Rita Trujillo

Rita Lua de Trujillo, May 24, 1933 - November 25, 2023

Rita Lua de Trujillo died peacefully at her home in the morning of November 25, 2023, with loving family at her side.

She was the beloved wife and soulmate to Everardo Trujillo Sanchez for 70 years, whom she met when they were schoolchildren in rural Michoacán, Mexico. She was born on May 24, 1933 in La Cordelina, a ranch near the town of Villa Victoria, to Apolonia Alcalá Zambrano and Ramón Cuevas Valdovinos, later adopting the last name Lua from her stepfather. She was raised in the nearby ranch of Los Cuires, where she lived when she met her future husband, who lived in La Higuera Colorada, a neighboring area ranch. Their youthful romance blossomed and they eventually married when she was 20 and he was 19. As she told the story, he misrepresented his age so she would not reject him.

Rita was a fighter her whole life. Under difficult circumstances, she gave birth to 11 children, of which only 8 survived, but she made it her mission to take care of those 8 with all her might. The road was not easy; in fact, it was paved with many difficult challenges, but she never wavered. That road led from the rural, ranch life to life in the town of Coalcomán, then to Los Angeles, California for a brief period, and eventually to Salinas, where the family settled permanently in the early 1970s. All the while, she was the pillar of the family, the strong-willed, tireless matriarch who would give her life for her family.

Rita’s 90 years on this earth were a gift to many, as she was beloved by family, friends and neighbors alike. She always had a smile for strangers, and always offered her home as refuge to friends and family. Rita is survived by her loving husband Everardo, her 8 children,16 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren, all of whom she adored. Her branch in the tree of life was fruitful, and her kindness and compassion will live on, for even though she’s no longer with us, she lives on in each of her descendants, who all carry a piece of her in them.

She will always be missed and loved.