Ana Cleta Arteaga

Ana Cleta Arteaga was born on April 27, 1912 in Zacatecas, Mexico. Of course, everyone called her “Mama Ana” with love and endearment. She died in South Pasadena on December 20, 2007, at age 95. Ana Cleta was a wife of a great man, Leogdegario Arteaga, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great grandmother.

It's hard for us to reflect upon our grandmother's life because she was part of it every part of the way, just like she was to everyone here today. We all have many memories, lessons, rosaries, lectures, hardships, and happiness with Mama Ana. You can always count on Mama Ana to provide a smile, a shoulder to cry, an ear to listen, words of wisdom, words of strength and complete unconditional love. We cannot recall a time when she complained or questioned life. She lived her life with meaning and with the power of God, Jesus, La Virgen Mary, and the Holy Spirit. Each day was an opportunity to live life and spread her love. She was the role model we all inspired to be and the family nucleus.

Our grandparents got married in 1932. They spent a lot of their early married life in San Jose de Las Islas, Zacatecas, Mexico where my grandfather worked. They had their first child, Mauro. They then had six additional children: Francisca, Pedro, Jacinto, Maria Isabel, Adalberto and Armando. When times were tough and work was scarce, my grandparents moved the family to Juarez, Mexico to seek opportunities and a better life near the border. In 1962, they moved the family to Los Angeles, where Mauro and Maria Isabella were beginning to establish themselves.

They moved to 2517 Boulder St in Los Angeles where the family continued to grow when their kids married and the grandchildren were raised. We all have fond memories of living in the apartments. The grandchildren were fortunate to have the opportunity to live and be raised together. We still remember my grandfather and grandmother calling the grandkids to come up and pray the rosary. We remember my grandmother providing the loving support and backbone of our rosary sessions. After praying, we knew my grandmother had Chapurado and bunuelos handy for all of us to eat before going to bed. We remember my grandmother making the best “hamburgers” in town. We remember there was always Kool-Aid in the refrigerator. We remember my grandmother always having “caldo” ready for my grandfather. We remember Mama Ana asking on Sundays, “Did you go to mass today”. After the question, you knew you better make it to the 5pm mass. We can all remember the pure and unconditional love Mama Ana had for her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. When we had good news, she was the first person we wanted to share the news. When we had issues or problems, she was the first person that had an ear to listen. She consoled us without judgement, prejudice, or scolding. She knew how to pick up our spirits and she made sure we were back on the path of our catholic faith.

Our grandfather died on December 17, 1987 in which we were all privileged to have our grandmother for another 20 beautiful and loving years. It was a sad moment to all of us when our grandfather passed away. Our grandmother and the family took this loss very hard. She had a tremendous adjustment to make to life without her husband. Fortunately, the family provided the support structure to help our grandmother find value and purpose. She had the unique experience and opportunity to travel to Rome, Israel and Spain. She toured the Holy land and attended mass at the Vatican and Pope John Paul II. She had a tremendous fondness for the Catholic Church where she built her strength and shared her love. When she returned from the trip, she was on cloud 9 with her experience. A tremendous experience for a Mexican girl from a small town.

We love you Mama Ana, you will always be in our hearts and prayers.