Centenarian sees toil rewarded with comfort
Maria Felix, through sweat and toil, succeeded in her pursuit of the American dream. She lived a life of poverty in Mexico. Today, she lives comfortably with the love of three children, 11 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren surrounding her.
On Sunday, Oct. 4, she will enter her 100th year of life.
Felix was born in La Hacienda de Guadalupe, Mexico, a small town on a cliff with a river. When she was a preteen, her dadwasmurdered. Not long after, her mom was stricken with illness and died. Her cousin then cared for her.
They didn’t have much going for themin that small town. At 20, she and her guardian moved to a town near the border of California to live with another cousin.
“They were planting things and harvesting things, everything they could do down there to survive,” Grace Mejia, her daughter, translated.
At 27, Felix made her way to Brawley, California. There, she met the love of her life, Angel Felix. Suddenly, swiftly, immigration deported them. Angel Felix was determined to provide for his love however he could. He made his way back into California to continue working, but wasn’t away from her for too long.
Maria Felix had 10 dollars to her name. A friend gave her an additional 10 dollars and some serious instructions. She was to take a train fromMexico to her partner, but with great caution. Each time the train stopped, she had to hurry off, hide in a bathroom, thenhurry back in right before it took off again. This was to prevent immigration from finding her during stops.
“She never got busted,” Mejia said.
The traveler found her love in Durham. He was shocked. Maria Felix had little command of the English language at the time. He was impressed that she could travel and find him all on her own. Fromthen, they were inseparable. Wherever he went, she followed.
They traveled up and down the coast, working farm to farm, staying in small homes with little kitchens.
He looked like Deniz Arnaz when he played Ricky Ricardo on “I Love Lucy,” Meija said.
“My father was so handsome, it was crazy,” Mejia said.
Maria Felix herself was a sight to behold herself.
“Sometimes, she’ll go, ‘ You know, I was a babe. I had men coming after me. Sometimes I had to fight them off.’” Mejia laughed.
“It was just funny to me when my mom would tell me stories about when she was young andhowshewas pursued by all these men. I didn’t think of my mom that way because she’s always been meek and mild.”
The lovebirds settled in Chico where he became a landlord. He purchased eight properties in the Chapmanm neighborhood for a couple thousand dollars a piece. After having their first child, Maria Felix became a stay-at-home mom.
Angel Felix died in his 50s. That wasn’t as difficult for her to handle as another death, though.
Her greatest strugglewas watching as her eldest child die before her.
“That was the turning point inmymom’s life,” Mejia said.
The son was a momma’s boy. He was the first in the family to ever be accepted into college. During his first week at Chico State, he started getting headaches. He had a brain tumor. He had surgery after surgery and eventually had to be placed in an assisted living home.
“She was extremely attached to him because he was the first born and had a very gentle soul,” Mejia said.
Maria Felix changed when he died.
“She wore dark clothing for years,” Mejia said.
Thoughone child is gone, she has somanymore to fill her heart.
“When she’s around the babies, the simplicity of the child almost matches the simplicity of my mom at this age. You know, they talk about how, when people grow older, they grow more infantile. So, when she’s around the babies, they connect,” Mejia said.
Her long termmemory is better than her short term memory. She doesn’t always know which baby is which, but she loves them all the same.
“She has a really great laugh. When you get her going, you laugh because of how she laughs,” Mejia said.
Everyone in the neighborhood knows her. When neighbors walk by, Maria Felix will sometimes offer themplants. She can’t quite garden like she used to, so her children help her out.
The centenarian takes no medication. She only just recently started using a walker.
“For her to have a house, for any Hispanic person that’s my mom’s age to have a home, that’s a big deal,” Mejia said. “We just can’t believe she’s still with us at this age.”
Maria Felix doesn’t take her comfort for granted.
“Being able to come here and just work andwork and work hard is her proudest accomplishment,” Mejia said. “For my mom, that’s her miracle.”