Obituary: Esther Mijarez Robles

Esther Mijarez Robles was born in Mexico on Feb. 26, 1927, and passed away on Feb. 20, 2021, in Watsonville, California.

She is survived by her only child Natalie Samarripa, grandchildren Jose and Lorena Samarripa, Esther and Gil Ramos Jr., great-granchildren Jose Samarripa V, Adrian Samarripa, Gil Ramos lll and Bianca Ramos all of Santa Cruz county, grandson Alfonso Samarripa of Madera and granddaughter Crystal Seaver and great-grandchildren Tristan and Jordan Samarripa of Arizona.

Esther immigrated to Madera from Mexico in the 1950s as a field worker. She was employed by Barcus Ranch in Ripperdan up until the early 1990s, where she was in charge of feeding and lodging migrant workers.

To help her granddaughter raise funds for a high school trip, Esther made burritos and sold them to county employees. This began a mini ‘business/hobby’ for her for years to come. She moved to Watsonville in 2010 to be with her widowed daughter.

Esther enjoyed playing bingo with her great-grandchildren and at the local senior center. She often took daily bus rides to Santa Cruz for activities with Elderday that kept her busy.