euskalkultura.eus

2015/06/13 - Susanville, CA, AEB

Reno, Nevada, 1914 - Susanville, California, 2015

(obituary published by the SusanvilleStuff.com)

Rufina Groso was born on July 30, 1914 to Spanish Basque immigrant parents, Carlos (Chale) Groso and Maria Belen Egurrola Groso. Chale and Maria traveled from Smith Valley, Nevada, by horse and buggy to the Hotel Español in Reno, Nevada, where they welcomed their first of eight children, Rufina. After having eight children of their own (Rufina, Angelo, Ernest, Josephine, Juanita, Mary, Carmen and Charley), her parents adopted two orphaned children (Louis and Richard Zatica), growing their family to a total of ten children. Rufina attended school in Smith Valley’s one room school house with her brothers and sisters.

Rufina had two marriages. She was first married in April 1931 to Julian Garate (father of her children Angelina, Julian, Johnny and Rosemary) and later to Frank Aguirre (children from his previous marriage, Paul and Anita) in September of 1943. That same year, she moved to Susanville, California. Rufina was employed by Lassen Lumber & Box Company. She was also employed by, and eventually retired after 23 years of service, with Safeway Stores in 1975. Rufina was well known and loved by the Susanville community especially during her employment with Safeway, where she assisted shoppers by checking them out for their grocery purchases and was fondly given the nick-name “PeeWee.”

Rufina enjoyed attending the annual Lassen County Fair to see the exhibits of crafts and cooking by her friends. She attended church regularly and enjoyed community involvement. Rufina was an excellent cook and was always pleased to prepare food for large gatherings of family and friends. During the holidays, she enjoyed baking and giving loaves of bread, neatly wrapped in Christmas paper and ribbons. Rufina was a very hard-working, practical and resourceful woman with a quick wit, a hearty laugh, and a good sense of humor that served her well to the end of her life. She took great pleasure in giving watches as graduation gifts and clocks as wedding and anniversary gifts. Rufina enjoyed her rich and productive lifetime of nearly 101 years. She passed away surrounded by her loving family on June 13, 2015. Rufina will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

Rufina Groso Garate Aguirre is survived by two sisters, Juanita Groso Morace and Carmen Groso Farias (Harold), her children, Angelina Garate Goni, Julian Garate (Janet), Johnny Garate (Norma), Rosemary Garate Murphy, Paul Aguirre (Marge), eighteen grandchildren, twenty-seven great grandchildren, and eleven great, great grandchildren, along with nieces, nephews, family and friends.

On Monday, June 22, 2015, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church – 120 N. Union St. Susanville, CA 96130, A Recitation of the Holy Rosary will be held at 10:45 a.m., followed by A Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m., a brief graveside service at Diamond Crest Cemetery, to be followed by a reception at Monsignor Moran Hall on Weatherlow and North St., Susanville, California.