Sarah A. Rocha
Feb. 8, 1935 - Oct. 22, 2019 San Jose
Sarah Aguilera Rocha passed away on October 22, 2019, due to complications from an accidental fall. She was a longtime resident of Santa Clara County for nearly 80 years and will be missed dearly by her family. Sarah will be remembered for both her keen sense of humor and generosity to others. She also was a strong, fiercely independent and resilient woman who overcame many of her life’s obstacles.
Sarah was born in Peoria, Arizona and moved with her family to Santa Clara County on April 8, 1940. She attended local schools in Willow Glen and East San Jose and left high school as a teenager to work in local canneries. One of her proudest achievements was attending years later, the East Side Union High School Adult Education program and receiving her High School diploma at age 56. Sarah worked as a seasonal cannery worker for over 20 years and was a proud member of the Cannery Workers Union Local 679. She later received medical assistant training working many years as a Visiting Nurse to care for the elderly and infirm.
Sarah is preceded in death by both her first husband Daniel Grimaldo, and her subsequent husband Louis Rocha Sr., whom she first married in 1957 and who was the love of her life until his passing in 1987. Sarah is also preceded in death by her parents Leopoldo and Margarita Aguilera, her sisters Nicolas Cabigas, Socorro Mapalo, Esther Ramirez, and her brothers Joel Aguilera Sr. and Enoch Aguilera.
Sarah is survived by her brother Isaias Aguilera of San Jose and her sister Rachel Meza of Fiddletown. Sarah is also survived by her daughters Dorothy Obiols (David) and Debra Jimenez, and sons Louis Rocha Jr. (Lisa) and Frank Rocha, all of San Jose.
Sarah was a beloved grandmother to Kristi Obiols, Sonia Gonzalez, Melissa Obiols (Rudy), Angelina Sanchez (Manuel), Mario Rocha and Dolores Jimenez all of San Jose; Martin Rocha of Los Angeles; Renee Rocha of San Diego; and Gary Jimenez Jr. (Francis) of Sacramento. She was also an immensely proud great-grandmother of 14 and a great-great-grandmother of 1. Sarah was beloved by and will be missed by her many cousins, nieces, nephews and their extended families.
Family and Friends are invited to the funeral service at the Chapel of the Oaks on Friday, November 8, from 1 pm to 2 pm with burial service immediately following at Oak Hill Cemetery, 300 Curtner Avenue in San Jose. The family respectfully requests in lieu of flowers, donations in Sarah’s name to On-Lok (www.onlok.org whose mission is to relentlessly pursue both quality of life and care for older adults). A Celebration of Sarah’s life will take place on Friday, November 8, from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Mayfair Community Center, 2039 Kammerer Ave., San Jose.