Feliza Medina’s heart is centered on family, friends, neighbors, community, and her Lord God. She is a person of very simple means without the skills of using modern technology or long-distance travel, but she reached many through kindness, a smile, food, and love. She freely exercised her God given gift of serving. In her most private moments, she is a woman of prayer, always asking God’s mercy and favor for all those she loved and those in need. She was a widow most of her life and family was not local, but she was never alone and was always grateful to receive kindness from loved ones, friends, neighbors, but mostly, God who is always with her.

Like many, Feliza left the Philippines post WWII and raised a family as an immigrant in California’s farm country, Earlimart. It’s amazing that she never left the first home she moved into (1960) and where she passed peacefully (2022). From humble beginnings she raised a family, worked in the vineyards, became a U.S citizen, worked as a nurse (LVN), devoted herself to Delano Community Hospital, served in the Filipino Community, helped deliver babies, tutored her kids, planted gardens, shared the fruits of her labor, donated crocheted blankets, provided flower arrangements, retired to enjoy grandkids, volunteered to help where needed, worked at the mortuary, consoled families of those who died, served as an ombudsman, fed family and friends, greeted at Walmart, and LOVED doing it all.

As she grows older, her ailments do not stop her. When asked: “Are your doctors helping you get well?” Mom answers: “Yes, my doctor is in Heaven, don’t you know?”

Feliza patiently loves all her family equally and unconditionally and wants us to love each other just the same. She has three sons: Raymond, Max, and Michael; her daughters-in-law: April, Sharon, and Andrea; her grandsons: Danny, Philip, Gregory (Tiffany), Joshua, Matthew, and Gabriel; her great grandsons: Kit, Torren, Ethan; and her great-great grandsons: Anthony and John Henry.