Evarista "Eva" Rico Velasco passed away on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at the age of 94 surrounded by her beloved family.

Eva was born in San Francisco del Rincon, Guanajuato, Mexico to Emeterio and Petra Rico. When she was an infant, Eva and her family moved to southern California to work in the fields around Oxnard. Because she grew up during the Great Depression, Eva was part of the Greatest Generation. She lived her life with strong family values that were learned during a difficult era. As the oldest daughter of a family of eight children, Eva loved children and her siblings. She had often said even though their life growing up was hard, their home was always a happy one. Eva and her family survived the Depression and triumphed over hardship. She grew up working on a ranch and in contrast, later raised her children in a ranch-style house in Gilroy. When she was a 17, Eva met her future husband, Crisanto "Cano" Velasco, while on a blind date. They were married shortly after the end of World War II. Eva and Cano both worked hard to give their family a better life than they had growing up. Eva was a young mother when her own mother passed away suddenly. Eva had such a kind and loving heart; she chose to raise her brother and sister along with her own young family. Her heart was big enough to love them all equally. Eva raised their three sons to know the value of integrity, honesty, and good work ethics. Their sons went on to serve in the military, graduate college, and have their own loving families.

Eva loved life and was always the center of family gatherings. Her house was a gathering place where family flocked for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She was known for her generosity, love, and unique personality, but more importantly, her cooking had a reputation that became legendary in the family. Eva is known for her enchiladas, chile verde, and chile rellenos, but ultimately, she is best known for her ham and potato salad, and pies. Their bountiful fruit trees gave Eva wonderful ingredients to spoil her family with baked pies, crisps, and cobblers. Eva's family interviewed her extensively on her recipes. Though they seemed to be different each time she gave out the recipe, her legacy will live on as many people can make close copies of her dishes and they have become family traditions.

Though her own education was limited, she learned English as a second language and became a naturalized citizen. Many people may know Eva from her work at the schools in Gilroy as a nurse's aide. Eva learned how to type and do many things to support the school nurses. Her family could always count on her for excellent advice on first aid and a calm demeanor in a medical emergency.

If you knew Eva, you loved her. She was one who never complained or had a cross word about anyone or anything. She loved her three sons (Dan, Jimmie, and John) and their wives and her nine grandchildren. Eva adored her nine great-grandchildren. She was fond of gardening, crafts, and sewing. For many years, Eva devoted her spare time to making Raggedy Ann dolls and many other crafted items, especially dolls.

Eva was preceded in death by her devoted husband just before their 60 ^th wedding anniversary. They had traveled extensively together, going to places such as Mexico, Hawaii, and even a cruise in the Bahamas. Later, as a widow, Eva took the opportunity to visit a granddaughter living overseas and traveled with her son, Dan, to England and Paris. We think about what an enriched life Eva lead. She came from a very hard-working family, lived through wars, survived the Great Depression, and even the current pandemic. In her life, she went from living on a ranch to one day traveling Europe, visiting the Louvre in Paris and admiring the beauty of the Mona Lisa. It is a testament to her love of life to have lived it to the fullest. She enriched the lives of everyone who knew her. She is fortunate enough to have a had a family that provided wonderful caregivers such as Sera and allowed her to live at her own home until the end of her life. Any of us would be lucky to have a long and loving life such as Eva.