Esther Gatica
The Riverside community will gather this Friday, January 26, to remember and honor Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, a dedicated educator, advocate, and community leader. The memorial services will include a 10 am Mass at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Riverside, followed by a gathering at the UCR Student Recreation Center at 12 pm.
Born in Durango, Mexico, in 1947, Ofelia moved to Montebello, California, at the age of six and later settled in Riverside after earning her Spanish degree from the University of California, Riverside, in 1965.
Ofelia’s contributions to Riverside were numerous. She began her career as a teacher in a bilingual, bicultural program and made history in 1992 as the first Latina to serve on the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Board of Education. Besides her roles as a wife and mother, she actively served on various community boards and committees, including the Altura Credit Union Board of Directors and the RUSD Bond Measure O Committee. She was also involved in organizations such as the Mission Inn Foundation, Riverside Community College Foundation, Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Riverside YWCA. Ofelia co-founded and led the non-profit Latino Network, dedicated to addressing local issues affecting the Latino community.
She played a significant role in naming a Riverside elementary school after Tomas Rivera, UC Riverside’s first Latino chancellor, and contributed to the construction of the Cesar E. Chávez Memorial statue in downtown Riverside. Her fundraising efforts were instrumental in establishing the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture at the Riverside Art Museum.
Ofelia’s commitment to her community is evident in the awards and honors she received over the years including the Riverside YWCA Women of Achievement Award (1993), the Riverside County Fair Housing Council’s Champions for Justice Award (2014), the UCR Alumni Service Award (2016), the Frank Miller Civic Achievement Award (2019), and the Athena of Riverside Award from the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce (2022).
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Ley; daughters, Marisa, Ana, and Tessa; son, Luis; and seven grandchildren.
In remembering Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, the Riverside community will pay tribute to a remarkable individual who dedicated her life to education, advocacy, and community service.