Obituaries
Anita (Annie) Castaneda Ramirez
Surrounded by her loving family, our beloved mother was called to our heavenly Father on the early morning of June 29, 2012. She was born on October 12, 1931, to the late Consuelo and Gil Castaneda.
She lost her fight after battling cancer for many years. She was courageous and widely admired for her resilience and was inspirational in her will to survive. She was a devout Catholic who lived her faith and cherished her family as her greatest accomplishment. Our mother enjoyed a long career as a businesswoman, first opening Anita’s Food To Go and later she purchased Gil’s Food Market, a business her father established in 1921.
She attended schools in Santa Paula, which included being the drum majorette for Santa Paula High. She would go on to graduate from Garfield High School and received her nursing degree in San Leandro, California. She pursued her nursing career at Saint John’s Hospital and Santa Paula Memorial Hospital until she met and married our father, the love of her life, Leo and their love would last a lifetime.
Her number one priority was always her family. Spending time with family and celebrating holidays was very important to her. She was a generous, kind and compassionate woman who would do anything to lend a hand or offer an encouraging word. It was by this example that she instilled her Catholic faith to her children and grandchildren. Throughout her life, she never wavered in her Catholic faith and it was her deep devotion to our Blessed Mother that gave her the strong will to live as well as guiding her during her final days.
Our mother was full of life. She loved to laugh, have a good time and listen to music. She had an extensive music collection with a wide variety of genres. She was given the amazing gift of making others laugh. She always had a smile on her face even during her final days, as family and friends surrounded her with love and told endless funny stories.
She is survived by her loving children, Veronica (Manuel) Bouvet, Jerry (Ramona) Ramirez, Heidiann (Rodney) Cobos, Leo Jr. (Luz) Ramirez and Jacquelyn (Adam) Gutierrez. She was a very loving grandmother to 11 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. She is also survived by four sisters and three brothers. She is preceded in death and joins her husband, Leo R. Ramirez, parents Consuelo & Gil Castaneda, brothers Gilbert & Gonzalo Castaneda and sister Mary Jasso.
A special thanks to Dr. Alexander Meyer and the wonderful staff at Assisted Hospice. We would also like to thank our Aunts, Lucy Ramirez, Connie Casas, Beatrice De La Rosa, and Imelda Jimenez for their loving care provided to our mother. Their assistance and support was greatly appreciated. She enjoyed many laughs and great meals with her sisters and her brother Gil Castaneda.
There will be a Rosary on Monday, July 9. 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Saint Sebastian Catholic Church in Santa Paula. A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Sebastian Church with Internment to follow at Pierce Brothers Cemetery in Santa Paula.
Our mother was entrusted to family owned Castaneda-Crollett Mortuary, Los Angeles, CA.
