Tributes

Thank you to my family and all of Josie’s friends for coming to the Celebration of Josefina Zamora. I am Carlene McKnight. I am one of many children that Josefina helped raise over the years. Josefina was born on December 11, 1934, in the town of Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. She was the only daughter of Rosalio Serratos and Carmen Torres. She had a brother also named Rosalio. At a young age, she was orphaned and lived with her aunt on her father’s side. In 1972, at the age of 38. She came to the United States for work and a better life for herself. Shortly after moving to Montebello, California, she met the Purvis family, and they had invited her into their family. A mutual friend had introduced Josie to Rosalio Zamora at church. They fell in love and got married. They honeymooned in Las Vegas and stayed at Caesar’s Palace. In her diary, she wrote about her time in Vegas as being the happiest time of her life and thanked God for Rosalio. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, Josie started babysitting children. Some of whom are here today. Josie dedicated her life to nurturing and loving children. She had a gentle soul and had the ability to make any hurt go away with a hug and a song. Not only was she amazing with children, but she was also an amazingly baker. If she had an interest in a craft, she learned it. If she saw something in a magazine, she made it. If she read a recipe, she baked it. And it would look just like the picture too. Josie had many talents. She had a passion for gardening. She loved flowers and planting trees and growing something beautiful from a seed. One of my memories of her was walking down the street, and she would take a branch from a tree or a stem from a flowering bush and take it home and add it to her garden. This always amazed me. She was a child at heart, and probably that is why she could relate to children so well. She loved dolls and collected them. Josie would sew, knit, and crochet to make clothing for them. Josie also loved birds. She raised parakeets, finches, canaries, and a chicken named Vanessa. She would even raise an occasional wild bird if it fell out of its nest. In the mid-1980s, Josie and Leo moved to Fresno to be closer to Leo’s daughter Connie and her family. Here is where she met her new church family. Josie and Leo became members of La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos del Último Día. Josie quickly became president of the women’s group and would share her knowledge of crafting, baking, and fellowship of the Mormon faith. Organizing weekly lessons for the women made her happy, and she enjoyed having a close-knit group of women she can call sisters. Even after Leo’s passing in the late 1990s, Josie could lean on her sisters and brothers from the church to help support her and carry her through her loss. I am personally grateful for the many people from the church who have helped me through this difficult time. They have visited Josie, prayed with her, and sung to her. I am forever appreciative of the support and love you have shown to me and Josie, especially in these last few months. Josie will be greatly missed by all who are here today. And I have too many words and not enough time to describe the impact she has made in my life, and the love I have for her is deeper than the ocean. I would not be the person I am today had it not been for Josefina Zamora. Special thank you to Jackie, Starr, Marlena, and sister Alicia Garcia. You are Josie’s angels, and she will be watching over you with love. Brother Ernesto Hernandez and all the missionary brothers and sisters that have visited Josie over the years. Thank you. Bishop Haroldsen, Sister Marriquin, and Sister De Luna. Thank you for your support. A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 27, 2025, at 9:00 AM at Chapel of the Light Funeral Home in Fresno. Interment will follow at Belmont Memorial Park. Josefina will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who had the honor of knowing her.

Tributes

Josefina Zamora

December 11, 1934 - May 23, 2025