Gricelda Rivas

beautiful wings fly and entered Heavens gates on Monday December 11, 2023.

Gricelda passed away in the comfort of her own home surrounded by family who loves

her very much.

Griselda was 67 years old, born on May 26, 1956 in Cocorit, Sonora Mexico to

Herlinda Esquer Esquer and Oscar Valenzuela Valencia. Gricelda was the youngest of

eleven children. Since a child she enjoyed cooking and playing in the river with the

other children. Later in life, she fell in love and married Marco Rivas on June 2,1979.

Marco and Gricelda created a beautiful, loving family and had four children: Gricelda,

Carlos, Karina, and Marco Jr.

Gricelda was the most amazing Mother who was extremely supportive of all of her

children. She was at every soccer game, baseball game, and tennis game cheering on

the sidelines rain or or shine. A proud mother, yet we are so proud of you.

Our Mother, Gricelda Rivas was a beautiful, strong warrior who battled with stage four

aggressive metastatic breast cancer three separate times, in which she overcame all

three times. Her first diagnosis was in 2006. Unfortunately, the cancer spread to her

pancreas and that was the toughest battle of all, in which she did not overcome. In our

eyes, she did.

We know it was a tough 17 year battle with breast and pancreatic cancer but you

weren’t going without a fight and you took every diagnosis with a smile and faith in

God. You were precious, a gift from God, so much beauty, grace, love and patience

you possessed. You touched our hearts in so many ways. Even on dark days, your

strength and smile made us realize we had an angel beside us. God knows the inner

strength you had and the faith in your heart could move mountains. You taught us love,

patience, and endurance. You taught us how to pray and lead by example. You praised

us when we did good and pointed out our mistakes with that gentle voice of yours. To

the world you were one person but to us you are the world.

We are so grateful to have witnessed such a strong, faithful warrior, a true hero. Our

Mother showed us that cancer can take many things, but it can never take your faith,

hope, or spirit. She had a heart of gold, enlightened every room she walked in to, and

was loved by all who had the pleasure of meeting her.

Gricelda’s husband, our Father, Marco Rivas was extremely supportive of his wife and

all of her decisions and beliefs. They loved each other very much. They were married

for 44 years. The love and support that our Father and Mother have shown each other

in this life is beyond admirable and was a blessing to be a part of. Their deep love for

each other will forever remain alive. What they enjoyed most was their relaxing car

rides together, enjoying nature, enjoying their cafesito, breakfast and dinner dates.

Most of all, their heartwarming conversations.

Gricelda was such a loving Grandmother to her grandchildren: Nayelli, Anthony,

Jaelynn, Janelle and Ricardo. She was a loving great Grandmother to her great

grandchildren: Leonel and Anthony, Jr. She loved them dearly and enjoyed playing with

them, having conversations, giving them advice and cooking with them. It gave her so

much joy to see them smile. She made everyone feel loved and welcomed. She made

her home feel so genuinely loving to all of those who entered, greeting them with home

cooked meals, singing and dancing that brought joy to everyone. Her angelic voice can

be heard throughout the entire home when she sang her favorite songs. She always

had a happy spirit, and vibrant, positive energy. She also enjoyed doing puzzles with

her grandchildren. She loved shopping and casino night. She enjoyed singing in the car

everywhere she went and we are going to miss her voice so much.

It was an honor to know such a beautiful, kind, loving soul. Griselda’s legacy will live

forever reminding us to cherish laughter, find strength in tough moments, and embrace

life’s joys. Our Mother will forever be our guiding Angel, urging us to find joy amidst

challenges, teaching us to laugh through tears, and reminding us to cherish each

moment.

Gricelda is survived by her husband, Marco A. Rivas (Colton), her children, Gricelda

(Grace) Valdez (Colton), Carlos Rivas (Whittier), Karina Rivas ( Redlands), and Marco

Rivas, Jr (Colton). She is also survived by her siblings: Maria Teresa (Tere) Valenzuela

de Encinas (Sonora, MX), Lamberto Valenzuela Esquer (Sonora, MX), Leonel Valenzuela

Esquer (Sonora, MX), Octavio Valenzuela Esquer (Sonora, MX), Jaime Valenzuela Esquer

(Sonora, MX). She is also survived by 5 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Viewing for Gricelda will be held from 4:00pm to 8:00pm on Wednesday, December 27, 2023. Funeral service will be held at 1:00pm both at Montecito Cypress Chapel, 24145 Barton Road, Loma Linda, California 92354. She will be laid to rest thereafter at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery, 3510 E Washington Street, Colton, California 92324.