Obituaries

Erma Maciel Andrade died on Feb. 13, 2016 in Fremont, California. Kind, modest, and strong in her faith, she had a positive impact not just as mother, grandmother, and friend, but also as community organizer. She helped make Union City a greener and gentler place, and her work was a contributing factor in the city’s being awarded the designation of All American City in 1999.

Erma was born in 1921 in Lemoore, California. Her parents, Maryanne and Gregorio Maciel, hailed from the Azores Islands, and the Portuguese Catholic faith she grew up in remained a constant throughout her long life. As a child of the Depression, she milked cows, harvested fruit, fed the stove with firewood, canned and cleaned to help her family make ends meet. Although she had to leave school at the age of 17, she retained a fierce love of reading and learning, which she passed on to her children and grandchildren.

In 1940, she married Joseph Davilla Andrade (1921–1983), and they settled in Decoto – Union City, where she continued to reside for sixty-four years, raising three sons: Joseph Davilla, Jr. (b. 1941), Robert Stanley (b. 1944), and Manuel John (b. 1961).

After the death of her husband in 1983, she became even more active in her church, Our Lady of the Rosary in Union City, and began focusing her faith and energy on community issues. Her journey as a community activist began with abandoned handball courts a few blocks from her Union City home (33757 12th St.). The courts had become a haven for drug dealers and users, and an atmosphere of fear and violence pervaded the neighborhood. She mobilized local residents, joining the Pacific Institute for Community Organizations (PICO). Working with the city, they managed to transform the derelict property into a green park and playground. Her project was a key component of Union City’s successful award of All America City in 1999. She continued working with other groups, most importantly Congregations Organizing for Renewal (COR). In 2003, COR recognized her transformative leadership by establishing the Erma Andrade Leadership Award. The first annual award was presented to her in November, 2003.

In 2004 she moved from her Union City home to the Brookdale Senior Living Center in Fremont, and, as in the past, her kindness and humility won her many friends and admirers. She wrote a little autobiography, Erma’s Story (for a pdf copy, contact andradejoey@gmail.com). In 2011, she celebrated her 90th birthday in Fremont with family and friends. She remained healthy and in good spirits to the last, expressing her faith that she was ‘in God’s hands’. She felt blessed by the local presence of her youngest son, Manuel, who cared for her in the last years, her daughter-in-law Debby, and her granddaughter Stephanie. In February of this year, as her health deteriorated, she prayed with several priests and lay brothers who called on her, and, having made her peace, she passed away on the morning of February 13th.

She was preceded in death by her siblings: John, Mary, and Gregory; and her husband Joe. She is survived by her brother Bill of Hawaii; her three sons: Joseph, Robert, and Manuel; and by many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Erma’s viewing will be Thursday, Feb. 18, from 5 to 8 pm at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, 703 C St., Union City, 94587; Deacon Folger will officiate the vigil and prayers at 6:30 pm. The mass will be celebrated on Friday, Feb. 19, 10 am at the church; the funeral procession will then go to the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 1051 Harder Rd., Hayward, 94544 for her internment alongside her husband Joe.

A reception and celebration of her life will be held after her internment on Friday, Feb. 19, from 1 to 5 pm in the Garden Room of the Brookdale Senior Living Center, 2460 Country Dr., Fremont, 94536. Bring your memories of Erma to share with the many others who were blessed by her love and friendship.

Questions should be directed to Fremont Chapel of the Roses: 510-797-1900. Contributions may be made to Our Lady of the Rosary parish.