Elsie Talamantez Solis

On Monday, January 31, 2022, there was a great celebration in Heaven as the pearly gates opened to welcome Elsie Talamantez Solis to her eternal home in Paradise with our Lord Jesus Christ and the many family and friends awaiting her arrival. Elsie’s journey through this life ended peacefully, at home, in the presence of her family, where she was always the happiest. Elsie was 89 years old.

Elsie was born Maria Elisa Celia Talamantez, June 14, 1932, in El Monte, California. Elsie’s father settled in Santa Paula decades before her birth, temporarily relocating his family to El Monte for work and returning to Santa Paula when Elsie was 2, where the family lived for the remainder of their respective lives.

Elsie attended Barbara Webster Elementary School and completed 8th grade at Isbell Junior High School before joining the agricultural work force full time at age 14. She worked in the fields and the orchards until she was able to secure a position in an orange packing house at the age of 17. Elsie packed oranges for Sunkist until the company automated their packing process, virtually eliminating the workforce. After 33 years at Sunkist, she had no pension or retirement benefits, so Elsie took a position as an Environmental Services Technician and worked an additional 18 years at Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Ventura to try to remedy that. Elsie was a conscientious, dedicated, loyal, reliable, hardworking employee for the entirety of her work life, as well as being an honest woman of impeccable character and integrity. In 1996, Elsie was named CMH’s Employee of the Year. This honor and recognition from her employer, her supervisors, and her coworkers was hard-earned and well-deserved, and was absolutely one of the highlights of her life.

Elsie served the Lord with all her heart and soul. She went out of her way to help family and friends in any way she could. She’d sit all night at the hospital with a friend losing a loved one so they wouldn’t sit alone. She’d go to a friend’s mom’s house after work to wash dishes, heat up a quick meal, or to rub lotion on her aching back before going home to cook dinner for her own family. She opened up her home on several occasions to family and friends who had no place to live. Elsie’s mother was bedridden for much of Elsie’s life. So Elsie cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, paid bills, bought groceries, painted, decorated, and provided daily care for her parents and their home, all while simultaneously caring for her own family and home, and while working full time. Elsie helped anyone she could, any way she could, all of her life. To say Elsie was an extraordinary woman is an understatement. She was truly the embodiment of selfless service. Elsie was blessed with a long, prosperous, healthy life filled with love and happiness, and we, her family, were blessed to have had this amazing woman as our example and Matriarch.

Elsie loved spending time with her family more than anything else. She was front and center at every family gathering, and her presence will forever be missed. Elsie loved shopping, a favorite hobby she shared with her son Danny. Together they traveled to Los Angeles and other surrounding counties on a regular basis to shop at the many malls situated throughout. They often would return from an all-day shopping trip without a single purchase, but they’d shopped all day, eaten at a great restaurant, and shared a beautiful day together. That was a perfect day for Elsie. Elsie also loved seeing new places and took every opportunity she had to travel the world, always incorporating her love of the Lord into those trips, visiting the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, bathing in the healing waters of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, and attending mass at as many Catholic churches and cathedrals as she could on her travels to Portugal, Spain, France, England, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden.

Elsie is preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Lujan Solis, parents Adolfo and Adela Talamantez, son Daniel Solis, grandson Daniel Solis Jr., siblings Joe and Ruben Talamantez and Hortencia Gomez, as well as numerous extended family members and friends. We are comforted by the thought of the beautiful reunions and many embraces she received from the family and friends who have passed before her.

Elsie is survived by her sister Stella Sanchez, her sons Joseph Solis and David Solis (Anne), and her daughter Diana Solis (Mike), all of Santa Paula; her granddaughters Christina Greenhill (James), Melissa Estrella (Benny), Laura Solis, and Angelyssa Miranda (Tim), all of Santa Paula, Arlyne Marella (Travis) of Ventura, Dena Fry and Adryanna Torres (Kris) of Nevada; her great grandsons Nathanial Fry, Daniel Fry, Raymond Guerrero, Nicolas Guerrero, Elliott Torres, and Noah Miranda; her great granddaughters Sabrina Guerrero, Sanaya Miranda, and Neiya Miranda, as well as numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, and godchildren.

There will be a public visitation on Sunday, February 27, 2022, Funeraria Del Angel, 128 S. 8th St., Santa Paula, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Recitation of the Holy Rosary will take place at 12:00 p.m., Funeral Mass to follow at 1:00 p.m., on Monday, February 28, 2022, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 427 N. Oak St., Santa Paula. Burial at Santa Paula Cemetery.

The Solis Family would like to thank all of our family and friends for all of their visits, prayers, food, help, love, and support at this sorrowful time.

Please note, masks are required at all times during the visitation on Sunday and at the services on Monday. There will be no exceptions made. If you are unable to comply with this requirement, please know we do understand and we appreciate your thoughts, your prayers, and your respect.