Sofia Parra

Our beloved mother Sofia Parra passed away at the age 83 on August 11th, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on March 9, 1941 in Sacramento, California to Sofia (Miranda) and Paul Baltazar natives from Mexico.
She was the wife to the late Miquel Parra Jr, never departing for 65 years until she was widowed on March 21st, 2022. A Loving sister to the late Manuel Baltazar, Carmen Vigil, Frances Soliz, Alexandra Baltazar, Bertha Corona, John Baltazar, and survived by Santiago Baltazar. A a sister-in-law to both her and her husband's siblings.
A loving mother to Lila Parra, Monica Gutierrez, (Albert), Slyvia LaRose, (Todd). Sofia Gutierrez (Phillip), Mike Parra the third (Christina), Mario Parra (Susie), Louie Parra (Minde), Rene Ortega (George), Fidel Parra (Susan), and the late Manuel (Shorty) Parra (Pam, James Manzano). A loving grandmother, great grandmother, great, great fifth generation grandmother, and still growing. A loving aunt to many nieces and nephews. As well as a friend to many.
As a young child she lived in the house her dad built for the family on Bowman Ave, in Northgate. She enjoyed playing in her neighborhood with friends and going to the Crest theater, downtown to watch movies. She loved listening to Motown music, the classic oldies, some of her favorites were Fats Domino, and Freddy Fender. In 1957 she met our dad Miguel Parra Jr. while he was on leave from the Army, he was from El Paso, Texas and his family moved to Sacramento. They dated and moved to East Los Angeles where they married in 1962. He worked as an assembler at the General Motors Corporation and she a housewife who took care of all her children. In 1974 our parents were both happy to move back to Sacramento with all their ten children. In her hometown where we had many relatives.
She became a grandma and had many grandchildren and loved to help to babysit them. Eventually she became a great, great grandmother with a fifth-generation legacy. She was amazed that her family had grown so big. She instilled a spiritual foundation to us all, that was encouraged by her brothers John, and Jimmy Baltazar. They had come to visit her in Los Angeles to preach the word of God. She was touched by the spirit and felt God. It planted a seed with in the family.
She was humble, with a silly personality, and had a joy for laughter. She was a giver, who help others in need, her door was always opened. She was the Secretary/ Treasurer in her community of Alkali Flats, downtown where she resided and advocated for the elderly.
She was a social butterfly, loved to chat in sharing her life experiences with stories that were intriguing. She cared and loved her big family deeply as well as her extended family. She became a faithful member of Zion Church in Jesus Christ for 30 years. She prayed for her family and praised God with all her heart. Always inviting them to attend church with her in telling her testimony how God changed her life. In her deepest heart she wanted all her family to be saved in the Name of Jesus Christ. She was a true example of a believer in the holy spirit, an inspirational speaker at family funerals, and celebrations. She spoke from the heart with kind words of wisdom.
She had endured the heart break with the loss of her youngest son, Manuel (Shorty) in 2003, along with many family members who have passed throughout the years. In March of 2022 she lost the love of her life, Miguel Parra Jr. who she was married to for 65 years. She remained strong in her faith and always attended church to give thanks for the blessed life God had given her.
In her last days our mother was still loving us unconditionally, as she stated how much she loved and will miss us all. She was very grateful, but mostly thankful for everything that we all had done for her until the very end.
We are so proud to have called her, mother, granny, the rock of the family, or hey old lady as Dad used to call her! We will love and cherish her memory forever close in our hearts. Never forgetting her presence, and the impact she had in our lives. It gives us, great comfort, that she is now in peace forever in the hands of the lord still praising him.
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