Amelia Samaniego, 84, mourned

NORWALK – Our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, tia (aunt), neighbor, female parental unit, passed away Saturday, Sept, 19. She was 84 years of age and a 56-year resident of the city of Norwalk.

Amelia Hidrogo Samaniego was born to parents Domingo and Victoria Frausto Hidrogo in Austin, Tex., on July 30, 1931

She was married to Raul C. Samaniego, aka Raul C. Serrano, on July 31, 1954.
Raul and Amelia bought their home in south Norwalk in 1959 where they raised seven children and both retired.

Amelia is survived by children:  Maria Victoria, Eva Angela, Laura Ann, Raul H., Rita Emily, Adam H., and Marcelo H. (Hidrogo); grandchildren: Jennifer Ann, Peter Lawrence, Michael Christian, Victoria Emily, Andrew Thomas, Sophia Alicia, Raul Armando, Gabriel, Jesse Raul, Hilary, Veronica and Anthony; great-grandchildren: Michael Raul, Mace, Jazzmin, Zeppelin; and a great-great grandchild: Virginia Rayne. She was also a godmother to many nieces and nephews. 

Amelia worked in the cotton fields of Texas during her teens, pulling a cloth bag behind her picking cotton by hand.  She said, “it must have weighed almost 100 lbs. at end of day.” (I learned about this during our visits when I would take her out to lunch and we would talk about her life and mine.)  

She also worked at a laundry facility processing plant before she got married. Afterwards she moved to California where she worked as a homemaker.  

At age 22 or 23, she met her husband Raul at a dance in Austin, Tex. They loved to dance and we loved watching them.  (Mom danced the night away at weddings and most recently with “grand son-in-law” Luis at her granddaughter’s Victoria and Luis’s wedding reception. Luis says “he could hardly keep up.”  

Amelia and Raul were married for more than 44 years. She was a stay-at-home mom for most of us.  In her 40s, she returned to school completing her high school diploma and then attended Cerritos College to earn her AA degree in nursing. 

The year she received her high school diploma, Adam graduated from high school and Laura graduated from Cerritos College.  That was a proud day for everyone. 

Mom worked at an Artesia convalescent home and hospital for 20 years and when she retired she was able to care of our father. She took care of him for 10 years. She also helped to nurse her brother, mother, and other relatives.

Mom’s longtime friends were Mrs. Parra, who lives behind her house on the next block; Ino, next door; Jeannie, across the street; Gina, her hairdresser; Martha, across the street; and her comadres (literally “co-parents” in Spanish) Pat Macias and Toni Calderon. She also felt that the man and woman who sold her eggs from their van were friends.

Amelia enjoyed visiting St. John of God Catholic Church to see the children make their first communion. 

Services were held at Rosecrans Mortuary in Paramount, with Holy Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in Artesia and interment at Little Lake Cemetery in Santa Fe Springs.