Bertha Sauceda

Bertha "Birdie" Sauceda practiced love everyday of her life. She had a heart of rare compassion with an undaunted spirit of childlike wonder. Birdie simply ignited the better angels in all she encountered. Born in 1926, she and her two sisters Mary and Minnie, grew up in San Antonio , Texas, eventually moving out to Los Angeles. She also had a sister Mary Jo. She then met her soul mate, Ruben, at Bethesda, the Spanish church that they both attended. Birdie then role-modeled a melodious marriage of true partnership and mutual devotion; one lasting for 58 years (her beloved husband passed in 2004.) Birdie was the mother of 5 children, the grandmother of 12 grandchildren and the great grandmother of 10 great grandchildren. After her immediate family had grown up, she went to college, earning her teaching credential (accompanied by academic honors graduating magna cum laude) Birdie was an inspiring educator, she uplifted her young students with kindness, caring and creativity. She especially shared her heart (and her deep intelligence) with the disenfranchised, those students who are too often unseen or fall between the cracks. But Birdie brought hope and wholeness to all of her students, the truth is students had no choice but to fall in love in the smiling eyes of such a consummate professional and extraordinary teacher. Upon retirement, Birdie never really "retired" because she continued to mentor both family and friends. She still supported an ever growing number of charities and she was always available to tutor anyone in need. All of us were beneficiaries of this most loving and disarmingly generous person. Birdie Sauceda, indeed, walked her faith and she spoke with a gentle and resilient belief in a benevolent God. But, at the same time, she was not a saint, yes she had her moments of anger or even stubbornness. But maybe she was better than a saint (they sit "above us" on unreachable pedestals) Birdie, instead was just a real and glorious human being, on the same earth as the rest of us, sharing the same ground, but always striving and struggling to improve this weary world. And boy did she love her animals, they were more her "companions" rather than her "pets". They understood her (and she understood them). Finally, let it be said that some heroes don't ever make the headlines, nor are they given the public spotlight of recognition. But make no mistake, Birdie Sauceda was truly one of the great American Heroes - her legacy lives forever in her family and countless friends, her history is in our hearts.