Sylvia Rodriguez

Sylvia Rodriguez was born the 2nd of March in 1961 to Manuel and Gloria Rodriguez in Corpus Christi, Texas. Sylvia was the third eldest of eight children. She lived most of her formative years in Texas, until her family moved to the Central Valley in the 1970s. Throughout the rest of her teenage life, her family lived between Fresno and Modesto, eventually settling in Fresno. Sylvia went on to work at Valley Care in Fresno, where she was wooed by her now husband Antonio (Tony) G. Diaz. Together for over 40 years, Sylvia and Tony supported and loved seven children: Antonio Jr. (Junior), Benny, and Melissa, from Tony's previous marriage, and had four children together – Toni Marie, who sadly did not survive infancy, as well as her three surviving children, T-Anthony, Andrew (A.J.), and Joey. She is also survived by her first and only grandchild, Maya, daughter of her youngest son, Joey. She truly loved Maya and leaned into her grandmother role by providing unconditional love, many dance parties, and of course as her only grandchild, spoiling her rotten.

Throughout her life, Sylvia was always smiling too. Often known to be very sweet and caring. She truly was a joy to those she met and had an exceptionally big heart, always forgiving and understanding, but especially loving. This was evident in her professional life. While initially wanting to be a secretary, as evident by a quote in her high school yearbook, Sylvia instead spent most of her life providing a more noble service, working as an in-home care provider and a CN. In her personal life, Sylvia loved to do many things. You could often catch her watching her soap operas, rewatching her favorite movies, and listening to a wide variety of music influenced by her family and kids, especially Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees. She also enjoyed doing puzzles, and often crocheted a variety of things. Sylvia more than anything loved spending time with her children and doing anything to make sure they were happy. Although being in her home full of boys was not always easy, Sylvia was wise and strong, with a "no nonsense" way of life.

In addition to her husband and six children, Sylvia is survived by her sisters Natalia, Carmen, Mary, and brothers Robert, Manuel, and Michael Rodriguez.

There are truthfully no words to describe how much Sylvia meant to her loved ones, having touched so many lives throughout her years. She will be missed: forever and always.