June 13, 1935 – Feb. 4, 2023

Alicia Rivas, aka Alicia Flores Murillo, passed away on Feb. 4 at Glendale Adventist Hospital ICU after having developed bilateral pneumonia. She passed away peacefully surrounded by her daughter María-Alicia, granddaughters Tabitha and Samantha, son-in-law Craig Jerpseth, and her nephew/godson Luis-Ruben Reyes. 

Alicia was born in Tacámbaro, Michoacán, Mexico on June 13, 1935. She was the third of four children born to Guillermina Murillo Alvarez and Luis Flores Gomez. She attended Catholic school up to the end of middle school. She spent part of her adolescence in Mexico City until her family was forced to moved from their hometown due to economic reasons. She attended a trade school where she learned accounting. Per her older brother’s insistence, Alicia stayed home helping her mother with housework instead of joining the workforce.

Alicia met Francisco Rivas Valdes while he was making a hardware store delivery near her home. She married him two years later. Alicia and Francisco had two children, José Francisco and María-Alicia. Alicia was a homemaker. Francisco was the sole provider at the time.

After his parents passed away, Francisco took over the ownership of the family’s hardware store. It was at that time that Alicia would juggle taking care of the children while working in the family business. Due to growing economic problems and job uncertainty, the family left Mexico in 1979 to settle in an apartment in South Glendale. Alicia was once again a homemaker looking after the children while Francisco worked to support the family.

When her teen son José Francisco developed a chronic and disabling incurable illness that made him bed-bound shortly after the onset of his disease (chronic progressive multiple sclerosis), Alicia for many years lovingly and selflessly took care of all of her son’s needs to the point that she herself developed bilateral carpal tunnel and osteoarthritis as a result of having to lift and move her bed-bound son. 

Immediately after José Francisco passed away, Alicia’s husband was diagnosed with an incurable advanced blood cancer (myelodysplastic syndrome, or “MDS”). Once again, Alicia took on the role of caretaker, which involved taking care of Francisco’s needs as his condition became more disabling. She spent hours by his side when he was hospitalized toward the end of his life.

Less than 17 months later, Alicia’s husband passed away. 

Due to her advanced age and increasing health issues, she was forced to leave her apartment to move in with her surviving child, María-Alicia, and her family. 

Alicia spent her days at her new home watching old music videos on Facebook, calling her siblings in Mexico, chatting with her daughter and grandchildren, and watching cooking shows on the Food Network and an assortment of game shows, specially Jeopardy and The Wheel Of Fortune. She insisted on doing the dishes and light cleaning around the house, picking up the mail and special deliveries as well as occasionally feeding the family pets if they “asked” to be fed.

Alicia was a very humble, non-materialistic and pious person. She always made sure her children and grandchildren knew and grew in their faith. Her daily spiritual routine consisted of morning and evening prayers as well as online Mass, followed by the rosary and the Caplet of Divine Mercy. She was unable to attend Mass after COVID but her faith never faltered.

She is survived by her daughter María-Alicia; granddaughters Tabitha and Samantha Jerpseth; nephew and godson Luis Ruben Reyes Flores; older sister Teresa; younger brother Enrique Flores Murillo; and other extended family members living in Mexico.