On the night of her rosary, strong winds knocked out the power at San Fernando Mission Mortuary, leaving the chapel and adjacent cemetery in complete darkness.
As mourners arrived to give their condolences to the family of Cindy Montañez – who died Oct. 21 at the age of 49 – they stepped more quietly and carefully into the sacred space for her viewing, the room lit only by flickering lanterns.
While her family requested it be private, legendary labor leader Dolores Huerta, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León and former California State Sen. Richard Alarcon were present to pay their respects.
Close friends and relatives took turns entering the full chapel, as two of Montañez’s cousins performed somber music. One cousin played the guitar while the other one played the violin and sang with a unique and beautiful voice. A rabbi recited the Kaddish, a mourner’s prayer, and later two priests alternated praying the rosary – one in English and the other in Spanish.
A private funeral mass was held the next morning at San Fernando Mission Church, followed by a private burial. In the afternoon, the solemn tone shifted to a more celebratory atmosphere when more than 200 friends, relatives, colleagues and community members gathered at San Fernando Recreation Park to express gratitude and appreciation for Montañez during a Celebration of Life.
Pat Moreno, an aunt of Montañez who traveled from Dallas, Texas, for the Nov. 21 event, said her niece’s achievements extended far beyond her professional accomplishments, which included serving as mayor of San Fernando, being a state assemblymember and CEO of TreePeople.
Montañez, said Moreno, was as fiercely devoted to her family as she was to her community.
“Cindy was one of a kind,” she said, pausing briefly as she became teary. “You know, people get awards and certificates for doing something great professionally. But for being a family member, you don’t get awards. What you get in return is love from your family. That’s the award that you get, and we loved Cindy so much, for how kind she was to her family members and her friends.
“Cindy was so special,” continued Moreno, noting that near the end of her life, Montañez would call Moreno and her family “just to see how we were doing, but she was the one who was sick! That’s the kind of person she was.”
Miguel Montañez, one of Montañez’s five siblings, said that no matter what else his sister had going on in her life at any given time, she always managed to make time for family.
“Even though she was so active, Cindy was always present, always organizing events that kept the family together – she wouldn’t forget birthdays and she would help us celebrate special events, like Dia de los Muertos or las posadas in December,” said Miguel Montañez.
“She put a lot of emphasis on being involved with the family,” he added. “It’s something that always impressed me, how she was able to do that – combine the different parts of her life.”
One of the many things that will always stand out among his many memories of his sister is how much she loved living in and serving her community.
“Cindy really, really loved the City of San Fernando,” he said.
Montañez was widely loved and admired in return, evidenced by the numerous people in attendance at the celebration. Several people shared stories and accolades about Montañez – San Fernando City Council members, the San Fernando mayor, Rep. Tony Cárdenas, State Sen. Caroline Menjivar and Assemblymember Luz Rivas.
In late August, Montañez was on the floor of the State Assembly when Rivas introduced a resolution to designate Jan. 19 (Montañez’s birthday) as Cindy Montañez Day in California.
“Her family and some of her close friends all attended and joined us on the assembly floor. It was very inspiring to hear so many testimonials on how Cindy impacted the lives of these people – from staff to former [and] current assemblymembers, [to people] who knew Cindy from college,” said Rivas. “They all shared an inspiring [or] personal story of what Cindy had done for them. That was the first time I ever heard so many people talk about … Cindy the person.
“I heard, ‘Cindy was inspiring to me. Cindy helped me. Cindy is chingona. [A bad-a** woman]. There’s no one like Cindy,’” she continued. “We all were crying on the assembly floor. … I ran into some people that used to work with her 20 years ago when she was in the assembly who … were crying in the bathroom. I just saw so much gratefulness from all of the people there.”
Rivas, who currently holds the same position Montañez ran for and won over 20 years ago – making Montañez the first Latina in the California state legislature – expressed gratitude, too.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without Cindy,” she said.
Laura Montañez Herrera, a maternal aunt of Montañez who resides in San Fernando, said the celebration was an opportunity to reminisce about happy and positive memories of her niece.
“Despite all the suffering she endured [being ill], today is about the happiness she brought to our lives,” said Herrera. “Being here together to remember her, it feels like she isn’t gone; it’s like she’s still present here with us. And it’s a marvelous thing to feel her presence.”
Saíd Ramos, a nephew of Montañez, traveled from Veracruz, Mexico, to attend the celebration. He said he will always remember Montañez for her loving and generous nature, especially how much her family meant to her.
“The truth is, it is very sad and a profound loss. She always visited all of us in Mexico, and when we came to visit [her in the U.S.], she took us everywhere,” recalled Ramos. “I always saw her as very happy, very cheerful, very active and very hardworking.
“But it is also nice to see how many people loved her and how many people honored her,” he added. “And as my aunt [Laura Herrera] said, it feels like her spirit is still alive among us.”
Montañez’s mother, Margarita Montañez, told the San Fernando Sun/el Sol that she was deeply appreciative of everyone who showed up to honor the memory of her daughter.
“I want to thank everyone for being here with us today, especially to this community who supported Cindy so much over the years, since she was young,” said Margarita Montañez.
“I am very grateful; everything was very beautiful, everything everyone has done to honor her is wonderful,” she continued. “This event is something very special for our whole family. I never imagined it would be so nice having so many people together to celebrate her life.”
Before she passed away, Montañez was honored on numerous occasions for her wide breadth of accomplishments, among them being the youngest person ever elected to the San Fernando City Council at 25; being the youngest woman elected to the California State Legislature at 28; and being the first Latina and youngest Democratic woman to chair the Assembly Rules Committee.
Montañez attended most of the recognition ceremonies, being pushed in a wheelchair with her mother and other family members by her side. Among the honors: in August, the City Council unanimously voted to rename the Pacoima Wash in honor of Montañez. The following month, the park was officially rededicated as Cindy Montañez Natural Park, and milkweed was planted in the park to help attract the Monarch butterflies that Montañez loved.
TreePeople, where Montañez served as CEO until her death, honored her in late September by dedicating a bench in her name in an outdoor space that overlooks the San Fernando Valley, and by planting a native pollinator garden with milkweed and sage. They also announced the Cindy Montañez Young Leaders Program, a workforce development initiative.
In addition, the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education voted unanimously to rename Gridley Street Elementary School in San Fernando in honor of Montañez. It will be renamed Gridley-Montañez Dual Language Academy in the 2024-2025 school year.
