Jennie Elizabeth Avila transitioned to her next adventure on July 7, 2021, at home surrounded by loved ones. She was a beautiful, vivacious spirit who is going to be missed immeasurably.

The mold was broken when Jennie made her earthly debut on May 13, 1937. The fifth child of 8, Jennie was born in Firebaugh, CA to Petra (Zuniga) and Carmen Paredes.  The family moved to Hollister and then settled in her beloved Gilroy where Jennie lived most of her life.

Jennie and her three beautiful sisters, Louise, Catherine and Ida, were quite the legends in this area in the 1950's. Jennie and Catherine were fun-seekers and are known to have danced their way through all of the nightclubs and parties from Gilroy to Monterey. So many stories have been told about the fun they had.

Jennie was hilariously funny, a voracious reader, an independent thinker, full of piss and vinegar. She was always a champion of the underdog, and was never afraid to speak her mind. She had a huge, contagious laugh. She had impeccable taste, and an amazing sense of style. She was a feminist before her time. She was a prankster who lived for April Fools Day. She kept her spaces impossibly neat and clean and drove her family crazy in that pursuit. She LOVED to dance. She had to have hot sauce on everything she ate and literally carried hot sauce in her bag, swag. She loved Mexican food and Chinese food-especially bok choy! She loved The Young and the Restless and always adapted to new technology in order to watch it. From VCR to DVR she was devoted to her "movie" as she called it.  She learned how to use an iPhone and a Kindle which allowed her be more nosy and read twice as many books. She loved seeing pictures of loved ones on Facebook or scrolling Dr. Pimple Popper videos on YouTube, "the grosser the better," she would say. Jennie loved cheering on the 49ers, Giants and Warriors with her husband Mike. She was an impatient fan though-screaming at the TV pretty quickly if dominance wasn't immediately shown by her team. Jennie was warm and generous and also a pain in the ass. She demanded excellence, but she also gave it. She was the center of our lives and we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Her physical presence is missed more than we can express.

Jennie left behind a swath of loved ones including, but not limited to Mike Avila her husband of 59 years; her three children, Tina and husband Jim Serrano, Craig and wife Norma Orozco Avila, and Nicole Avila, her stepsons Edward Avila and Mike Avila; and her much adored granddaughters Elizabeth Serrano, Michaela Butier and Alexa Avila. Her granddaughters brought her the most joy and she would've done anything to make them happy. She was a second mother to many including her numerous nieces and nephews and all of her kid's friends. She left an indelible mark in the heart of every person who was lucky enough to know her.

Per her request there will be no formal services. A celebration of life will be held in her honor on July 31 at the Veterans Hall in Gilroy at 4pm. Bring your dancing shoes! Jennie loved parties, we're going to make this one count!