Irene Acosta Watanabe , June 12, 1937 — December 28, 2018

Irene Acosta Watanabe, age 81, passed away on December 28, 2018. She was born June 12, 1937 in Santa Maria, California to Eugene and Guadalupe Acosta. She married Joe, in April of 1963 and quickly assumed her role as a mother to John, Paul (Longie), Sabrina, Valentina (Val) and Yomi.

She spent the next 20 years raising her family as a homemaker. Once her children were all in school, she began working at Fresh Co and then went on to work for Pictsweet, where she valued many of the amazing… Read More » friendships, she developed over her years employed with the company. In 2007, she experienced the loss of her son Longie, which left a sadness in her heart that remained with her, always.

In 2016, she lost Joe, after sharing 53 years of marriage. She successfully battled Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2012/2013 and then breast cancer in 2014. She was diagnosed with recurrent Hodgkins Lymphoma in August of 2018 and fought it fearlessly, until the end.

Her strong will to live, unwavering faith in God, and the love and prayers of family and friends, helped her through her battle. Her family would like to express their sincere appreciation to all of her many wonderful and loving friends and family who took the time to visit her and encourage her with kind words and beautiful gestures in the past few months. Although her final weeks were spent in a hospital room, she was constantly surrounded by friends and family, who filled the space with warmth and love.

Irene is survived by her sisters, Eleanor and Virginia; her four children and their spouses, John and Jackie Watanabe, Sabrina and Kole Tefft, Valentina and Aldo Cavalli and Yomi Watanabe; grandchildren, Alexandra Watanabe, Chantel Watanabe, Yoshi Watanabe, Joseph Watanabe, Pablo Watanabe, Andrea Watanabe, Matteo “Jiggy” Cavalli, Isabella Cavalli, Nikolas Tefft, Alexander Tefft, Evie Cavalli; great grandchildren, Noah Garcia and October Delgadillo and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She poured her love, time and energy into her family and has left a legacy of her love and perseverance, along with many wonderful, heartwarming and cherished memories. The funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Guadalupe on Friday, January 4th at 1pm.

A luncheon reception will be held at the Guadalupe Veteran’s Hall immediately following the Funeral mass.

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