Juanita "Jenny" Reyna

Juanita “Jenny” Reyna, 62, was taken by the angels to be with her heavenly father on December 23, 2015. Survived by her daughters: Anna Reyna (David Sandoval), and Andrea Reyna; grandchildren: Jesse, David Jr., Andres, and Alysa; sisters: Margarita Reyna, and Sally Montes de Oca; nephews: Alfonso Castillo, and Juanito Castillo; sisters-in-law: Vivian Rincon, Lorraine Ortiz, and Amanda Bickham; grand-nephews: Alex, and Alfonso Jr.; and grand niece: Elyza. She was a lifelong resident of Union City, CA. Juanita retired from Hayward unified school district in 2011 as an office manager. She loved working for the public school system. Juanita met her husband Jesse at the age of 13 at Manuel White Middle School in Union City. The two started off as friends and fell in love. Juanita and her sisters, Margaret and Sally used to pick apricots in the summer to help out the family. Although it was work, she talked a lot about how much she enjoyed it. She often spoke of the dances she liked to attend as a teenager and how she saw 'Tower of Power' perform at one of them. Juanita and Jesse got married at the age of 21. They had two daughters, Anna and Andrea. The two loved cruising in Jesse’s 1955 Chevy. She enjoyed swimming in Niles canyon, trips to Disneyland with her children, and every summer they would also go camping in Yosemite. That tradition continued over the years with her grandchildren as well. Juanita loved classic cars. She enjoyed watching Ballet Folklorical dancing, learning about her Mexican culture and history, one of her favorite books is Rain of Gold. She also was a fan of disco and oldies music. She enjoyed cooking, playing cards, board games and reading with her grandchildren. She loved to take them to the library to buy them books. Some of her favorite restaurants to eat at were Baldie's Cafe, Buca Di Beppo, and Niles Cafe. Juanita was preceded in death by her loving husband at a young age. She finished raising her girls alone, but this made their bond closer than ever. She had a strong support system from her sister in laws Vivian, Mandy and Lorraine. They became more like sisters to her. Juanita raised her nephews Juanito and Alfonso and loved them like her own children. She loved to spoil her two dogs Max and Cuca and enjoyed taking them for walks. She adored her six grandchildren, Alex, Alfonso Jr., Jesse, Little David, Andres “boogie”and Alysa. One of her favorite things to do was taking them on trips to Half Moon Bay for square dancing, pie eating contests, and strawberry picking. She had a way of making the family try new things, and they always turned out to enjoy them. She was a loving aunt to many Nieces and nephews who loved her dearly. Juanita’s world was her family and we all miss her so much, but will take comfort in knowing she is finally reunited with her husband who she missed everyday. Until we meet again mom, we love you dearly and may you rest in paradise.. Loving Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mom, Grandma, and Tia. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 9th, 12pm at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, 703 C St., Union City, CA 94587.

Juanita "Jenny" Reyna

December 22, 1953 - December 23, 2015