Genevieve Villasenor Rollins

Beloved Genevieve Villaseñor Rollins passed away from natural causes on the morning of Monday, October 25, 2021, just two weeks short of her 100th birthday. She was born in Del Mar, California, on November 9, 1921, to Mexican immigrants, Everardo Villaseñor and Guadalupe Ambriz, At age 10, she accompanied her mother who was dying of tuberculosis and her three younger brothers to Mexico to stay with relatives while her father and two older brothers worked as farmworkers in the U.S. Her mother passed within the year, but it took three years for her father, through the grace of God and the Catholic Church, to afford passage for the four children to return to the U.S.

Genevieve’s strict and pious Catholic upbringing laid the foundation for her entire life. Her close family ties with the clergy at St. Joseph’s Church of Mountain View and later St. Joseph’s Seminary of Los Altos cultivated her desire for higher education. After graduation from Mtn. View High School, Genevieve went on to get a teaching degree at San Jose State. It was there that Genevieve’s long-time love affair with music gained traction and she proved to be a talented soprano and especially delighted in singing church hymns.

Always a proponent of staying fit through self-discipline and determination, Genevieve taught physical education at Mercy High School in Burlingame for more than 25 years and coached many seasons of swimming, tennis, basketball, and volleyball with great fervor. Gen’s respect for the inherent strength of girls reached beyond motivating young women to excel in sports. She inspired in them the belief that with discipline and hard work each had the ability to excel in her personal best, in and out of sports. She challenged them to understand that each individual pursuit solidified and energized the whole community. Success belongs to all. Failures are just signals of where work still needs attention. Sports, for Genevieve was a way of life, not an event. As Chair of the Athletic Department, she inspired many a new teacher with her ‘can-do’ attitude and she always considered herself fortunate to enjoy such a stimulating work environment and took great pride in the colleagues she befriended and students she nurtured.

As Congresswoman Jackie Speier, class of 1968, remembers: “Mrs. Rollins, as she was known to all of us, taught me sportsmanship, teamwork, and the value of winning and losing. She left her mark on a generation of Mercy girls. She was thoroughly devoted to the Sisters of Mercy as they were to her.”

Prior to meeting her one and only, Jerrett Rollins, through her first teaching job in Le Grand, Genevieve was adamant that she would never marry. However, after meeting Jerrett, Gen had a change of heart and they were married for 43 loving years until Jerrett’s untimely death in 1995. Throughout their marriage, the two were inseparable and upon retirement Jerrett often accompanied Genevieve to the Mercy High School sports teams events and took photos of the games. A strong-willed, hardworking, pioneering woman of deep faith, Genevieve was always an active parishioner wherever she lived and in her later years she served as choir director at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Auburn for many years. Genevieve will always be remembered as a loving mother to her pre-deceased daughter, Christine A. Cleek, and doting grandmother. She is survived by her grandson, Elisha Cleek of Auburn, and her brother Vincent Villasenor of Newman. She was a revered aunt to many. She will also be dearly missed by many church and community friends and neighbors as well as the Mercy High School family.

A rosary will be held at 6 pm at Chapel Of The Hills, 1331 Lincoln Way, Auburn, on Thursday, November 11. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, November 12, at 10 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1162 Lincoln Way, Auburn, followed by the burial at Auburn Old Cemetery, 170 Fulweiler Avenue, Auburn. A luncheon reception will be held after the burial back at the St. Joseph Church Hall. (Masks required indoors).

As her former students continue to celebrate her legacy of excellence, they sought to honor Genevieve as part of the Mercy High School’s capital campaign for the Athletic and Student Life Center. Within this new building, the Athletic Director’s office will be named for Genevieve Rollins. Donations in her memory may be sent to: Advancement Office, Mercy High School, 2750 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010. Please note that the donation is in memory of Genevieve Rollins and should be restricted to the capital campaign.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ChapeloftheHills-Auburn.com for the Rollins family.