Josefina Rojas

June 28, 1917 to January 26, 2014

Josefina Rojas was born June 28, 1917, in Acuitzio del Canje, Michoacan, Mexico, to Elena and Rafael Barriga. She was one of eleven siblings. Josefina married Jose Guadalupe Rojas on January 13, 1937, at the age of nineteen. They had six children: Gilberto, Martha, Ruben, Eva, Jose, and Javier. The family came to the United States in May of 1962, where they made Woodville, CA, their home for the next three years. Josefina and her family then moved to Cupertino, CA, in 1965, where the family all worked at Mariani Packing Company. In 1972, Josefina and her husband bought a home in Santa Clara, CA. Since Josefina still worked in Cupertino, she decided to make it a goal to get her driver’s license. Josefina enrolled in a driving course and received her first driver’s license. She then bought her first car, a red 1976 Ford Mustang, in which she commuted to work for the next three years. In 1979, she retired from Mariani Packing Company at the age of 62. In November of 1991, she lost her husband, Jose, of 54 years. At the age of 78, she again set out for another great goal – to acquire her citizenship. She was granted her US citizenship in 1995. In the years to follow, she went on to have eleven grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren, with two more on the way. Josefina was always a very loving, kind, and giving person. She gave to those who needed help. She was a great mother who taught her kids unconditional love, values, morals, and how to work hard to achieve goals. She was very religious and instilled her beliefs in all her children. She always wanted her family to get together for celebrations and be united, as a family should be. She was a great cook. On Sundays, she would make her authentic food for her grown-up children so that they could all come together. Her grandchildren remember how she showered them with delicious food and fruity jellos when they visited. She also loved animals very much. She had kept animals such as monkeys, parrots, cockatiels, and dogs as house pets. Josefina was granted her angel wings on one Sunday morning, January 26, 2014, at the age of 96. She is loved very much and will be missed dearly by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Friends and family are invited to visit Thursday, February 6, 2014 from 6 to 9:00 p.m. with the Rosary Vigil at 7:00 p.m. at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary, 466 N Winchester Blvd. A Bi-Lingual Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, February 7th at 10:00 a.m. at St. Clare Parish, 941 Lexington St. in Santa Clara. Interment will follow in Mission City Memorial Park.