Former Hollister resident
Former Hollister resident Margarita Gandara Valdivia died Monday, Oct. 21, 2002 in Ventura. She was 82.
Mrs. Valdivia was born in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico and had lived in Ventura since 1955. She had earlier lived briefly in Hollister and in El Paso, Texas. In 1950 she and her husband, Kenneth, reaffirmed their marriage vows in a Catholic ceremony in Hollister. The couple had eloped on Nov. 20, 1941.
She worked for more than 35 years as a press operator at Unique Cleaners in Ventura and was actively employed until the store was sold around 1998. She enjoyed cooking, particularly tortillas, a plentiful family favorite, and was a fan of “novelas” – especially John Wayne movies – on Spanish television.
She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Praxhedez “Kenneth” Pilar Valdivia; her son and his wife, Robert G. and Virginia Valdivia of Oxnard; three grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28 at Reardon Funeral Home, 757 E. Main St. in Ventura. The Rosary will be recited Monday at 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Ventura. Burial will follow at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.
