Lilly Urquidez Rodriguez

RODRIGUEZ , Lilly Urquidez
Beloved wife, mother, grandmother and women's boxing pioneer and champion, died Saturday January 13th at UCLA Medical Center. Lilly was 59 and had nurtured a 36-year marriage to William "Blinky" Rodriguez. Together, they raised five sons, one daughter and eight granddaughters.
As one of the most versatile featherweights in women's boxing in the 70's and early 80's, she made great strides and successes as a kickboxer, including being one of the first women to fight on the All-Women boxing card in California on July 13, 1979. She also fought on one of the first Madison Square Garden events covered by ABC's Wide World of Sports. After retiring from competition in the early 1990s, she became a successful trainer and mentor to at-risk youths at her Sylmar-based Heart of Champions gym. She was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum's Hall of Fame in 2003, following her brother, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez (1999) and preceding husband Blinky (2005).
There will be a memorial service at 7:00 p.m. on Monday January 22nd at Church On The Way (East Campus), 14300 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405. Funeral services will be held the next day, Tuesday January 23rd also at Church On The Way. Interment will follow immediately at San Fernando Mission Cemetery, 11150 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345.
In memory of this tremendous lady, the family has established "Lilly's Heart of Champions Scholarship Fund" to help engage youth in boxing and martial arts. For information regarding donations, please call Vince Guerra at 818-891-9399.