Idalia Rodriguez

When Idalia Rodriguez walked into the room, those in her company felt energized; her enthusiastic spontaneity was palpable. This was just one example of who Idalia was and how she impacted those around her. Idalia was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. Despite seeing people at their worst, she would never lose faith in anyone. It was as if Idalia wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Idalia was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Idalia was born on August 9, 1954 inside her home in Cuidad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. She was the daughter of Antonio Rodriguez and Rosa Gonzalez. Idalia was raised in El Porton, Cuidad Obregon. Those who were close to her knew her as “Laly,” a nickname she grew to adopt. Always ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Idalia might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Idalia was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Idalia was raised with seven siblings. She had three brothers, Eliezar, Aurelio and Guadalupe and she had four sisters Antonia, Sara, Selsa and Ramona. Idalia was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Idalia was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Idalia well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Idalia was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Idalia was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Idalia had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

During her high school years, Idalia responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. Idalia was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Her favorite class in high school was math. Idalia absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Idalia, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a fun activity. Classmates considered Idalia a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Idalia was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Idalia was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. Idalia was never one to judge by appearance, she treated everyone with love and tenderness and was a friend to all. Idalia was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Idalia was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Idalia, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in her home. Idalia's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Idalia was blessed with seven children: four sons, Ramon, Nelson, Jesus and Heriberto, three daughters, Ana, Yolanda and Carmen. She was also blessed with sixteen grandchildren: Herbert, Matthew, Angelo, Jasmin, Gabriella, Samuel, Ramon Jr., Idaly, Anthony, Eleny, Nayeli, Natalie, Nelson Jr., Ramon, Noemi, and Aiden.

Idalia was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Although employed as a cashier for thirty years, Idalia’s main occupation was a home-maker. She was very involved in her children’s schooling and participated in many school functions such as the parent-teacher association and class field trips. Her love for her family was evident through her acts of selflessness. She would volunteer whatever was needed in order to ensure that her family was doing well. Nevertheless, Idalia was enterprising, inventive, self-motivated, goal-oriented, and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Idalia had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight.

Because Idalia loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were shopping, going out to eat, watching horror movies, spending time with family, and going to church. Idalia had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Idalia's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Idalia always help those she saw in need, whether it was by giving advice, preaching words of comfort, or just lending a listening ear. Her caring personality caused her to become both a mentor and a pillar of support for all whom she came across. Idalia was very involved in her church. She attended many activities in the community and rejoiced in the opportunity to help others. One of her most memorable experiences was attending an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, where the children fell in love with her, as she did with them.

In addition to serving others, Idalia derived much satisfaction from simple activities such as watching television. You could always catch her watching “novelas” as she cleaned up around the house. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying even the simplest of activities.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Idalia. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. Her fierce independence attracted many others to look to Idalia Rodriguez for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Idalia was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones, very rarely would you find a day when she didn’t have a story to share.

Idalia Rodriguez passed away on November 15, 2014 at La Palma Hospital in La Palma, California. She is survived by all her children and grandchildren. She was a devout Christian. There was never a day when she wouldn’t enjoy Christian music or listen to sermons. Her dedication to her religion was second only to her dedication to her family. Her services were held at Turner & Stevens Live Oak Memorial Chapel. Idalia was laid to rest at Live Oak Memorial Park, Monrovia, California 91016. She was loved by many, and will be deeply missed by all who knew her.