On April 7, 2024, Domingo Mendoza Leon left this world and his loving family and is now reunited with the love of his life, Zoila.
Dad was born on 12/20/1921 in the tiny Andean village of Chaclancayo, Peru. He left Chaclancayo as a youth, seeking opportunity in the capital city of Lima. Eventually he got a steady job with a wealthy American family who sponsored him to come to the U.S. He arrived in San Francisco in March of 1953 and went to work right away at the Hillsborough home of his sponsors, becoming a master gardener.
At a party given by some friends, he met his future bride, Zoila, recently arrived from Ecuador. They married in 1955, settled in San Mateo and raised 2 children, as well as helping with their grandchildren later on.
Mom & Dad were very involved in the small but growing Latino community in San Mateo. They hosted fundraisers for their children’s school, and their beloved St. Matthew Church. And the parties - elegant, delicious and so much fun. Most memorable were the garden parties in their lush, beautiful backyard. Up until just a few months ago, he could be found working in his beloved garden.
Dad was a diehard Democrat, staunch patriot, and avid newspaper reader. Even during the last month of his life, he still read the entire paper. We enjoyed discussing the news with him and appreciated his perspective.
Dad is survived by his son Jose Leon (Kathy), grandson Tyler (Kumi), great grandson Duke, granddaughter Briana (Jason Burns); daughter Susie Barrett (Todd), younger brother Juan, and many nieces and nephews, all of whom loved & cherished him dearly.
Daddy, it’s almost unbearable how much we miss you. You, and Mom, set the bar so high with your love, work ethic, faith and high moral sense. You may not have had the benefit of a higher education, but you were one of the wisest people we will ever know.
Vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, 4/19/2024 at Sneider & Sullivan & O’Connell’s Funeral Home, San Mateo. Funeral Mass will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, 4/20/2024 at St. Matthew Catholic Church, San Mateo. Entombment to follow at Skylawn Memorial Park, San Mateo.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Matthew Catholic Church, Habitat for Humanity, Alzheimer’s Assoc., or the ACLU.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) entries
Sign the guestbook.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.