Calexico Matriarch’s Life Has Been Rich in Memories

CALEXICO — Despite coming to the Imperial Valley’s beloved border town at the age of 5, Georgia Faye Espinoza, now 90 years young, has come to be known as “a pioneer” in interracial politics, a mother figure to many, and a Calexican through and through.

Georgia, her parents and three siblings left their home in Oklahoma during the Depression years, back when work and resources had become increasingly scarce. Based on advice from a family member who lived in Heber, the family unit decided to make the move having heard of steady work in the region, taking up residence in the Jasper area, then Heber, and eventually in Calexico.

Georgia would attend Rockwood Elementary School, where she experienced discrimination based on the color of her skin. Francesca “Nikki” Salgado, Georgia’s eldest granddaughter, recalls stories her grandmother would tell of peers taunting her for being “poor white trash” — a term which Georgia reportedly didn’t know was derogatory at the time. There are stories that the family was in such a state of hardship, said Nikki, that her grandmother’s dresses were actually fashioned from old flour sacks.

The Espinoza family are proud to have been one of the first white families on the block, where members gathered recently at the long-time family home to celebrate their matriarch’s “milestone” 90th birthday. Calexico has been a city where Georgia — a woman of Irish, Scottish and Cherokee descent — may have faced discrimination in those early days at Rockwood Elementary, but she also managed to find true love and to build a life.

“He sent me a note that he liked my dress,” Georgia recalled of her late husband, Louie Espinoza. She smiled at the innocent gesture that replayed in the “vivid” memory she is known for. However, as love stories often do, the two parted ways for some time. The pair reunited while attending Calexico High School and became “sweethearts” in their sophomore year.

Georgia and Louie graduated together with the class of 1951 and were wed in nearby Yuma shortly after as interracial marriages were widely regarded as taboo in the Imperial Valley. The ceremony was repeated at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Calexico at a later date.

With the Korean conflict on the horizon, Louie enlisted in the Army anticipating an inevitable deployment. Considering a significant change of events, the young newlywed was shipped off to World War II in Germany.

“He was over there for two years, a year and a half, and he sent for me. So I went to Germany and lived with him for a year,” Georgia said. “We toured all over Europe and then came back to our hometown.”

Family life ensued, with Louie and Georgia eventually choosing to adopt their first child, a daughter named GinaLinn Espinoza, after battling with their inability to conceive. Fortunately, the Espinozas were blessed with three more children, Rosanna Espinoza, Susann Anne Espinoza, and Louie Espinoza Jr., who were conceived naturally as the two had hoped. Georgia and Louie were married a total of 67 years at the time of his death.

The family home, a cozy brick structure shaded by trees and accented with bougainvilleas, has been a staple in Georgia’s life story. Following Sunday service at Our Lady of Guadalupe on Oct. 15, friends and family gathered there to visit and reminisce with their community’s newest nonagenarian. Long hugs were exchanged on the front lawn, while a handful of others mingled inside among the usual family furniture and decor and some recent additions in the form of flowers and birthday cards.

As per an agreement with her husband early on, her mother-in-law was to live with them indefinitely in the event that her husband was no longer around. The arrangement was mutually beneficial, said Georgia, describing the extra pair of hands able to assist with caretaking and homemaking duties as “a blessing.” “She died right here in this home,” said Georgia, of her mother-in-law-turned-best-friend. She listed several other family members who have also enjoyed the privilege of passing on in the home.

Interrupting regularly scheduled activities, an old friend of Georgia’s made a special appearance prompting happy tears among several as a palpable blast from the past played out amid an intergenerational landscape. As Armida Moreno de Esquer and Georgia embraced, someone from the group noted that there were a whopping 188 years lived between the two of them. “I will always love you,” said Armida to Georgia, gripping each other’s well-worn hands. “You’re always in my heart,” Georgia replied, through watering eyes.

“You live in a small town and you become like a small family, some of the groups,” said Georgia in an interview later. So many of the guests present on this October afternoon had become exactly that. And for a woman who had spent her life investing in family, church, and community, the love didn’t stop there.

Thanks to a campaign started by Georgia’s daughter GinaLinn, she has been receiving birthday messages online and through mail since July. GinaLinn said that when her mother told her she didn’t want any gifts that came in a box, she got busy on the phone calling up friends. The goal? 90 cards for 90 years.

“They wrote such beautiful messages inside the cards and I don’t know them at all!” exclaimed Georgia, still in disbelief. She even received birthday cards from the press secretary of the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and current President and First Lady, Joe and Jill Biden. True to her character, Georgia has sent a handwritten thank-you note in response to each and every card she has received.

“You never know what little thing might make a person be appreciative of whatever they are, wherever they are,” she said, of the simple act. Having lived through wartime, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, she acknowledged the necessity of maintaining a strong community above all. “It’s hard for me to see the violence now. The lack of love of country, you know. It’s a small world. This is a global community, we are. It is what it is, but in our little space we can always do something to make it better.”

Georgia, typically a more reserved person in social situations, said she hasn’t spoken much about her life story until now. She married her childhood sweetheart, traveled overseas, started a family, built a community, enjoyed a 42-year-long career working for the phone company — a job which she considered “the best job in town,” considering only a high school education — retired, and has remained the “backbone” of the family all those years.

“She’s always been a presence in my life,” said niece Christina “Tina” Vasquez. “She just lets you know that she loves you. She has an inner peace.”

Georgia said one of the best things in life right now is that, although walking may be more difficult than it used to be, she isn’t plagued by pain. “Life hasn’t always been a bed of roses, but we aren’t promised that either,” said Georgia, to which Armida nodded in knowing agreement.

As for any advice she may have for those looking to make the long-haul, Georgia suggests, “Be helpful. Be ready to forgive. We all make mistakes, but we shouldn’t have to pay for those mistakes if we’re sorry for the rest of our lives. Just be responsible.”

“I think the world of her,” said nephew Eugene Frazier. “She’s one of the sweetest persons I’ve ever known. She’s extremely considerate of everybody, and she’s a great example of what a person should be.”

At the time of this writing, Georgia has received just shy of 90 physical birthday cards but has surpassed that goal digitally thanks to social media.

Sarina E. Guerra

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