Virginia Barrios

Virginia Barrios, best known as “Virgie,” was born on February 1, 1947, in Compton, California, to Camilo and Ruth Castanon. She was the youngest of six children in the Castanon family. Her brother Anthonio was the firstborn, but he passed away when he was three months old. Stella, Fina, Tonie, Carmen, and Virgie completed the family, and the girls helped their father on his farm, which was his pride and joy. Camilo sold produce to local markets in Los Angeles, while Ruth cared for their home and five daughters. Although all the girls worked on the farm, Virgie’s sisters would say she was the spoiled one and did not have to work as hard as they did. Virgie graduated from Poly High School in Long Beach in 1965. She went on to beauty school, became a hairstylist, and worked in the profession for more than 20 years. After marrying the father of her two children, Rachel and Jennifer, she lived in Long Beach for three years. The family moved to Buena Park in 1975, where they lived for 11 years. During that time, Virgie worked as a beautician, crafter, seamstress, custom car and Harley-Davidson motorcycle upholsterer, and helped with the family’s car restoration business. She also lived in Stanton and Anaheim for several years. In 1990, she married the love of her life, Joe Barrios. Through that marriage, she gained four bonus children—Joey, Anna, Danny, and Rachel—along with their children and grandchildren, whom she loved as her own.

Virgie had a passion for crafting and a remarkable talent for creating beautiful things. She had a gift for upholstery, creating beautiful furniture pieces, custom car interiors, and Harley-Davidson motorcycle seats. She created baby blankets, crocheted blankets, purses, kitchen décor, holiday reindeer, velvet Santa Claus and Smurf dolls, and custom jewelry. She also made Cabbage Patch doll clothes, which she sold to Hobby City in Stanton, California. Her creativity seemed endless. In her later years, she sold her handmade items at the City of Buena Park Senior Center, always coming up with something new and beautiful to share.

She treasured her nieces and nephews, and she adored their children as well. Virgie loved being surrounded by family. The Castanon family was large and close, with the sisters, their children, and their grandchildren gathering every holiday and sharing in that special Castanon love. Those were precious times, filled with countless memories.

Virgie and her husband, Joe, loved spending time together. They enjoyed trips to Rosarito, Mexico, where they danced, relaxed on the beach, and rode horses along the shore. They also loved taking cruises, visiting Palm Springs, and going to the casinos in Laughlin. Over the years, they took more than 80 bus trips to Laughlin together. Virgie and Joe loved listening to mariachis and eating at Mexican restaurants. They were married for 37 years.

Virgie dedicated her life to her husband, her parents, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and family. Most of all, she loved watching her grandchildren grow with love and joy. She attended all their events—softball, football, soccer, dance recitals, birthdays, graduations, and anything else that mattered to them. Whenever her grandchildren had an event, Virgie was there.

In her final days, Virgie told her children and grandchildren that she felt blessed to have lived such a beautiful life, and she reassured us that we would be okay. We know she is dancing and rejoicing in heaven, and we will honor her legacy of love and family by living each day as fully and lovingly as we can.

Mom, you will be missed forever, but we know you will always be with us—in our hearts and in our countless memories. We love you to the moon and back, forever.