Rosa A Amaya "Chita"

Rosa Argelia Amaya was born on September 7, 1927, in Agua Caliente, department of Chalatenango in El Salvador. Rosa Argelia passed away on July 29, 2024, at Kindred Hospital Brea, CA at the age of 96 years and 10 months. Rosa's parents were Rita Estela Gonzalez and Jose Palencia.

Rosa Argelia suffered different losses in her childhood and adolescence. Rosa lost her mother when she was 3 years old, her father when she was 9years old. Rosa was raised by her 4 maternal uncles, Rogelio, Miguel, Oscar, Tocho and her maternal grandmother, Rosa Gonzalez. When Rosa was 5 years old lost her uncle Rogelio who loved her like his own daughter. At age 15, Rosa lost her grandmother or her ”Mama” like she used to call her. But resilient Rosa stood in victory after adversity.

Rosita Argelia lived in Agua Caliente for her first 9 years. Among her favorite childhood memories in Agua Caliente are the fun afternoons when her older cousin, Maria Felix would pick her up to go play in the grassy plains with her younger cousins. Our beloved Rosita also treasured the happy memory of when she used to play soccer barefoot with her cousins in order to protect her shoes. They all played at the Agua Caliente School which had only one classroom for all grades. Rosa also loved to sit on the porch of her house in Agua Caliente with her songbook to sing rancheras songs by Pedro Infante a Mexican ranchera singer. She always remembered when she went to see Pedro Infante in concert at the National Theater in San Salvador when she was 23 years old.

Rosa left Agua Caliente at the age of 9. She traveled with her grandmother on horseback to the train station where they boarded the train to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. In San Salvador she lived with her aunt Luz, uncles Miguel, Oscar, Tochito, Grandmother Rosa and her foster brother Mario. At the San Salvador school she was very good in math, she solved math operations in her mind. She was also good at language arts, grammar, spelling and memorizing. She loved to march in parades and practice athletics in the pole vault and triple jump categories. 

Rosita continued to go to school and in her early twenties Rosa graduated as an office clerk. Her uncle Miguel celebrated her graduation in their house with the marimba. She treasured this memory. She began working with an accountant and continued studying at night to earn her bookkeeper's diploma. After Rosa got her bookkeeper's diploma, she began working at the Cuzcatlan Sack Factory as the assistant to the accountant. After several years Rosa was transferred to another company called lndeca and continued working as the assistant of the accountant.

Rosa met the love of her life, Francisco Romeo Amaya Galvez, in 1951. They dated for 5 years with the permission of Rosa’s uncle Miguel. While dating, Rosa came to be known as Chita because her younger sister-in-law could not say Rosita. So, all Romeo's relatives called her Chita except Romeo who always called her Rosa Argelia or love. Romeo asked for Rosa's hand in marriage to her uncle Miguel and they married on February 3, 1957. A year and a half after their wedding, Rosa and Romeo had a daughter, Xenia, their only child. Rosa's marriage lasted only 14 years because Romeo, her beloved husband passed away in 1971. She had a short, but happy and wonderful marriage that she treasured all her life. Not a day went by without Rosa thinking of Romeo.

During the illness of Chita's dear husband and after her husband passed away; she received a lot support from her dear Flamenco Compadres; her good friends Paulita and Miguel Dimas,; her dear uncles Miguel and Oscar,; her loyal cousin Rogelio Antonio Guevara; her good friend Lidia Lopez; her good neighbors Angelica and Oscar Villafuerte; her dear brother-in-law Mauricio and his dear wife Yuli Amaya; her dear brothers-in-law Alex and Ovidio Amaya; her dear sister-in-law Rosita Melendez and her late and kind husband Rodolfo Melendez; her friends Rigoberto and Milita Martinez; her good friends Francisco and Mary Herrera; her dear Tio Beto and Tia Engra; her wonderful friends Chuck and Silvia Martines and her dear and sweet sister-in-law, Elbita Brand and her kind husband, Roberto Brand. Chita always carried all of them in her heart with special and deep gratitude. She always prayed for them.

Once again, our warrior Rosa Argelia, rose victorious from her loss and began to work again after taking care of her husband for 7 months who used to go in and out the hospital until he died. Rosa got a job at ISRI Salvadoran Institute of Integral Rehabilitation. She worked as an administrator of the service staff. Rosa worked for the ISRI until she immigrated to the United States in 1981. Rosa came to live in La Mirada, CA with her good friends Silvia and Chuck Martines. Chita obtained her permanent residence in 1987 and became a Naturalized USA citizen in the early nineties. Rosa was very patriotic. She always voted and made sure that there was an American flag in the porch of the house where she lived for 27 years after her retirement with her only daughter and son-in-law whom she called her son.

In the United States, Chita worked 2 jobs. Her first job was as a companion lady in Anaheim Hills. Her second job was as a nanny caring for and providing for all the needs of a child called Sean in Palos Verdes State. Chita retired after Sean graduated from high school and went to UCLA to pursue his career.

As a retiree, Rosa went to Norwalk Adult school, La Mirada Adult school and Cerritos College in her 7O's and 80's. She made a lot of friends from different parts of the world. Rosa was always a magnet for people. She was also well liked by her teachers who admire her perseverance. She had a driver’s license from El Salvador, and she also got her CA driver’s license which she returned at age 90. She always drove to school and gave a ride to her friends. She also drove to the Whittier YMCA where she was enrolled in a Tai-Chi class, aerobics, yoga, abdominal and water aerobics classes. She also used the facility machines. After she stopped driving, her son-in-law used to take her to the YMCA. Even though she stopped going to the YMCA, she always continued walking, practicing Tai Chi and doing abs. at home. Rosa was a very active woman of faith.

Rosita also enjoyed traveling while living in El Salvador and in the United States. Rosa and Romeo traveled to Costa Rica for their honeymoon. They also traveled with their daughter to Honduras to visit some friends. In 1970 Rosa and Romeo traveled to Mexico, Los Angeles and San Francisco with Romeo's younger brother, Mauricio and his wife, Yuly. As a widow, Rosita traveled with her daughter, her friend Angelica and her two godchildren to Mexico City and to different states of Mexico. Rosita and her daughter traveled with her younger brother-in-law, Mauricio, his wife Yuly and their children to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala and Tapachula, Mexico. Rosa traveled back to Los Angeles in the early 70’s to attend the wedding of her friends Silvia and Chuck. Living in the United States Rosa traveled to New York in the late 80's to visit the Roque family, old friends of hers. She also traveled to Alexandria, VA to visit her old friend Lidita and her family. In 1995, Rosa took a trip to Israel with the church which she enjoyed very much. In the early 2000's her only daughter and her son-in-law took her to Canada twice. She loved Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada, Banff National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. They also took her to different states within the United States until 2019 before the lockdown. These were summer trips that she enjoyed very much.

Rosa's legacy is her faith in Jesus the Lord of her life, a life of prayer, her perseverance, charisma, resilience, noble heart; Her joyful and loving spirit; Her gift of service; Her frank, fun, joking, friendly and loyal nature. She was a great wife, wonderful mother and a loyal friend.

Rosa will be missed by her beloved and only daughter, Xenia Lemus, her beloved and wonderful son-in-law, Tomas Lemus, her dear relatives, wonderful friends and her loyal brothers and sisters in faith. Rosa has fought the good fight. She has finished the race; she has kept the faith. She no longer walks in the land of the living but now she runs on streets of gold and seas of crystal with Jesus the author of her faith and the light of her life. She will live in our hearts forever because she enlightened our lives in different ways. We love you Mom, keep shining for Jesus Christ!

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