Delores "Lola" Aguiniga

1949 - 2025

Her heart moved through the world like the morning sun upon leaves-gentle and warm. Like a soft wind through the grass, she carried herself with quiet grace and selfless love, illuminating all she touched. Lola's love was deep, humble, and unassuming, offered always to care, never to disturb.

Delores "Lola" Aguiniga was born on September 20, 1949, in Turlock, California, the eldest daughter of Antonio and Angelita Aguiniga. Raised in a hard-working farm labor family, she emerged from humble beginnings-born in a one-room shack on concrete blocks-to become a radiant force of compassion, intellect, and leadership. From cleaning her teachers' floors as a child to becoming a community matriarch and educator, Lola's journey was guided by the strength of her spirit, her ancestral roots, and the openness of her heart. She reached for the stars not only for herself but for those she loved, blazing a path wide enough for others to follow.

Lola was the eldest sister to Angie, Gloria, Chela, Cynthia, Teresa, and Christina, and sister to Tony, Ben, and Manuel. She was more than a sister-she was a second mother, a protector, and a guiding light. Her greatest pride was helping raise her siblings, caring for them as if they were her own. Even as a child, she carried the responsibility of leadership with grace and determination, vowing to lift her family from hardship through education and perseverance.

Due to illness in her youth, Lola could not always work the fields with her family, and she spent time under the care of her grandparents, Sebastian and Esther. There she learned resilience, empathy, and the value of hard work. At only 13, she was already negotiating fair trades for her grandparents' harvests-a reflection of her early wisdom and conviction that through effort and faith, life would provide.

In 1968, she moved to Fresno, where she built her life's foundation in education, community, and service. She attended Turlock Junior College, Fresno City College, and Fresno State, earning her Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences before completing her Master's at the University of California, Berkeley. Her achievements became the cornerstone of a new family legacy-she inspired her siblings to pursue higher education and instilled a belief that knowledge was the key to freedom and self-empowerment.

Lola was a mother to her beloved son, Elias, and, by nature, a mother to everyone she met. Her nurturing spirit touched her family, friends, students, and community alike. With gentle discipline and unwavering belief in others, she reminded everyone that happiness and success were within reach if they only dared to believe.

A proud advocate for justice, Lola was deeply involved in the Chicano and Women's Movements of the 1960s through the 1980s. Alongside farmworkers, activists, and students-including Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta-she marched for equality, fair wages, and civil rights. She organized boycotts, fed protesters with homemade burritos, and used love and solidarity as tools against oppression. Her courage and conviction made her a quiet but powerful leader in "La Causa," the movement for justice and dignity for all.

In her later years, Lola and her "comadres"-a circle of strong, educated women-remained bonded by their shared purpose. Together, they celebrated their triumphs, traveled the world, and returned to their ancestral lands with the pride of women who had fought and won for generations to come.

As a social worker, professor, and healer, Lola dedicated her life to helping others find strength and purpose. She worked tirelessly across California's Central Valley-commuting daily along Highway 99, bringing mental health resources to underserved and rural communities. Whether helping disaster survivors in Costa Rica or training students and professionals at Fresno State and UCSF Fresno, she was a pioneer in the field of mental health and a champion for cultural understanding. Her colleagues knew her as a warrior for compassion and a beacon for mental wellness.

Lola's approach to life was both spiritual and practical. She believed deeply in the power of healing, listening, and transformation. To each person she met, she offered the gift of presence-the reassurance that it was okay to feel, to hurt, and, most importantly, to heal. Through her example, she reminded others that light could always be found again.

Music lived inside Lola. She carried rhythm like breath and danced as though her spirit were in constant celebration of life. Whether to Johnny Mathis, Bruno Mars, or the rhythms of salsa, she danced beneath the moon and stars, her joy lighting the night sky. She taught us that it is always okay to dance-to move, to feel, and to celebrate being alive.

Even in her final year, Lola met every challenge with courage and faith. Her quiet strength inspired those around her to see the sacredness of life. Her love was gentle yet powerful enough to warm even the coldest of hearts. To know her was to witness grace itself-a gentle healer who made the world brighter.

Lola, your music will continue to echo through our hearts. The seeds of kindness and love you planted will bloom eternally in every life you touched. Rest among the flowers you nurtured with such care. Rest in the music that carried you with grace. Rest in our hearts-always.

We love you, Lola.

Memorial Services:

Friday, November 14, 2025.

Funeraria Del Angel.

475 N. Broadway.

Fresno, CA 93701.

Life Tribute - 10 a.m.

Service - 11 a.m.

Celebration of Life to Follow.