May 30, 1946 – July 24, 2026

“

She had a warmth about her that made people feel loved and welcomed.

Rebeca Gomez de Valdovinos was born on May 30, 1946, in Mexico City, Mexico, to Aurelio Gomez and Ema Sandoval. She grew up alongside her older brother, David Gomez.

When Rebeca was seven years old, her family moved to La Unión, Guerrero, the hometown of her father. There, her father owned a convenience store, where Rebeca worked and became part of the everyday life of the community that would remain so important to her throughout her life.

It was in La Unión that Rebeca met the love of her life, Othoniel Valdovinos. The two were married on November 15, 1969, beginning a marriage and partnership that would span more than 56 years and take them through a lifetime of adventures together.

In 1973, Rebeca and Othoniel moved to the United States and made their home in Southern California. The following year, they welcomed their son, Othoniel Valdovinos Jr.

Their home was always about more than just the three of them. Othoniel's brother, Jose Luis, and his family shared their home for a time, creating a large and close-knit family under one roof. Rebeca had a particularly special relationship with her nieces, Haydee and Jackie, whom she loved and cared for as if they were her own daughters.

In 1987, Rebeca, Othoniel, and their son returned to La Unión, where she embraced a different chapter of life. She cared for her home and family while working alongside her husband in raising cattle and horses. It was a life rooted in family, hard work, and the town that had played such an important part in her story.

In the 2010s, Rebeca and Othoniel returned once again to Southern California. There, she spent the final chapter of her life surrounded by those who meant the most to her: her beloved husband Othoniel, her son Othoniel Jr., and her two grandsons, Emiliano and Leonardo Valdovinos.

Those who knew Rebeca will remember her as a genuinely happy, kind, and affectionate woman. She had a warmth about her that made people feel loved and welcomed. Her family was the center of her world, and nothing brought her greater happiness than spending time with the people she loved, especially her grandsons, Emiliano and Leonardo, who brought tremendous joy to her life.

Rebeca was also a woman of faith. A devoted Catholic, her faith remained an important part of her life and helped guide the way she lived—with kindness, gratitude, love, and devotion to her family.

She also knew how to enjoy life's simple pleasures. She loved sharing a good meal with her family and had a particular love for Chinese food and sushi. Whether it was a family gathering, time with her grandchildren, or simply sitting down together for a favorite meal, Rebeca found happiness in being surrounded by the people she loved.

Rebeca passed away peacefully at her home in Huntington Beach, California, on the morning of July 24, 2026, at the age of 80, with a lifetime of love and memories behind her.

Rebeca's life was one of devotion—to her husband, her son, her grandchildren, her extended family, her faith, and the many people she welcomed into her heart as her own. From Mexico City to La Unión, from California back to Guerrero and eventually home again to Southern California, family remained at the center of everything she did.

She leaves behind a family that is better because she was at the heart of it, and a lifetime of memories that will continue through the people she loved.

Her kindness, her affection, her happiness, and the love she gave so freely will live on in all of them.

She will be deeply missed and forever remembered with love.