May 7 1937 – January 26, 2013
Socorro was born in Santa Barbara, CA on May 7, 1937 and has lived here all of her life. She attended Dolores Grammar School and Santa Barbara Catholic High School (now Bishop Diego High School) locally and in 1955, she was crowned Queen of Santa Barbara. She worked at Jefferson Electronics on lower State Street during this time. She then met her future husband Manuel when she worked at a movie theater on lower State Street and in 1958, they were married. After her career with Santa Barbara Research Center, she opened up the Rose Café on the Mesa in 1980 with her husband and they have been running it ever since.
This tiny woman had the biggest heart you could ever imagine. She was known to many as “Rose”, but her name was not Rose. Everyone who knew her called her “Soco“. She, along with her family, operated the Rose Café on the Mesa. By far, the number one question asked of her and others who worked at the Rose Cafe was “Are you Rose?” and she would say back, no, there is no Rose, my name is Soco. But we all know that she was unmistakably the rose at the Rose Café and she is now the missing rose in our lives. She loved life and always would think of others before herself.
She was very young at heart and always wanted to live her life to the fullest. She enjoyed family gatherings the most and loved taking vacations to Mexico. She loved getting the family together on Sundays and Mondays for shopping and dinner and wherever they went, she was always recognized as “the Rose Café lady”. Above all, she loved listening to Mariachis and enjoyed singing with them, and if you asked her what she wanted, her answer most likely would be “Quiero Mariachis” (I want a Mariachi).
She is survived by her husband of almost 55 years Manuel, her sister Ysidra “Chila” (Manuel); children Manuel II (Deborah), Ralph, David, and Gina (Joe); grandchildren Greg, Raymond (Sabrina), Manuel III (Marianne), Rosanna, Angelique, Vanessa, Krystal, and Joseph; great-grandchildren Leanna, Nicholas, Sienna, Kristian, Isiah, Aliyah, Daniel, Milania, and a new baby on the way; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and other family and friends all over the world.
When you think of Socorro, it is easy to see how amazing and loved she was. She made everyone feel special and important to her. Her genuine smile and kind heart could be seen and felt by all who knew her. Not only has she left her family heart-broken with her passing, but there are many friends, acquaintances, and customers who will be affected by her passing for a very long time. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a cousin and a friend to many of us. Her passing was sudden and has left all of us shaken up, yet we are finding peace in knowing she went quickly, is no longer in pain, and is with Mama ‘Len, Papa Roy, and her brother Louie in heaven.
A rosary is set for Friday February 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows church on the corner of Anacapa Street and Sola Street. The mass is set for Saturday February 9, 2013 at 9:00 a.m., also at Our Lady of Sorrows church. Reception will follow.
We love you Soco, and we will always miss you…
