Armida “Amy”‘s Obituary Amy was born Armida Salas on May 10, 1932 in Los Angeles to her parents Manual Salas and Esther Diaz de Salas. She was raised in the Los Angeles area until she married at 16 to my Dad Vincent Orderica Serna. They were married for 47 years until 1993 when my Dad entered Heaven’s Gate.
During their marriage they had 7 children. Vincent Orderica, Ernie Orderica, Julie Cruz, Carol Serna, Susie Adams, Debbie Ballard and Rose Higuera. She has 17 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
She was a widow for several years. She married David Ponset. David died in Aug.
2010. She is also survived by her siblings: Arthur Salas, Lillian Tish, Barbara Tirado, Arlene Lopez and Lionel Lopez. Mom had many talents.
She loved cooking, cake decorating, and baking. She loved Sundays when the family would go to church & come home to share a meal. She was fabulous cook.
She was always very adventurous trying different recipes. Her highlight of her week was CHURCH and her family get togethers. No matter how many of us showed up on Sundays there was always plenty for everyone and a wonderful time.
She understood that EVERY DAY was to be celebrated. There were many life changing moments in my Mom’s life. The most impactful one was the following: It happened in 1959 shortly after the birth of my sister Carol.
At the time my dad was building a house in Tijuana and on the property he had a trailer that they were using to live in while they were there & while my mom recuperated. Mom had lots of complications after her delivery, to the point that every Doctor she was seen by only sent her home, saying there was no remedy or hope for a recover but to go home to live out her final days. My mom was 26 years old with 4 kids at that point.
When she was little she attended a Baptist Church and had knowledge of God and also had faith that God could perform miracles and that was exactly what she needed! I was a whole 2 years old, but I can remember it as if it were yesterday. She was so weak that even holding a glass of water was an impossible task for her.
Across the street there was a Spanish speaking church and they were having a baptism. My mom got up, got dressed, walked across the street, with me following her &my dad wondering what she was up to. She asked the minister TO BAPTIZE HER ~ “NO” she TOLD the minister to baptize her.
He began with why he couldn’t and she boldly said “ I’m getting baptized and your going to do it” the minister obliged. Before being baptized, my mom made God a promise. She told God that if HE healed her she would serve God the rest of her days.
When my Mom came up from that baptismal, she was a NEW PERSON. Not only was she MIRACULOUSLY healed physically but God healed her spiritually. From that day forward, she has honored her VOW and has followed, served and lived her life for JESUS.
GOD gave granted her an additional 60 years from that moment. Lots happened in those 60 years for God’s eternal Kingdom. Mom started attending church, the only problem was – my dad opposed her going to church.
At that time, he had deep addiction to alcohol and all the nasty things that come with addictions. My mom had to sneak out to go to church. She’d pray that my dad would fall asleep until she returned from church.
At church she would ask EVERYONE, even strangers to pray that my dad would come to know Jesus. God answered her prayers! When my dad surrendered his life and will to Christ, God performed an incredible transformation in his heart and life.
He instantly was healed from alcohol, cigarettes and all the craziness that come with that. Mom taught Sunday school, Missionettes, her and my Dad were Church planters for 2 churches in Tijuana. They fed, clothed and reached out the poor and needy.
They took in numerous kids that needed a place to stay. One year, there was a young mother with 3 young kids ages 5 and under. She asked if mom could watch them for a few days.
Well, a few days turned into months and then into turned into over a year. During this time we had no way of getting a hold of the young mom. She also took in the elderly and often my dad and her would visit the convalescent homes, hospitals, and jails to minister to the sick, lonely & forsaken.
That moment in 1959 when she was baptized and gave her life over to Christ changed the course of our family history mentally, physically, spiritually but most importantly ETERNALLY. You see, because of this Lady we get the privilege of calling her “Mom”, because of her faith, her encounter with Jesus, her commitment to God, her example of living by faith, following God’s Word and precepts and being a Prayer Warrior – she has totally altered our Family History.
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