel from above being called back home, Sophia will rest easy as she watches her loved ones grow and prosper in life.

May Sophia rest in peace and have perpetual light shine upon her.