Antonia Mendoza Sanchez "Toni" Coty

Antonia Mendoza Sanchez Coty, also known as Toni, Grandma, GMA, and Lita, finished her long and extraordinary life in Wheatland, CA, at the age of either 94 or 96.

The exact number depends on which story you heard, what documents were available, and how much creative "math" she allowed in any given year.

For those who knew her, you know and for those who didn't, don't you wish you had. Hecho in Mexico on a day that makes this "math" equally flexible. As we believe it, our beloved Antonia has simply finished a glorious life.

Antonia lived life with an unwavering sense of gratitude and faith.

She committed so deeply to the belief that her love and dedication to her family, her friends and her community, even those whom one would question as her community, would always overcome, and her life is nothing short of a testament to this.

While her town, Wheatland, CA, may have evolved and those who knew her best may have moved on, in this life or to the next, she has left the indelible mark that most any OG descendent of Wheatland knows; they know Toni.

Corner house, helping at church every week, caring for your babies and your eldest, mariachis and masa, tamales, tortillas and the fullest tummies, calla lilies and her 'lipystick,' four inch heels on 4th street and the smile that tells you how amazing you are even while you hear "ay mija..."

Her life wasn't just long; it was large. Antonia was married first to Leandro Sanchez, the other half of the origin story that produced her closest surviving family, and later to Roland Coty.

She is survived by her children, Leandro Sanchez, Jr. and Sylvia Sanchez; grandchildren, Summer Sanchez, Dustin Sanchez, Michaela O'Donnell, and Christina O'Donnell; great-grandchildren, Austin, Gage, Joseph, Michael, and Hawk; and by generations of Wheatland residents who learned early that, "Toni said..." was generally enough to settle a dispute.

Her legacy is equal parts devotion, stubbornness, style, faith, and a love so generous that it expanded the definition of family to include... well, everyone.

For those wishing to honor her life and memory, the family will be hosting a Celebration of Life at the Wheatland Community Center 101 C St., Wheatland CA, 95692

Please join, preferably in a way that would make her laugh.