Jesus Arredondo

When Jesus Arredondo walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Jesus was and how she impacted those around her. Jesus was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Jesus wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Jesus was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

She was the daughter of Eqigmenio and Rita Garcia. Jesus was raised in Valle De Santiago, Mexico and Corona, California. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Jesus might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Jesus was always in pursuit of life's endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Jesus was raised with three brothers and two sisters. She had brothers and sisters, Samuel, Elpidia, Arturo, Amparo and Enrique. Jesus was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Jesus was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Jesus well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Jesus was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Jesus was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. She was involved in the Catholic Church. In her spare time she liked knitting, playing music, sewing, planting and crocheting. Jesus had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Jesus was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Jesus was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Pepa Montoya, Jesus Garciduenas and Amparo Moreno.

On June 25, 1933 Jesus married Andres Arredondo Cano at Parroquia Catolica de Valle de Santiago of Guanajuato, Mexico. Jesus's skill at "building bridges" played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. Jesus was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Jesus was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Jesus, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Arredondo home. Jesus's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Jesus was blessed with three children: two sons, Ricardo and Domingo and one daughter, Raquel. They were also blessed with eight grandchildren, Hector, Ricardo, Andy, Luis, Marta, Silvia, Maria and Domingo, twelve great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren.

Jesus was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life's possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was working with plants in a nursery. She was employed for 12 years. Jesus was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Jesus had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Jesus's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Jesus loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were playing and listening to music, knitting, sewing and planting. Jesus had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Jesus's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Jesus was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of St. Edward Catholic Church for 37 years. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Jesus's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her many lifelong efforts. Some of her most prestigious awards included taking care of her family.

Jesus's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Jesus took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included visiting her town in Mexico.

When Jesus's retirement finally came in 1978, Jesus handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Jesus to master. Her new life involved living in Corona, CA. In retirement, she found new pleasure in raising her great grandson, Michael A. Hernandez. Even in retirement, Jesus continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

She died of a fulfilled life at 93. She is survived by her siblings, Samuel, Amparo and children, Raquel, Ricardo, grandchildren, Hector, Ricardo, Andy, Luis, Marta, Silvia, Maria, Domingo; great grandchildren, Michael, Ricky, Christina, Yvonne, Joseph, Lea Jr., Leah, Andres Jr., Mark, Selena, Erica, and great great grandchild, Isabella. Visitation to be held on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm with a Rosary be recited at 6:00 pm and Funeral Services to be held on Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 11:00 am all at Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Chapel, 11500 Arlington Avenue, Riverside, CA. Jesus was laid to rest in Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park, Riverside, CA.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Jesus. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Jesus Arredondo for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Jesus was always more than willing to share life's experiences with her loved ones.