Raquel C. Gutierrez

Born to the late Jose Gutierrez Hernandez and Eustolia Contreras Briones in Durango, México on January 15, 1935, Raquel Gutierrez lived a rich, full life until she peacefully passed at 91 years old on May 27, 2026 in Riverside, CA.

Raquel moved around México quite a bit as a child until she settled in CDMX (Ciudad de México) as a young adult, where she studied office administration before emigrating to the United States in the late 1950s. While living in Los Angeles, she met her former husband, Tomas Paez. Together they raised five children and built multiple businesses in Riverside, CA. A woman of deep faith and spirituality, Raquel raised her family as members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Raquel’s home was always full — a place where you could find a seat at the table to enjoy a warm plate of her delicious Méxican food; a place filled with joy, laughter, and humour; a place of comfort and refuge for extended family and friends. Her door was always open. Anyone who had the privilege of knowing her felt her generosity, kindness and exuberance. She was one-of-a-kind, truly a unique soul. She loved to travel, garden, knit, cook, read, interior design, and — more than anything — spend precious quality time with her loving family.

Raquel’s journey as an immigrant to this country is one of pursuing dreams – working tirelessly to build a life rooted in family, love, culture, and hard work – embracing all that it means to be part of a community. Her legacy is one of deep love, resiliency, and selflessness. She was someone you could rely on, knowing you were loved by her unconditionally.

Raquel is survived by her daughter Nydia Paez Beasley of Riverside, CA; her daughter Miriam Leticia Paez of Mazatlán, México; her son Tomas Alberto Paez, III of Fontana, CA; her daughter Elizabeth Paez and son-in-law Hal Marcus of San Francisco, CA; her daughter Patricia Paez Harada and son-in-law Leonard Harada of Riverside, CA; her former spouse Tomas Paez and his son, Arturo Paez; her grandchildren (Raquel, Benjamin, Natalie, Miriam, Lenel, Nelmir, Tommy, Anna, Andrés, Lucien, Kyla, Manuel, Isabella); her many great-grandchildren; her great-great-grandchildren; her brother Abel Gutierrez of Tecate, México; her sister Noemi Gutierrez of Riverside, CA; her sister Minerva Gutierrez of Colton, CA and her many loving nephews and nieces.

To know Raquel was to adore her, and while her passing is a tremendous loss for all of us, we are incredibly grateful and blessed to have had her grace this earth for 91 years. Thank you for helping us honor the life of a truly remarkable woman.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made below: (Please make notation that it's “in honor of Raquel Gutierrez”):

https://curealz.org/

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https://www.immdef.org/support