Jessie Gonzales Saldivar

1906 - 2010

Our beloved mother and grandmother, Jessie Gonzales Saldivar, age 104, was welcomed into heaven, surrounded by her family, on Christmas Day following a brief illness.

She was born in Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico, on Jan. 12, 1906, the daughter of Felix Gonzales and Tomasa Saucedo Gonzales. Jessie was ten years old when she came to the United States with her mother and older brother, Modesto. She was married to Maurilio Saldivar in Santa Monica where their four children were also born. Later, the family moved to Ventura where they raised their children. She worked at the Limoneira packing house in Santa Paula and then the American Cleaners in Oxnard until her retirement.

Throughout her long life, she was an accomplished seamstress and loved the hours she spent gardening, cooking and watching the national art and news channels.

Jessie is survived by her four children, Estella Navarro, Maurilio Saldivar, Lillian De Los Santos and Edmund Saldivar. Her grandchildren included Judy Schultz, James Saldivar, Cindy Dressler, Michael De Los Santos, David De Los Santos, Tricia McClain, Greg Saldivar, Susan Saldivar, Steven Saldivar and Sylvia Saldivar. Jessie also had 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, spanning five generations, along with many nieces and nephews.

A rosary will be recited for Jessie at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 2, at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 3172 Telegraph Road in Ventura. Family and friends are invited to a reception immediately following the rosary. A memorial mass will also be held at Our Lady of the Assumption Church at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 3, followed by a burial at Ivy Lawn Cemetery and reception. Jessie was entrusted to the care of Reardon Funeral Home, 757 E. Main St., Ventura; 643-8623.