Josephine "Fina" Alvarado

Josephine was the second of three children born to Jacinta, a native of Mexico, and Jose Moreno, a native from Spain. Raised in the heart of the Mission District of her beloved San Francisco, she attended St. Peter's school located across the street from the family home. In her teens she lived in Mexico for a short time and graduated high school there. Because of her bilingual background, she was always proud to say that she spoke, read and wrote both Spanish and English fluently. At the age of 17, while working in her mother's restaurant, she met and married Raul Alvarado. The couple had four children, Peter, John, Christina and Rosie. After divorcing Raul, she married Jorge Magana; this marriage which ended in divorce, produced one more child, Jo Anne whom she lovingly referred to as her "baby". For most of her adult life Fina was a dedicated homemaker who would earn money on the side baby-sitting children in the neighborhood. In her late 30's and early 40's, she was employed as a warehouse worker for a number of companies including Arrowhead Shirts, Globemaster and Transcontinental Music Corporation. During this time, she became a proud member of the teamster union local 860. In the early 1980's she worked as a distribution clerk for the U.S. Postal Service located at the San Francisco airport. She enjoyed this job the most! Josephine had a special passion for music--especially singing. Some of her favorite pastimes included watching court TV programs, swimming and doing word search extensively. She often said with a smile that doing word search made her feel like she was back in school, getting a new education. She also had a great love for little children. Thus it was only natural for her to help raise many of her grandchildren, and continue to be very close to her great-grandchildren, all of whom looked to her as a special mother figure. Both her immediate and extended family meant everything to her. Josephine was most commonly referred to by them as "Grandma" and the queen of our hearts. Though some might have found her unconventional and even eccentric, her life was uniquely transparent--without any veneer of conformity or formality. Her humbleness, kindness and love of people shone through every encounter. Without a thought of criticism or judgment, she demonstrated to all her family and friends the great gift of acceptance. Whoever you were and in whatever mood, or difficult circumstance, she was always happy to see you. Approaching her final illness of lung cancer with amazing courage, she always smiled when asked how she was doing, telling everyone she could not believe she was sick because she felt so remarkably fine! She expressed no fear of death, only sadness that after completing this life, she would be separated from her family. Josephine passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her four children and many of her grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her first born son, Pete, her brother "JJ" Joseph Moreno, Raul Alvarado and her parents. She leaves behind her sister, Anna Arroyo, children John, Christina, Rosie, Jo Anne, grandchildren, and great grandchildren "my greats" as she would say, and many nieces, nephews, and dear family friends. The nourishment and special resilience of her life will remain with us always as a beacon of the importance of remaining true to ourselves and at the same time fully present for others.