MARY LOUISE LOYA, age 92, passed away on November 5. 2015 at her home in Downey, CA. Mom was born on May 23, 1923 in Los Angeles, CA, to Amado and Constantina Flores, but was raised in the copper mines of Morenci, Arizona (because Grandpa Amado did not like the earthquakes of Los Angeles). Mom was the fourth of the five Flores children, Conrad, Nellie, Joe and Amado. According to her brothers, she was her father's favorite. She graduated with honors from Morenci High School and she loved to sing and act in school drama plays. After high school Mom moved to San Diego and worked for the Navy. As it was the Depression years, her father moved the family back to Los Angeles where her sister Nellie and husband Art lived on 119th St. in what became the home that our Flores families would spend every holiday together. Mom was at the start of the computer age because she got a job as a key punch operator which fed data to the first computers. It was during this time that Mom connected with our Dad, Robert Loya. Dad was the brother to Mom's sister Nellie's husband Art, so when Mom and Dad got married the two couples were Loya/Flores unions. Sometime in the early 1950's, Mom and Dad bought a great little house in the developing community of Downey. With Dad's amazing carpentry skills from his WWII Coast Guard service, and Mom's cooking and homemaking skills, they gave my sister, Anna Marie (or as we nicked her Ree Ree), and I a wonderful, cozy home. Mom didn't work when we were in elementary school and it was great to have her home when I got home from school. One of Mom's many strengths was her desire to learn new things. If my memory is correct it started by her desire to go to school and start a career now that Ree and I were out of grade school and more independent. My Dad's successful aerospace career was in full swing and she felt like she needed something for herself. She started by taking cooking classes and would bring home new recipes like "Polynesian Rice" and "Hot Chicken Salad" that were way out of the norm from her "Papas Con Chorizo", Chile Rellenos, and her still-to-this-day legendary refried beans. Man we ate good. My kids still say "no one makes beans like Grandma Mary." Then she became a Spanish teacher for the new Montessori school in our area. She would teach the 3-4 year old children and loved how quickly they would pick up the new language. Mom accepted a Teacher's Aide position at Cerritos College in the Reading Center. She always felt that reading was so important and fundamental. She loved to help students who had not received or developed the reading skills they needed for their new college careers. Everyone loved working with her and the students loved her nurturing personality; she only made students feel important by giving encouraging words - she was like a "good" coach. During her time at Cerritos College Mom was an advocate for student affairs and the Latino community. In 1990, she was asked to run for election to become a member of the Cerritos Board of Trustees. Her supporters knew Mom would be the voice of the students facility on the board. Well, Mom was elected in 1991 and re-elected in 1995 and 1999, serving three terms (12 years) as a Board member. Mom always stood up for students' rights on campus, supported measures to fund the expansion of educational programs, and especially help the underprivileged. These were the reasons she accepted the huge challenge of being elected to the Cerritos Board of Trustees. Mom was never afraid of standing her ground on college matters that she believed in and I remember on several occasions she would tell us that she was unpopular on the Board because she wouldn't follow the majority vote. For me, one of her most awesome achievements that will remain part of her legacy and tenure on the Board was vote and support for the construction of the Vintage Senior Living facility at the south end of the Cerritos College campus. Her vote was unpopular among some of the other Board members as they wanted to build a golf-practice facility instead. I am so proud to see Mom's name on the plaque at the entrance to the Vintage facility that became the final home of my Mother-In-Law, Senaida Kane, and several of our friends' parents. We were and are still so proud of her career and accomplishments. After she retired from the Cerritos Board of Trustees, she and my Aunt Nellie (or as we called her, Mama Nel), lived in Mom's Downey home until their passing. Mom was blessed with two children, Anna Marie and Rob. Mom is survived by her daughter Anna and her son Robert with his wife Paula. Mom has four grandchildren: Paul and his wife Kasey, Eric and his wife Nicole, Gregory and his wife Jazmine, and Amanda. She was also blessed to hold her great-grandchild, Gregory and Jazmine's son, Jethro Dean, all who loved her very much. Mom was a kind-hearted, loving woman who was very friendly and respectful to everyone she met. Her family meant everything to her and she will be missed by all who knew her.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Mary Louise Loya, please visit our flower store.
