Lydia Valenzuela, born Lydia Garcia on March 25, 1923 in Nogales AZ, to Francisco Garcia and Rita Garcia Alvarez, one of 8 children — the oldest girl of seven children – passed away on April 12, 2019. Lydia grew up in a traditional Mexican home where the girls learned homemaking, culinary arts and were skilled seamstresses making clothes for themselves and for sale. Education was paramount.
Lydia excelled in school, often to a reluctant father who didn’t appreciate the importance of educating women. Lydia rebelled and studied during the Depression. Moving to Los Angeles, Lydia’s father, Francisco Garcia, and older brothers, Antonio and Carlos, began factory work. Lydia’s mother Rita and sisters, Heidi, Julie, Irma, and Becky, worked at home as seamstresses while attending school helping support the family. Lydia met the love of her life Lewis Valenzuela at Jefferson High School. After WWII, they married and began their family. Lewis worked in the Standard Oil fields and Lydia cared for his ill father, Peter Valenzuela and his widowed sister, Katie Valenzuela. Myrna Valenzuela (Kastor) was first born, then Esteban, then Paul, and later Robert came. Lewis and Lydia bought a home in Sylmar, in the then rural San Fernando Valley.
Lydia became a real estate agent and developed a client base in this growing community. They moved to the Central Coast in 1962 as Lewis’s trucking firm served the Central Coast dairies. Lewis and Lydia moved to Santa Barbara in 1965 where Lydia began her career in the Santa Barbara School District developing International and bi-lingual students programs. Retiring in 1979, she opened a law office with her son, Esteban serving the Hispanic working families and interpreting in court proceedings. She was fluent in 3 languages.
In 1985 Lydia fully retired and enjoyed her dream of International travel to many holy sites including Israel, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Hawaii and Caribbean Coast or Mexico. They hiked the pyramids of Egypt, Tenochtitlan, and Chichen Itza. They crisscrossed United States tent camping in the 50 National Parks with their dog, Lolli, spending summers and fall in their home in Santa Barbara. Lydia instilled the Valenzuela/Garcia work ethic to their children and became the family matriarch having 11 grandchildren, 21 great grand children and 5 great great-grandchildren. Lewis and Lydia remained active in their parish at Holy Cross in Santa Barbara as well as the Santa Barbara churches, Our Lady of Sorrows, San Roque, and the Santa Barbara Mission.
Services will be held at Holy Cross Church on Thursday, 4/25/19 at 10:00 am with interment to follow at Calvary Cemetery. A rosary will held on Wednesday, 4/24/19 at 7:00 pm at Holy Cross.
