Mariqueta Churchill
Resident of Redwood City and former resident of Sunnyvale, California.
Born May 29, 1930 in Tantoyuca, Veracruz, Mexico – Entered into rest April 15, 2025 at the age of 94.
Attended Colegio Americano de Tampico. Graduated from Institute of Tamaulipas June, 1949. Graduated from DeAnza Jr. College with Dean’s Honors, AA degree, Cum Laude, 1977. Served as the bilingual secretary for the head of the department of sales for the Coca Cola Co. in Tampico, Mexico.
She also served as a bilingual secretary for the president of The Electric Company in Tampico, and a confidential secretary for the head of the Dept. of Exploration for Petroleos Mexicano’s Tampico.
Mariqueta was honored for her 28 years with the Pan American Round Table of Los Gatos-Saratoga. She served as Table Director for 4 terms and Recording secretary for 6 terms. In 2008 She was honored by the Pan American round table during the 50th year anniversary.
Mariqueta loved to work with people and soon developed unique skills in Business where she worked in Direct Sales as a unit advisor, General Distributor and National Training Director achieving the highest recognitions within the companies for which she worked. This allowed for Mariqueta and her late husband Dewey to travel abroad to places like Paris and Monte Carlo all expenses paid by the company.
Throughout her life she always taught and tutored Spanish, including tutoring at Cupertino Jr. High. She also was a bilingual interpreter for Sunnyvale Municipal Court and Standford Medical Center.
In her later years she became more involved with the Church and she and her late husband would become Eucharistic Ministers of St Joseph of Cupertino.
It was while she worked with the church that she became the driving force in 1988 where she started a mass for the fiesta and friends of the Virgin de Guadalupe. She immediately became chair of the annual Virgin de Guadalupe Mass Celebration which is held annually to this day.
On Dec. 12th 2008, the City of Cupertino and the mayor of Cupertino, recognized Mariqueta Churchill and her 25 years of serving the City of Cupertino at St Joseph of Cupertino and 21 years of dedication to the Virgin de Guadalupe at the Church. She was also recognized for her work with the Pan American Round Table for her years of dedication.
While in Mexico, Dewey met and married Mariqueta Melo y Olvera on Jan. 17, 1953. They remained married for over 70 great years. After they got married, they moved to Kansas where Dewey finished his Master’s Degree in Physics at Kansas University.
In 1955, Mariqueta and family, moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico until 1960. In 1960, Mariqueta and family moved to Sunnyvale, California, where she worked, taught and was a mother of four. Mariqueta continued to be a loving mother, grandmother and wife. In 2021, Dewey and Mariqueta moved to Brookdale Senior Living Center in Redwood City where Mariqueta taught Spanish classes twice a week to her fellow seniors.
Mariqueta is survived by her children: Loretta Miramontes, Victor Churchill, Veronica Runyan and 6 grandchildren, (Andres, Jorge, Timmy, Alex, Douglas and Travis), and 2 great grandchildren (Emma and Camila). She was preceded in death by her eldest son, Marvin Churchill and late husband, Dewey Ross Churchill Jr.
Mariqueta had many interests and passions of many things, some of which we all come to know such as:
• Virgin de Guadalupe mass Celebration.
• Music; playing the guitar and singing.
• Direct Sales, she had a gift of working with people.
• Translating and teaching Spanish.
• Finally, she served as a Eucharistic Minister for over 30 years, and dedicated her life to the Catholic church.
Celebration of Life/Rosary will be held at 6 pm at Lima & Campagna Sunnyvale Mortuary, 1315 Hollenbeck Avenue, Sunnyvale, on May 29, 2025. Funeral Mass will be held at 11 am at St. Joseph of Cupertino Catholic Church, 10110 North De Anza Blvd., Cupertino, on May 30, 2025. Burial will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery at 12:30 pm, at 22555 Cristo Rey Drive Los Altos on May 30, 2025.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Mariqueta’s honor, to her beloved Virgin de Guadalupe celebration, by visiting the web site: www.stjosephcupertino.org/special-collections . Select Memorial – Mariqueta Churchill.