Hughson, California - Alfa Broderick passed away on Friday, February 10, 2023.
The Modesto Bee community will recognize her as the frequent contributor of letters to the editor focused on social justice and American civility. To her family, she was a dedicated wife, loving Mom, doting Abuelita, and lifelong, devout Catholic who lived her faith. Scrupulous, quick witted, and loyal, she loved poetry and language, flowers and sunsets, art and travel and life.
Born Alfa de Jesús Villa Villegas in the small mountain town of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia, she was one of 22 children. Her father, Emiliano, had 14 children (eight of whom survived to adulthood) with his first wife. After his first wife died, Emiliano married Julia, and had eight more children (seven of whom survived to adulthood). Alfa was the third child from this second union. They were a humble and devout family, even by the standards of those days.
Because of her intellect and hard work (and encouragement from an older half-brother who was a priest, and a half-sister who was a nun), Alfa received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Maridíaz Boarding School in Pasto, Colombia (a boarding school run by Swiss nuns).
In those days talented women had four career choices: nurse, teacher, secretary or nun. Alfa became a secretary; this meant learning Gregg shorthand and typing at dizzying speed on a real typewriter with levers and ribbons. An inveterate letter writer, she used her prized Olympia typewriter (which could reproduce Spanish and English diacritical marks) to keep in close contact with her friends all over the world (in the age before internet).
Having studied English, in 1965 she pursued her lifelong dream of immigrating to the United States. She came to Turlock, where her uncle's tailor had family that agreed to take her in. She worked at the Foster Farms turkey plant for five years, before taking a job with the county. She sent money back home. One by one her siblings and mother joined her in the United States.
While working for Stanislaus County, Alfa met another county employee, Tom Broderick, whom she would eventually marry. They had three sons, and moved to Waterford to raise them.
Alfa was preceded in death by her parents; by her sister Irma and her brother Tito (Ma Cristina); by her great niece Giana; and by her half-siblings, José, Emilia, Gonzalo, Sola, Alfonso, Miguel, Alicia and Maria. She is survived by her sons Gregory (Brian), Sergio and William; five grandchildren; by her sisters Iris DuMont, Offir Thorne and Gloria Holt (John), and by her brother Dario Villa; and many more dear nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and family and friends.
While her age was a heavily guarded secret, as was the year and decade of her birth, for a woman who loved math and Sudoku puzzles, perhaps the following is an appropriate tribute: If you subtract one from her birth year, then take the final two digits of the difference and reverse them, you'll get her age.
Her family wishes to thank the medical team at Kaiser that attended Alfa through her earlier bouts with breast cancer and CLL, and gave her an extra decade plus to know and enjoy her grandchildren; as well as her son Sergio, who provided daily care for his ageing mom for a year and a half, and made her desire of living independently in her own home a reality for as long as possible; as well as the Samaritan Village assisted living staff who cared for her daily needs when she was no longer able to live at home; and the Hospice staff who helped her in her final days; and the family and friends who visited her in her final days and showered her with love.
The Viewing and Rosary will be this Thursday, February 16 starting at 4:30 P.M., with a Vigil starting at 6:00 P.M. at Franklin & Downs, on McHenry in Modesto. Funeral mass will be held on Friday, February 17 at 9:30 A.M. at St. Anthony's in Hughson, with burial at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Sonora.
Published by Modesto Bee on Feb. 15, 2023.
The Modesto Bee community will recognize her as the frequent contributor of letters to the editor focused on social justice and American civility. To her family, she was a dedicated wife, loving Mom, doting Abuelita, and lifelong, devout Catholic who lived her faith. Scrupulous, quick witted, and loyal, she loved poetry and language, flowers and sunsets, art and travel and life.
Born Alfa de Jesús Villa Villegas in the small mountain town of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia, she was one of 22 children. Her father, Emiliano, had 14 children (eight of whom survived to adulthood) with his first wife. After his first wife died, Emiliano married Julia, and had eight more children (seven of whom survived to adulthood). Alfa was the third child from this second union. They were a humble and devout family, even by the standards of those days.
Because of her intellect and hard work (and encouragement from an older half-brother who was a priest, and a half-sister who was a nun), Alfa received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Maridíaz Boarding School in Pasto, Colombia (a boarding school run by Swiss nuns).
In those days talented women had four career choices: nurse, teacher, secretary or nun. Alfa became a secretary; this meant learning Gregg shorthand and typing at dizzying speed on a real typewriter with levers and ribbons. An inveterate letter writer, she used her prized Olympia typewriter (which could reproduce Spanish and English diacritical marks) to keep in close contact with her friends all over the world (in the age before internet).
Having studied English, in 1965 she pursued her lifelong dream of immigrating to the United States. She came to Turlock, where her uncle's tailor had family that agreed to take her in. She worked at the Foster Farms turkey plant for five years, before taking a job with the county. She sent money back home. One by one her siblings and mother joined her in the United States.
While working for Stanislaus County, Alfa met another county employee, Tom Broderick, whom she would eventually marry. They had three sons, and moved to Waterford to raise them.
Alfa was preceded in death by her parents; by her sister Irma and her brother Tito (Ma Cristina); by her great niece Giana; and by her half-siblings, José, Emilia, Gonzalo, Sola, Alfonso, Miguel, Alicia and Maria. She is survived by her sons Gregory (Brian), Sergio and William; five grandchildren; by her sisters Iris DuMont, Offir Thorne and Gloria Holt (John), and by her brother Dario Villa; and many more dear nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and family and friends.
While her age was a heavily guarded secret, as was the year and decade of her birth, for a woman who loved math and Sudoku puzzles, perhaps the following is an appropriate tribute: If you subtract one from her birth year, then take the final two digits of the difference and reverse them, you'll get her age.
Her family wishes to thank the medical team at Kaiser that attended Alfa through her earlier bouts with breast cancer and CLL, and gave her an extra decade plus to know and enjoy her grandchildren; as well as her son Sergio, who provided daily care for his ageing mom for a year and a half, and made her desire of living independently in her own home a reality for as long as possible; as well as the Samaritan Village assisted living staff who cared for her daily needs when she was no longer able to live at home; and the Hospice staff who helped her in her final days; and the family and friends who visited her in her final days and showered her with love.
The Viewing and Rosary will be this Thursday, February 16 starting at 4:30 P.M., with a Vigil starting at 6:00 P.M. at Franklin & Downs, on McHenry in Modesto. Funeral mass will be held on Friday, February 17 at 9:30 A.M. at St. Anthony's in Hughson, with burial at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Sonora.
Published by Modesto Bee on Feb. 15, 2023.
Hughson, California - Alfa Broderick passed away on Friday, February 10, 2023.
The Modesto Bee community will recognize her as the frequent contributor of letters to the editor focused on social justice and American civility. To her family, she was a dedicated wife, loving Mom, doting Abuelita, and lifelong, devout Catholic who lived her faith. Scrupulous, quick witted, and loyal, she loved poetry and language, flowers and sunsets, art and travel and life.
Born Alfa de Jesús Villa Villegas in the small mountain town of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia, she was one of 22 children. Her father, Emiliano, had 14 children (eight of whom survived to adulthood) with his first wife. After his first wife died, Emiliano married Julia, and had eight more children (seven of whom survived to adulthood). Alfa was the third child from this second union. They were a humble and devout family, even by the standards of those days.
Because of her intellect and hard work (and encouragement from an older half-brother who was a priest, and a half-sister who was a nun), Alfa received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Maridíaz Boarding School in Pasto, Colombia (a boarding school run by Swiss nuns).
In those days talented women had four career choices: nurse, teacher, secretary or nun. Alfa became a secretary; this meant learning Gregg shorthand and typing at dizzying speed on a real typewriter with levers and ribbons. An inveterate letter writer, she used her prized Olympia typewriter (which could reproduce Spanish and English diacritical marks) to keep in close contact with her friends all over the world (in the age before internet).
Having studied English, in 1965 she pursued her lifelong dream of immigrating to the United States. She came to Turlock, where her uncle's tailor had family that agreed to take her in. She worked at the Foster Farms turkey plant for five years, before taking a job with the county. She sent money back home. One by one her siblings and mother joined her in the United States.
While working for Stanislaus County, Alfa met another county employee, Tom Broderick, whom she would eventually marry. They had three sons, and moved to Waterford to raise them.
Alfa was preceded in death by her parents; by her sister Irma and her brother Tito (Ma Cristina); by her great niece Giana; and by her half-siblings, José, Emilia, Gonzalo, Sola, Alfonso, Miguel, Alicia and Maria. She is survived by her sons Gregory (Brian), Sergio and William; five grandchildren; by her sisters Iris DuMont, Offir Thorne and Gloria Holt (John), and by her brother Dario Villa; and many more dear nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and family and friends.
While her age was a heavily guarded secret, as was the year and decade of her birth, for a woman who loved math and Sudoku puzzles, perhaps the following is an appropriate tribute: If you subtract one from her birth year, then take the final two digits of the difference and reverse them, you'll get her age.
Her family wishes to thank the medical team at Kaiser that attended Alfa through her earlier bouts with breast cancer and CLL, and gave her an extra decade plus to know and enjoy her grandchildren; as well as her son Sergio, who provided daily care for his ageing mom for a year and a half, and made her desire of living independently in her own home a reality for as long as possible; as well as the Samaritan Village assisted living staff who cared for her daily needs when she was no longer able to live at home; and the Hospice staff who helped her in her final days; and the family and friends who visited her in her final days and showered her with love.
The Viewing and Rosary will be this Thursday, February 16 starting at 4:30 P.M., with a Vigil starting at 6:00 P.M. at Franklin & Downs, on McHenry in Modesto. Funeral mass will be held on Friday, February 17 at 9:30 A.M. at St. Anthony's in Hughson, with burial at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Sonora.
Published by Modesto Bee on Feb. 15, 2023.
The Modesto Bee community will recognize her as the frequent contributor of letters to the editor focused on social justice and American civility. To her family, she was a dedicated wife, loving Mom, doting Abuelita, and lifelong, devout Catholic who lived her faith. Scrupulous, quick witted, and loyal, she loved poetry and language, flowers and sunsets, art and travel and life.
Born Alfa de Jesús Villa Villegas in the small mountain town of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia, she was one of 22 children. Her father, Emiliano, had 14 children (eight of whom survived to adulthood) with his first wife. After his first wife died, Emiliano married Julia, and had eight more children (seven of whom survived to adulthood). Alfa was the third child from this second union. They were a humble and devout family, even by the standards of those days.
Because of her intellect and hard work (and encouragement from an older half-brother who was a priest, and a half-sister who was a nun), Alfa received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Maridíaz Boarding School in Pasto, Colombia (a boarding school run by Swiss nuns).
In those days talented women had four career choices: nurse, teacher, secretary or nun. Alfa became a secretary; this meant learning Gregg shorthand and typing at dizzying speed on a real typewriter with levers and ribbons. An inveterate letter writer, she used her prized Olympia typewriter (which could reproduce Spanish and English diacritical marks) to keep in close contact with her friends all over the world (in the age before internet).
Having studied English, in 1965 she pursued her lifelong dream of immigrating to the United States. She came to Turlock, where her uncle's tailor had family that agreed to take her in. She worked at the Foster Farms turkey plant for five years, before taking a job with the county. She sent money back home. One by one her siblings and mother joined her in the United States.
While working for Stanislaus County, Alfa met another county employee, Tom Broderick, whom she would eventually marry. They had three sons, and moved to Waterford to raise them.
Alfa was preceded in death by her parents; by her sister Irma and her brother Tito (Ma Cristina); by her great niece Giana; and by her half-siblings, José, Emilia, Gonzalo, Sola, Alfonso, Miguel, Alicia and Maria. She is survived by her sons Gregory (Brian), Sergio and William; five grandchildren; by her sisters Iris DuMont, Offir Thorne and Gloria Holt (John), and by her brother Dario Villa; and many more dear nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and family and friends.
While her age was a heavily guarded secret, as was the year and decade of her birth, for a woman who loved math and Sudoku puzzles, perhaps the following is an appropriate tribute: If you subtract one from her birth year, then take the final two digits of the difference and reverse them, you'll get her age.
Her family wishes to thank the medical team at Kaiser that attended Alfa through her earlier bouts with breast cancer and CLL, and gave her an extra decade plus to know and enjoy her grandchildren; as well as her son Sergio, who provided daily care for his ageing mom for a year and a half, and made her desire of living independently in her own home a reality for as long as possible; as well as the Samaritan Village assisted living staff who cared for her daily needs when she was no longer able to live at home; and the Hospice staff who helped her in her final days; and the family and friends who visited her in her final days and showered her with love.
The Viewing and Rosary will be this Thursday, February 16 starting at 4:30 P.M., with a Vigil starting at 6:00 P.M. at Franklin & Downs, on McHenry in Modesto. Funeral mass will be held on Friday, February 17 at 9:30 A.M. at St. Anthony's in Hughson, with burial at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Sonora.
Published by Modesto Bee on Feb. 15, 2023.
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See more Broderick or Villa Villegas memorials in:
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- California Broderick or Villa Villegas
- USA Broderick or Villa Villegas
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