Selia “Sally” Zavala passed away at her home in Escalon on January 30, 2025, at the age of 94.
Sally was born on September 19, 1930, in Los Angeles to Eliseo and Maria Gutierrez. She grew up in southern California, where she met and married Louie Zavala in 1949. She and Louie were married for 58 years before his passing in 2006. She is also preceded in death by her eldest child, Louie Steven, and by her brother Eliseo and sister, Mary.
In 1953 she relocated to northern California, where she and Louie raised a family of four children in Pittsburg. They eventually moved to Oakley, to Antioch and finally to their home in Escalon in the 1990’s.
She began her career in the late 1960’s working for a custom drapery company and she quickly learned all aspects of the production and established her own successful drapery business a few years later. Over the years, Sally spent countless hours making drapes and curtains as gifts for family and friends.
Among Sally’s greatest joys was sharing her skill and artistic talents with those she loved. She was an avid quilter and sewing enthusiast. She loved sewing and chatting with her friends in the Friday quilting group, and attending quilt shows and retreats. She was a long-time member of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Escalon and cherished the close friendships she made there. She took great care in creating and in donating numerous beautiful quilts, table linens and other crafts for St. Patrick’s annual holiday boutique, up until this past fall.
Sally’s cooking was legendary, particularly traditional Mexican food. One of her favorite occasions was her annual tamale making, surrounded by her children and their families, enjoying lively conversation, music and laughter. She was an avid football fan, faithfully cheering for her favorite player, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sally is survived by her daughters, Susanne Zavala (Bill Handshy) and Rebecca Peters (Larry) and her son Jess (Hydy); eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren; and her sister, Stella. She will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by her family members, very close friends and her kind and caring neighbors.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Ripon on Thursday, February 13 at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Johns Cemetery (adjacent to the church) where she will join her loving husband for eternity.
Please join us for a luncheon following the services.
The Escalon (Calif.) Times
Feb. 12, 2025
