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! Grijalva descendant, 95, discusses lifeBY PATRICIA CONOVERTHE Oft MCE COlJ'ITY ReeiSTEIorange* Nol everyone c»r drive around town and see monuments and buildings dedicated to their ancestors.But when Virginia Esparza travels down Koneho Santiago Koad and looks to her left, she sees just one of the monuments dedicated to her great-grandfather Juan Pablo Gvjjalvn, one of the county's first settlers and founder of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana.Esparta turned 95 last week snd is a sirth generation California resident. She was born in lftlG at her oT.Tndmr.rhor'!! hoi) up onLincoln Street ill Santa Ana. 3he has lived in I Orange since 1959. She rc-• eentlv spoke with The Register about her life.O. What side of your family is linked to Juan Pablo Grijalva? A. It's my father’s side, he was a Grijalva. My mother is linked to the Parra family like the Parra Adobe that’s still there in San Joaquin, which is a historical sit*. .All of cuy family was borr. and has lived here. My mother was born in San Juan Capistrano and was baptized at the mission and my dad. was born in s little village out-9jlt;ie Corona.Q. What about the area has changed?A. Wo used to take trips toVirginia EsparzaBerm Virginia Grijalva on March 4,1916. Sixth generation Californian.Members Juaneto Band of Mission Indians, Acjache-men Nation In San Juan Capistrano.City of reildenlt;*: Orange Family: Sons Gere, Paul, Tony and Joe; seven grandchildren; seven great-granddaughters.see relatives in Sau Juan Capistrano and or. both wdpfl of the roads you'd look out and ±ero were only orange groves as far as you could see. We walked about a-mile-and-a-half r.o school right through the dirt, because there was no pavement.G. Have any birthday plans? A. My Soiis are having a paily for me, but not with all of my relatives. It. would have been trice h? have everyone-, but gosh, thoro’e just 60 many of them.O. What's your secret to a long life?A- My mother lived to be 94. God has kepi me here for some reason: rnayfoo he jusl dkbi'L waul (u Lakw mu yet. But I do have a ioc of close people in my life, like friends (hat are very' loyal and relatives. The arthritis holds We up a bit, but- Mike to go out to iunch or people come to visit, or wo go shopping. .And ray faith.I'm a Catholic, ba3 also helped me a lot.
Newspaper Details
Santa Ana Orange County Register
Santa Ana, California, US
Fri, Mar 11, 2011
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Ted Z.
CA, USA 04 Oct 2016
Other Publications Near Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana Pacific Weekly Blade
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Santa Ana Evening Blade
Santa Ana Orange County Register Evening
