Our dear mother and wife, Juana Matias, resident of Fallbrook was born on May 30, 1955 in the small town of Santa Eulalia in Guatemala to parents Maria and Francisco Bartolo. Juana passed to be in God's healing arms on the night of February 11, 2021 after battling liver cancer for more than two years.

Juana lived her childhood in Guatemala surrounded by her two brothers and two sisters. At the age of six, instead of playing with toys or friends, she was hard at work helping her family take care of sheep in the fields of Santa Eulalia, Guatemala. And when she was in 2  ^nd  grade, she left school to go to work to help provide for her family.

She met the love of her life, Mateo Matias, at age 16 and they married in 1973. While in Guatemala they had four children, Pascual, Catarina, Francisco, and Miguel.  Juana immigrated to the United States in 1979 where she joined husband Mateo, who had immigrated two years earlier.  The couple resided in the town of Fallbrook, California where they had four more children, Elena, Maria, Jesus and Rebeca.

Juana was no stranger to hard work, which is something she never let us children forget, she toiled in the avocado fields upon emigrating to the U.S. in 1979, and even after having four more children, she continued working. She took side jobs cleaning houses and hotel rooms, she was a babysitter for many.  Juana worked as a cook at El Pico Café in Fallbrook. Even while working multiple jobs, she made sure she was there to drop off and pick up her kids from school, and sometimes she even went so far as to take them out to eat afterwards. Juana labored tirelessly to ensure her children and grandchildren had a better life than the one she had growing up.

At her core she was a child of God and mother to all. She loved having family and friend reunions, even if she was terribly hungry, she would make sure those around her were fed and full before she started eating. Not until someone would demand she sit and eat; would she stop asking everyone if they wanted more food. But once someone asked for more tortillas,  rice or beans, she would shoot straight up and dash towards the kitchen before anyone could stop her.

Juana was a direct reflection of the Bible verse, Mathew 22:39: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love poured out of her and drenched everyone she came into contact with. It didn't matter if she knew you your whole life, or if she just met you, she would approach everyone with kindness and compassion.

Juana loved and enjoyed playing with her grandchildren, she drew pictures, colored, played ball, and on her best days, she even played tag with them. When she had free time she would crochet scarfs or beanies for her grandchildren, she also loved making her delicious Guatemalan tamales and sharing them with family and friends. She volunteered her time at church, attended English as a second language classes and participated in Fallbrook's CERT program.

The love she had for her husband was immeasurable. Their marriage was a blueprint on how to construct a long and happy relationship. They may have been in their sixties, but when they were laughing and giggling with one another, they looked exactly as they did when they first met. Their marriage withstood all of the struggles and hardships they faced because they held so much love for each other, and it also may have helped that she was the most patient and calm person there was.

Our dear mother, Juana Matias, will be remembered for many things: her compassionate spirit, her loving and caring attitude, her extreme pride in her family and culture, her cooking.  But above all else, she will be remembered for her steadfast love and faith in God.  Even in her darkest moments she did not withdraw from Him, instead she clung even tighter to Him. After undergoing chemotherapy treatments, she still believed God had great things in store for her life, and for our family's as well. She strongly believed in the verse Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Juana is survived by her mother, Maria Bartolo, husband of 47 years, Mateo Matias, eight children, Pascual, Catarina, Francisco, Miguel, Elena, Maria, Jesus, Rebeca and eighteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The family has requested donations be made in Juana's name to  https://michellesplace.org/donate