Miguel Anchordoqui

Miguel Anchordoqui Nov. 19, 1942~Dec. 10, 2013 Born in the town of Erratzu, which is located in the province of Navarra, Spain. Miguel lived in Erratzu with this father Jean-Baptiste, his mother Josefa (who passed away when he was 16) and his seven brothers, Joxe, Alejandro, Sebastian, Leoncio, Antonio, Juan, Pedro and his three sisters Maria Victoria, Natividad and Feliciana. He happily worked the land with his father and brothers as they tended to their cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens. In every spare moment he had, Miguel exclusively hunted only with his brothers and dogs in search of rabbits, jack-rabbits, foxes, pigeon, and wild boar or he went fishing in the nearby rivers. It was tradition in his household, and many other Basque families, to butcher a pig every January and make chorizo, morcilla, and jamon. Miguel served in the Spanish army, as all men were required to do at the age of 21, for 18 months. At the age of 25, Miguel came to Central California to be a sheepherder in the mountains of Panoche for three years. He worked for two more years as a farmer for the Recalde family before going back to Erratzu to be with his family for six months. After a beautiful six months in being with his family, hunting, and fishing, Miguel moved to Marin County with his sister Maria Victoria and her husband Jean. In 1972 he started his 41-year old gardening business that is still being continued by his worker Edwin Ulysses. Miguel always said that he only fell in love once in his life to Rosario Veloz in 1974. After dating for three years, they were married in St. Raphael's Mission Church in 1977 and began a gorgeous life together. Miguel and Rosario bought a house in the Bret Harte neighborhood of San Rafael in 1982 and raised their loving family of five. His biggest hobbies were hunting, fishing, camping, and butchering pigs and sheep. Miguel was an active member of the Marin Sonoma Basque Association and of the San Francisco Basque Cultural Center. Miguel peacefully passed away in their home surrounded by his adoring family. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Rosario, daughter Maribel, sons Jose Miguel, Antonio Estrella (Rosario), Rafael Estrella (Irma), Sergio Luis Estrella. He is also survived by his dear nephew, Jesus Estrella (Ofelia). He is adored and will be greatly missed by his 11 grandchildren, his sister Maria Victoria Etcheverria, and his siblings in Spain Sebastian (Lourdes), Feliciana (Juan), and Natividad (Pedro) and his many nieces and nephews in California, Mexico, Spain, and France. A funeral mass will be held on December 14, 2013 at 10:00AM at St. Raphael's Church in San Rafael. A private funeral for the family will be held at a later time.