Obituaries

In the afternoon of July 6, 2026, Dona Silva Plaza succumbed to the cumulative effects of Lewy Body dementia. She battled this disease with courage and maintained her love of the family and sense of humor. She enjoyed taking the kids on vacations in the motorhome. She was loved by all that knew her. She added warmth and graciousness to the family gatherings.

Dona was born in San Francisco on October 17, 1946. Her birth mother Irma Sigrid Leino placed her up for adoption through the local church. Lester and Velma Silva adopted Dona and raised her in Thornton, CA. She grew up on a peach and dairy farm, helping her family in the fields, and attended Galt High School. She has two sisters Carolyn and Valerie Silva. On December 15, 1978 she married Larry Michael Plaza in Santa Cruz, CA. They have two children Michael Dylan Plaza, age 46, and his spouse Celeste Nabors; and Le Anne Plaza Thomas, age 44, and her spouse Joseph Thomas.

Larry and Dona moved to Fremont, CA in 1981. In 2017 Dona found her birth family from an Ancestry DNA connection. While she was not able to meet her birth mother, as she passed in 2008, she gained a new half brother and sister Dave Barni and Janette Bunch.

Dona worked at Pacific Bell/SBC Global/AT&T most of her working career, retiring in 2007. She enjoyed retirement with long walks around Lake Elizabeth, traveling, spending time with her family and eating good food. She was an amazing cook, a generous and kind soul who loved her only grandchild, Sloan Coral Thomas, age 5.

A celebration of life will be held by the family, honoring Dona’s wishes.