Jessie Cardona

Jessie Cardona, loving wife, mother, Nana, and great-grandmother passed away at the age of 104 years on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

Jessie was born in Los Angeles, California on December 22, 1916 to Emeterio Martinez and Louise Flores. She was the oldest of five children, three sisters, Margarita, Emilia, and Maria Luisa, and a brother, Emilio. She was raised in Boyle heights and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1935.

During World War II, she married Arthur Cardona on September 19, 1942. They were together for 73 years until Arthur's death in 2015. Together they raised three children, Lorette Boyce, Charles Cardona, and Katherine Rabatin. They were blessed with eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. She worked as a librarian clerk at the Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles. It was the perfect job because it fueled her passion for reading. She found joy in her garden and was a skilled seamstress.

The many conversations Jessie had with her family unlocked a hefty treasure box of history.