Sedafia Plaza ‘Sarah’
Nov. 14, 1912-July 17, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 10:19 AM PDT
Ontario
Sedafia “Sarah” Plaza died Friday, July 17, 2009, at her home in Ontario, Ore., at the age of 96. Vigil services will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2009, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Ontario. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 24, 2009, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Ontario. Father Rob Irwin will celebrate. Burial will follow at Sunset Cemetery, Ontario. Condolences may be made to the family at
www.Lienkaemper-Thomason.com.
Sarah was born Nov. 14, 1912, in Paradise Valley, Nev., to Venturo and Sinforosa Echeverria. Both parents, being full Basque, emigrated to the United States from Spain.
Sarah met Juan “John” Plaza when she was just 16 years old. They were married Jan. 5, 1930. Sarah and John then moved to Rupert, Idaho, where the first of three children, Joseph, was born June 3, 1931. Moving back to Paradise Valley, Paul Andrew was born Jan. 31, 1933, in the same house as his mother, Sarah.
Several years later, the family moved to Nyssa, Ore., on the Genaro Plaza and Henry Mendazona farms, living in a tent that had wooden sides and a canvas top. The Plaza family later moved to the Deseret Sheep Company. There, Sarah and Anna Jayo cooked for sheep-shearing crews and the many sheep herders.
She raised many bummer lambs, shipping the wool to the Pendleton Woolen Mills for blankets made for the family to use. While working on the Deseret, Jeanie was born Sept. 19, 1941.
Sarah and John saved enough money to buy a farm west of Cairo Junction. There, they farmed until John’s death on March 18, 1959. Sarah then sold the farm to Teramura Farms and moved to town. Never learning to drive a car, Sarah walked everywhere. She worked at Peterson Furniture for 17 years until the store closed. Sarah always had a garden, her pride being red peppers and canning the most delicious pickles. She had a green thumb for beautiful flowers.
Sarah was a member of Blessed Sacrament Church since before its present day location. Sarah was a lifetime member of the Ontario Basque Club, joining in 1962. She served as president, vice president and secretary.
Sarah is survived by a son, Paul Plaza, and wife, Sandy, of Ontario; daughter, Jeanie Thomas, of Sparks, Nev.; and daughter-in-law, Kay Plaza, of Ontario; grandchildren Terry “Babe,” of Sparks, Nev., Trent, and wife, Melanie, of Seattle, Wash., Joe, and his wife, Helen, of Fruitland, Pat, and wife, Laurie, of Portland, Lori, of Ontario, Mark, and his wife, Cindy, of Keizer, Ore., Lisa and Vickie of Ontario, John, and his wife, Wendy, of Payette, Kathleen, and husband, Jim, of Loveland, Colo., and Andrew, of Boise, Idaho; 14 great-grandchildren, Tazzin, Tanner, Asia, Serafia, Abbie, Emma, Ashley, Kiley, Kody, Patrick, Michael, Rachel, Alex and Alyssa.
Sarah was preceded in death by her parents, Sinforosa and Venturo Echeverria; her husband, Juan Pedro Plaza; brothers, Pablo, Alahandro and Mateo; sisters, Lina and Clotilda; two infant sons; and a son, Joe Plaza.
The family wishes to thank Heart ’n Home Hospice for their guidance and care in making Sarah comfortable in this most difficult time.
In lieu of flowers, if you wish, memorials may be made to the Fr. Kirkpatrick Center % Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 829 S.W. Second Ave., Ontario, OR 97914, or The Ontario Basque Club, P.O. Box 1233, Ontario, OR 97914.
