papa was a veterinarian, luli sold furniture

submitted by jessica kenagy
edited by sarina e. guerra
formatted by justin orsino

I only have two grandparents. My grandpa (Papa) is from my dad’s side, and my grandma (Luli) is from my mom’s side. My grandma (Num Num) on my dad’s side passed away several months after I was born, so I didn’t get a chance to get to know her. And my mom’s dad passed when my mom and her sister were little. I don’t know what we would have called him, sadly.

Papa moved here with his wife and 4 children from Iowa.

Papa’s family stands together in 1974, posing in front of Trinity Lutheran Church. Photo taken by Papa.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kenagy

Valley locals who have pets might know him as Dr. Kenagy, as he has worked as a veterinarian since moving here. He only stopped working after catching COVID and surviving a fall that ultimately injured his hip. He loved being a vet so much. He would help out with the fair animals as well as small animals. Everyone who worked with him really liked him.

This picture, taken in 2019, shows Papa at the El Centro Animal Clinic surrounded by coworkers.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kenagy

He cared so much about the animals, sometimes as much as the owners did. I remember near the end of his career, I would pick him up from work, and it was obvious the attention and care he showed the animals he saw. He was one of the only veterinarians in the Valley, so he was constantly busy. He loved being busy, and it showed. He is now at a care facility, and we visit him as often as we can. For being 91, he is still getting around okay. Just needs a little bit of extra care.

Papa is all smiles in this photo, giving a thumbs-up while wearing a cowboy hat.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kenagy

Jessica’s nephew & niece, Josh & Zoey, pose for a photo with Papa, who is in bed.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kenagy

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Luli moved here from Mexico when she was young. Her father owned a furniture store. One might recognize it!

Brawley’s Main Street in 1956, the storefront for Brawley Superior Furniture visible on the left side of the street.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kenagy

Brawley Superior Furniture used to be on Main Street, where Inferno is now. Some would know my grandma as Mrs. Mary Miller at Brawley Superior Furniture. She probably has sold furniture to your family. I have so many memories of being at the store when I was younger. Luli would let me bring my N64 and plug it into one of the TVs there, and I would sit in the bean bags they sell and play games, waiting for my mom to be done working so we could go home. Or Luli would laugh as I would pretend to be a mannequin in the display windows. I would spend hours at the toy store that was a part of the furniture store, looking at all the knick knacks. My favorite memories would be from Cattle Call, and us being able to watch the parade from inside the store. I was in high school when the store burnt down…

I remember it was in September of 2012; I had woken up and found out that my mom and Luli had rushed to the store because they got word it was on fire. I felt guilty because the day before, I had been annoyed about having to wait with my mom at the store before going home. It was a hard day for all of us when it burned down. Now they are located at the warehouse on 534 E Street.

This photo shows the modern-day storefront of Superior Furniture Co. in Brawley, seen from the outside looking in.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kenagy

They still sell furniture, and they can take payments for all kinds of things like gas bills, phone bills, etc.

Both of my grandparents have been important to this community in some form or fashion. With Papa being a vet taking care of the community’s animals, and my grandma Luli being a small business owner supplying furniture and such to the community for all these years!