Leonor Olivarez

Leonora Solis Olivarez

Born to Refugio Solis and Maria Gutierrez in Waco Texas, on July 1, 1932. A Sister to Don, Emilo, Eliso, Margert, Hortencia, Pasty, and Irene. Her biggest accomplishment, A Mother to Sassy, Maryann, Barbra, Lupita, and Joey. She was Blessed with 23 grandchildren, 47 Great-Grandchildren and 6 Great-Great-Grandchildren. Give or take a few.

We can sit here and write about all the things she accomplished and the places she lived and all her triumphs and failures, and although all these experiences tell her life story. They don’t tell you fully who she was and the legacy she left her family.

After Grandma went to be with the Lord, I sat and wanted to remember every memory, every story, every moment she experienced in life. She left us all little moments that we will treasure forever. The three greatest gifts she left us where who she was and how she got through life’s journey.

“It's in the Lords Hands” Where her last words. She did not need a Bible to teach us about Christ, she showed us by her action and faith. She always had faith Gods will would prevail. Faith in God would sustain in her love for her Husband. Faith in God would provide when they moved away from family and friends to move to California with 4 small children. It was faith that whatever struggle life brought her way, God would see them through. Faith and courage to raise her five children in the ways of the Lord. Even in time of loss when she lost her parents and six siblings to cancer her faith got her through. When she lost her beloved daughter Barbara to cancer the only thing that comforted her broken heart was Faith. God would carry her through. Her entire life she lived and walked by faith something we all need to remember and implement in our lives.

“Until Death Do US Part” were the vows she took when she was 17 years old and 71 years later those vows stand true. Their Marriage was not perfect but their commitment to each and God allowed them to forgive, to love unconditional, to trust one another, to support each other even when the other doubted, to moved pass times of angry and jealous, to love one another with a clean slate every day. 71 years of marriage require devotion to one another and God. She showed her family the importance of marriage.

Family was very important to her. Not just her immediate family but staying connected to extended family. She would load up her 5 kids for their yearly trip to Texas, to having family dinner with her children and grandchild and gather around to sing praises to Lord. Grandpa and her where always the first to welcome newborn babies into the family. She always showed up rather it was to see Christian play football, or go play dolls with Bobby’s girls. She loved sharing family recipe with her girls and making sure they knew how to make tamales. She showed her Family the meaning of family and the dedication it took to sustain a marriage for 71 years and the faith we need to have to guide us through life. Faith, Marriage, and Family were the essence of her legacy.

During the last year of her life she came to live with my parents and I and my children. It was our greatest blessing to care for her in her final days.The change was not easy for her. She was used to her independence and providing for herself and now she had people who wanted to wait on her. It was uncomfortable for her because she never wanted to be a burden and in the beginning it just didn’t feel like home for her. As time passed, she let her guard down and fully allowed us to love and be there for her in her time of need. This house truly did become her home. Although she tried to hide when her health was declining until we were on our way to the emergency. Then she would start spilling the beans. I had to learn the way she would wobble when she did not feel good the way she would breathe. We had a little saying I would tell her “Grandma are you going down?” and she would say “I’m going down”. Even if she was going down it never stop her from trying to do her laundry or clean her bathroom. Halo would yell in the hall Grandma Nora is doing things she not supposed to and then we would come and take over, and she would say I can do it. I would tell her “Yes you can grandma, but you’re going to save your energy for things that matter and making memories." She would smile and say "Ok."

Grandma was not well when she came to live with us when her kidney where shutting down, she had hypertension, diabetes, her Lungs suffered from COPD and she would bleed out and they never find out why. But these elements did not stop her from living and making memories. She would go with Aunt Pita for their weekly lunch date, she attended Christina's beautiful wedding and wow did grandma look radiant that day. My parents bought a RV and she was ready for the next adventure! Sadly, due to COVID there were no reservations available so we took her on a road trip to Sacramento to see my brother Michael and his family. Grandma enjoyed it more than the kids ! She ate like a queen, got in the pool, drank some wine, and she was ready to keep going. Uncle Joey would come and visit and bring her bags of oranges and lemons. She always worried about them going bad but they never went bad. She loved getting visits from her Grandchildren Joey Jr. brought his family over to enjoy the afternoon with grandma and she got such joy seeing Ave’. Joe would come with Aunt Pita and he was our muscle. Any things she needed he gladly did for her or us. She would tell me there is something in his eyes that have changed his going to do right this time.

She walked down the aisle at Anthony and Maria’s wedding and had a weekend getaway with Uncle Sassy. She took a road trip with Aunt Pita to see David Thomas and his Wife Jenn, and their children, Jenn took grandma to see beautiful cliffs overlooking the ocean and sat and talked about grandpa. Grandma gave Jenn some gardening tips and shared with her how they bought a willow tree from Texas and planted it in the Nuevo house. It wasn’t always the big moments it was the phone calls from her grandchildren the cards from Olivia and the flowers from Christina and Joey and their families. She enjoyed homemade lotions from Thomas and Jenn, that made her feel loved and special. Having her children surround her and listen to their story’s and even listening to Uncle Sassy sing were her greatest past time. Aunt Irene and her would call each other weekly and their last visit when Gina brought Aunt Irene it was like two young girls laughing, joking reminiscing and sharing their heart break from losing their husbands. Their relationship was so cute to see and the love they shared is something only sisters would understand. Her last Birthday was spent being surrounded by family. Roman and his family opened their home and they made menudo so we could celebrate with grandma. We didn’t get home until 11pm and all the way home all she talked about was what a wonderful birthday she had.

Grandma was a very simple lady didn’t need much to satisfied her and she never spent money in excess. Until her first shopping spree. $800.00 later grandma came out styling and boy did she love and look so beautiful in all her new clothes. She would get dressed every morning sometimes with a place to go and sometime just to have morning coffee with my dad. Aunt Pita always made sure her hair was cut and permed so grandma always looked her best even though she didn’t feel so well. Making her feel beautiful was important to us.

Her living with us allowed each of us to have a personal bond with her, grandma and Maryann would be up at 3am eating Top Ramen listening to all MaryAnn teenage drama. Poor grandma! She would save coins for Halo's food sales, Halo would take care of her, making her butter waffles, throwing out her trash taking the clothes out the washer for grandma. Any task grandma would ask Halo to do she did with a pure heart of gold and grandma loved how Halo would cater to her. Being here allowed Michael’s boys to get to know her when they came for the summer. They had a natural desire to take care of grandma, lifting heavy things for her or just simply escorting her so she wouldn’t fall.

One day Anthony’s son Roddy called and wanted a picture with both of his grandma’s. Grandma was so honored by his request, she gladly got ready! Her Smile in that picture tells it all! They had a repeat session the day he graduated he wanted to come spend his accomplishment with his grandma’s. This time grandma wasn’t feeling well but that didn’t stop her, she got on her nicest robe and smiled for the camera they laughed and she put on his C.I.F. ring and hugged him tight. That was her even when she didn’t feel good she still pushed threw to make you feel special and create that memory.

You think you know a person but living with them gives you the opportunity to truly know them and learn their ways, like how she liked her coffee or her sudden desire to cook things from her past. Her and my Mother are so much alike to the food they like to how they want their house cleaned it was like living with sisters. They were able to build their relationship and depend on one another. Grandma needed mama but mama also needed grandma. They sat and talked about life adventures, how messy the kids were, late night swims in the pool, or just enjoying a glass of wine. This time together gave them both what they needed from one another.

Aunt Pita and Grandma where always off to the next adventure. Ross, Burlington, and Target are just to name a few. They would ride side by side in their shopping carts getting all their shopping needs. The simplest outing made for the best memories. Their bond goes deeper then mother and daughter they were best friends. Best Friends who did each other nails and hair or just shared a bite to eat. They were each other pastime, confidant and partner in crime.

There is a man I know without a doubt that grandma would want me to mention and that is my Father Gus. He took care of Grandma like his own mother. He would clean and cook and even go to Costco to buy her pads and always making sure she had fresh bunt cake. There was nothing he would not do for her. It was hard for grandma to accept his love and doing things for her but by the end she loved and appreciated him more then he will ever know.

Losing Grandma is the hardest thing for our entire family. Losing her during COVID made it even harder, not being able to be there with her during her 10 hospital stays. Not being able to be there to hear her last words, or to comfort her when she needed us the most and not being there by her side when she took her last breath is the hardest things for our family. But I and my entire Family have Faith shown by her and comfort knowing “It’s in the Lord’s hands” and together as a Family we will love her from afar and our memories will sustain us until we meet again in Heaven.

We love you, Grandma.