Senaida Espinoza's Obituary
Senaida Cardona de Espinoza - ¡La Reina de León, Guanajuato!
After a courageous 5-year battle with Alzheimer’s and dementia, Senaida Espinoza peacefully passed on February 15, 2023, in the comfort of her home in Santa Cruz surrounded by her loving family. She was 84 years of age.
She was born on June 5, 1938, in her beloved León, Guanajuato, México. She was one of 12 children born to her parents Leobarda Gonzalez and Bernabé Cardona.
She fell in love and married Arnulfo Espinoza at the age of 18. On February 19, 1964, she migrated to Union City, California, accompanied by her three young daughters, Rosario, Elvira, and Ana to reunite with her husband who worked in the canning industry and had migrated four years earlier. She later gave birth to additional children, two boys, Martin and Arnulfo Jr. She became a naturalized citizen on June 20, 2000.
Senaida persevered in the face of life’s challenges and tragedies. Her husband was comatose for six years, and his death in 1980 left her a widow at the age of 42. Despite this enormous hardship, Senaida dedicated her life to raising her five children, helping them achieve academic and professional success.
Her joy in life was cooking delicious traditional Mexican meals, imparting love in every meal she made. Her popular and beloved dishes became cherished family recipes. She created wonderful memories with each generation of the Espinoza family and enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Family gatherings were a joyous and loving time, filled with storytelling and delicious food. Senaida was a gracious host and most generous to all she met. She had a flair for dressing in a stylish manner as well as creatively decorating her home and creating seasonal floral arrangements.
She was quite the character in the later years of life. She even came up with her own catchphrases, including “listo calisto” and “salud con leche.” She loved to sing and dance to her many Mexican ballads. Grandma “Cindy,” as she was affectionally known, was always the life of the party.
She is preceded in death by her husband Arnulfo and son Martin. She leaves behind her daughters, Rosario Espinoza, Elvira Espinoza, and Ana Espinoza (husband Jerry Lopez), and son, Arnulfo Espinoza Jr. (wife Blanca Espinoza), her sole surviving sister Maria del Carmen Nicasio Cardona, 13 grandchildren, 5 step-grand-children, 10 great-grandchildren, and numerous nephews and nieces. We honor her resilience, sacrifice, talents, and her blessings to us all.
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