Gloria Valles Grijalva, 78, of Thousand Oaks, CA, passed away peacefully on February 13, 2016, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Gloria outlived doctors’ predictions by not just months, but by years. Her ‘good-bye tour’ across the country to see family and friends for loving farewells when cancer seemed certain to rob her of time actually turned into just a sweet opportunity for reunion. Gloria was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and sister. She blessed others with her kindness and positive attitude towards life. Despite a dismal prognosis, she turned bad news into good news of God’s glory at work in her life. Gloria was born on November 26, 1937, in Santa Rita, NM, to Juan and Sara Valles. She graduated from high school in Bayard, NM, and attended the New Mexico Western College in Silver City, NM. She married her sweetheart, Carlos Grijalva on August 25, 1956; they spent their honeymoon moving to Los Angeles, California where they raised their family and were happily married for 49 years. Gloria gave back to her community as a Girl Scout leader, PTA member, and voter precinct worker. She was a homemaker and in later years, earned her Associate of Arts degree from Mission College. She also worked as a bilingual aid for the Los Angeles Unified School District for 15 years. Upon her retirement, she enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and traveling. She relocated to Thousand Oaks in 2012, previously living in Tujunga, CA since 1963, where she continued to enjoy time reading, working puzzles, and attending women’s Bible Study. Gloria was predeceased by her husband, Carlos S. Grijalva. She is survived by her daughters and son-in-law’s, Genevieve and Roy Parkinson and Carol and Samuel Magno; grandchildren, Jeffrey Scarborough, Gregory Scarborough, Kyle and Kelsey Parkinson, Kaleb Parkinson, Kristen and Brett Caillier, Samantha Magno, and Jonathan Magno; and great-grandson, Dylan Caillier; brother and sister-in-law, Valentin and Marian Valles, and nieces and nephews, Linda and Mike Wright, Tina and Tony Martino, and John Valles. A rosary service in honor of Gloria will be held at 7:00 pm on Friday, February 26, 2016, and a mass will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2016, 11:00 am at the Mission Hills Catholic Mortuary. She will be interred with her husband, Carlos Grijalva at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery following the service. Arrangements are under the direction of Mission Hills Catholic Mortuary, 11160 Stranwood Avenue, Mission Hills, CA.
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