Juventina Resendes

Juventina Magdaleno Resendes was born in 1931 in Zacatecas Mexico. She resided in Los Angeles and San Pedro California for over 60 years. She worked in the restaurant industry at various Mexican restaurants throughout Los Angeles. She lived a fulfilling life and cared deeply for friends and family. She was a member of The Toberman Senior Center and the Wednesday Club. She is survived by her three children, Dr. Luis Magdaleno, Leticia Garcia, and Laura Orozco, her seven grandchildren, and her great grand daughter.

EULOGY
Welcome to the Celebration of Life for my Mother.

I want to thank all of you watching online. It is an honor to our family to have you join us.

In particular I want to give thanks to my loving wife and to my sisters for all their support during these difficult times.

My mother lived for her children and for her family. All of her efforts and sacrifices were done with her family in mind, especially her 3 children.

Since she was a small girl she worked hard and every day to give us a better life. From that fateful day when she boarded a train from Zacatecas to Tijuana to the day we boarded a Greyhound bus headed for Los Angeles, she had our future in mind. Her ultimate dream was for her children and her family to have a better future. A future where we would have the chance of working, studying, going to college and finding our own dreams. So we could achieve a life that was impossible to reach in Zacatecas.

I remember one day she asked me if I was willing to give signature to a mortgage loan of a small house she found in the Echo Park area. I was 19 years at the time. In my 1st year of college. Thru a lot of sacrifice she was able to save enough money for a down payment but could not afford the monthly payments.

I said to her: “ mom, I can’t do both, study and work full time so I can help you with the payments”. She immediately said to me: “ M’ijo, I would rather pay rent the rest of my life but I want you to continue to study and be as successful as you can be”. And that is what I did—studied, studied, studied. Finally I reached my goal and graduated from UCLA Medical School in 1981. In large part to her efforts an sacrifices which allowed me to stay focused on school.

I came to live in San Pedro for my Residency and soon I brought her to live in San Pedro, close to me. She made a lot of friends in San Pedro. Thru her church and thru her “juntas de viejitas”, as she called them. It seemed as though all of San Pedro knew “ TINA”. I remember one day I went to eat at a local Mexican restaurant. The host greeted me: “ good day, are you Dr. Magdaleno ?, it’s a pleasure to see you. Your table will be ready in 30 minutes”. I said to him: I am the son of TINA, I came with her here not long ago”. “ of course, now I remember you, your table will be ready in 2 minutes”. That was the influence of my mother in San Pedro.

She had a heart of gold—very giving very spiritual. Always worried about me- “ Did you eat?”, “Rest son, you work too much”. She would always say that to me full of love and caring. But she also had her “ off-days”.

“ Luis Gerardo !”, she would call out my name this way when she was not pleased with me. It sent chills down my spine. But after we talked about whatever upset her, we always finished the conversation with a hug, a kiss and her benediction.

That is one of the things I will miss the most—her benediction when we said our goodbyes. “ I will see you tomorrow mama”. “God willing son, God willing”. I will miss calling her on her phone to say hi, miss taking her dinner a few times a week ( always wanted Japanese), I will miss taking her her Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte or Champurardo in the mornings so she could have something hot to drink, I will miss her hugs and kisses.

1 Peter: 3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time..
Mama—nos veremos pronto. Love you, mucho, mucho

Luis Magdaleno
3/23/2020



Bienvenidos a la celebracion de vida de mi mama.

Les doy gracias a todos presente por video. Es un honor para nosotros que nos acompanen.

En particular le doy gracias a mi esposa por su amor y a mis hermanas por su apoyo en este tiempo tan dificil.

My madre vivio por sus hijos y por su familia. Todos sus esfuerzos y sacrificios era con su familia en mente, en particular sus 3 hijos.
Desde nina trabajo todos los dias para darnos una vida mejor. Desde ese viaje en tren de Zacatecas a Tijuana, al viaje por Greyhound de Tijuana a Los Angeles, siempre pensando en nuestro futuro. Porque el sueno de ella era que sus hijos y familia tuvieran un future dichoso. Un futuro donde habia esperanza de superarse, de lograr a estudiar, ir a colegio. Llegar a una vida que en Zacatecas seria imajinable.

Me acuerdo un dia, me pregunto si estaba dispuesto a firmar papeles para una hipoteca de una casa que encontro cerca de Echo Park. Yo tenia 19 anos. Mi primer ano in colegio. Me dijo que habia logrado guardar suficiente dinero para pagar el pago inicial. Pero no podia pagar la cantidad mensual.

Le dije: mama, no puedo estudiar y trabajar para una hipoteca al mismo tiempo. Tendria que trabajar solamente. Ella me dijo: “M’ijo, prefiero pagar renta el resto de mi vida pero quiero que sigas estudiando, que llegues hasta donde puedas”. Y eso fue lo que hice—estudiar, estudiar, estudiar. Al fin me gradue de medico, gracias a sus esfuerzos.

Me estableci en San Pedro y llegue al punto que mucho gente me conocia. Me la traje a vivir a San Pedro y pronto se hizo de muchas amistades. A traves de ir a la iglesia, ir a sus juntas de viejitas ( haci lo decia ella). Parecia que todo San Pedro conocia a “ TINA”. Un dia fui a un restroan mexicano en San Pedro. El manejador me saludo: Hola Dr. Magdaleno, gusto verlo. La espera es 30 minutos. Immediatemante le dije- perdon, soy el hijo de Tina. Oh, no sabia, porque no me dijo—su mesa estara lista en 2 minutos. Ese era el poder de mi mama. Haci tanto la queria todo mundo

Mama tenia un Corazon de oro—muy bondadosa, muy espiritual. Siempre preocupandose por mi- Ya comiste? Descana, no trabajes tanto. Era lo que siempre me decia, con amor y carino. Pero Tambien tenia sus dias no tan amables.

“Luis Gerardo”—cuando ollia ese nombre, me daba escalofrio en la espalda—porque solo me llamaba asi cuando estaba disgustada conmigo. Despues de platicar de lo que le molestaba, simepre terminaba con un abrazo, beso y una bendicion.

Eso es una de las cosas que voy a estranar mas que nada—sus bendiciones al despedirnos. “Nos vemos manana mama”, me decia “si Dios nos da licencia”. Estranare llamarle por telefono, acompanarla a cenar ( siempre queria Japanese), traerle su cafecito o champurrado en las mananas, darle un abrazo antes de irme a trabajar. Estranare sus abrazos y besos.

1 Pedro: 3-4

3 Bendito sea el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, quien según su gran misericordia, nos ha hecho nacer de nuevo a una esperanza viva, mediante la resurrección de Jesucristo de entre los muertos, 4 para obtener una herencia incorruptible, inmaculada, y que no se marchitará, reservada en los cielos para vosotros,

Mama—nos veremos pronto. Love you, mucho, mucho.

Luis Magdaleno
3/23/2020