Graciela "Grace" Ordonez, daughter, mother, grandmother, friend and dedicated nursing assistant is now resting peacefully at the age of 95. Those who knew Grace will remember that she was kind and helpful to those she met no matter what their background.

Grace was born in La Paz, Bolivia, and was one of the youngest siblings of seven. In her youth, she attended the Santa Ana Catholic School, then the Instituto Americano in La Paz.  She later attended a business school in Cochabamba, where she received an education in accounting. She worked in the accounting department at the Impreza Nacional de Ferrocarriles, the national railroad company, prior to getting married.

Grace was a devoted daughter to her mother, and traveled to New York so her ailing mother could get medical care in the mid-1950's.  Her care for others found its way into her profession, as she became a Certified Nurse Assistant, working in Los Angeles where she worked at Kingsley Manor, Hollywood's oldest retirement community. She had moved from Bolivia to California with her three young children seeking a better life for them. Her husband who did not make the trip, intending to later join them, passed away when their children were young.  Grace worked tirelessly, sometimes holding two jobs at a time, while raising her young children.

Grace eventually moved to San Jose, and she continued to work in the health profession as a CNA, working at one point at Our Lady of Fatima in Saratoga, founded by the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena.

After her children were grown and set in their careers, she settled in Campbell, California where she enjoyed her retirement and volunteered as a voter poll worker.  In her later years, she resided in Saratoga.

Grace opened her doors to several family members and friends when they needed a safe place to stay or to get their footing on the next stage of their lives.  She helped her siblings whenever she could and helped care for them in their elder years. She loved her grandchildren, helping to take care of them when they were infants. She will be dearly missed by those whose lives she touched and uplifted. She is survived by her three adult children.

While a regular service cannot be held due to the current pandemic, a memorial service will be held at a later date.