Aida Valenzuela Aycinena

Aida Valenzuela Aycinena, resident of San Mateo, born Jan. 4, 1914, died Aug. 24, 2010 after a short illness with her family at her side. She was 96.

Born in Comayagua, Honduras, in 1914, she moved with her family to the capital, Tegucigalpa, as a young girl, and then lived in various additional locations including Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala City, New Orleans and Mexico City. She served as Miss Honduras and Miss Central America in 1934.

While in Guatemala, she met her future husband, Juan Fernando Aycinena, who was in medical school at the time. They were married in San Francisco in June 1941, while he was doing his residency at UC-San Francisco. In 1948, they established their home in San Mateo, where Dr. Aycinena practiced medicine until his retirement, and where they raised their three children. Together, they enjoyed traveling all over the world throughout their 50-year marriage. Mrs. Aycinena was involved in the Mother’s Club at St. Bartholomew’s Church, and was very active in the Wives Association for the San Mateo County Medical Association, serving as president in 1963. Mrs. Aycinena was fluent in Spanish, French and English, and was well known for her hospitality, culinary skills and her sense of fashion and design.

Mrs. Aycinena is survived by a sister, Alicia Sala Blanc, of Medellín, Colombia; a son, J. Alex Aycinena of San Mateo, and a daughter, Rosalinda Aycinena of Brussels, Belgium; five grandchildren: Margaret Lippow of San Francisco, Diana Aycinena of Boston, Juan Alex Aycinena of San Mateo, Alastair Aycinena of London, England, and Adrian Aycinena of Edinburgh, Scotland; and eight nieces and nephews. Mrs. Aycinena was preceded in death by her son, Mario Aycinena, in 1972, and her husband, Dr. Juan Aycinena, in 1991. She will be buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma in a private family ceremony.