It is with deep sadness and disbelief that the Ramirez and Reyes families announce the passing of our daughter, wife and mother, Rebecca Victoria Reyes, on Monday, January 24th. She was 45 years old. Rebecca’s passing was sudden, unexpected, and has taken many by surprise. She will be deeply missed.
Rebecca was born in San Jose, CA, to Miguel and Yvonne Ramirez. She began her education at Hillsdale Elementary School before relocating to Riverbank with her family in 1988. She attended Cardozo Middle School and Riverbank High School, graduating with the Class of 1994.
Rebecca had a deep connection to Modesto Junior College, first as a student where she completed her A.A. degree, and then in the division of Literature and Language Arts as the Division Technician under Dean Patrick Bettencourt and alongside Senior Administrative Secretary Judy Wagner, a co-worker turned friend over the years.
Encouraged by many within the division, Rebecca completed her BA in English at CSU Stanislaus and then her MFA at Sierra Nevada College. Her first teaching jobs were as a tutor for at-risk children with disabilities and then as a substitute teacher for both Stanislaus and San Joaquin Delta County School Districts. In 2016, Rebecca returned to the MJC Literature and Language Arts division, this time to teach English part-time, and then in spring 2019 Rebecca fulfilled her lifetime dream of being a full-time MJC English Instructor. She was proud to become a peer with the same faculty just a few short years prior had served as her mentors.
Those of us who knew Rebecca knew her to love life, her family, art and jewelry making, fishing, gardening, writing, teaching, and serving others. Rebecca was highly creative and spirited, and during the last two years, managed to display her personality in all her online classes, creating strong, humanized zero-cost-textbook courses filled with empathy and care for the success of her students. Rebecca embraced social justice, undergoing self-growth and professional development to expand her knowledge of historical and contemporary context in order to expand equity in her classroom. She was a member of MJC’s Latinx Communidad, participated in the MJC LGBTQ+ Advocates network, served as a Literature and Language Arts representative on MJC’s Curriculum Committee, assisted the MJC Celebration of Humanities annual contest as a presenter and judge, and recently became a part of Stanislaus County’s LeadHership team, helping to mentor teens and young adults in the community.
More than anything, everyone who knew Rebecca will miss her always positive spirit, her big smile, her love of color and quirky hats, and her ability to always have others’ needs at the forefront.
Rebecca was preceded in death by her brother, Gabriel Blanco; grandmothers, Mary H. Moreno and Victoria Marquez; and her grandfathers, Benito Moreno and Miguel Ramirez Sr.
Rebecca is survived by her parents, Miguel and Yvonne Ramirez, her husband, Jesse Reyes, and her beloved children, Alexandra Weaver, Andrew Weaver, Adam Reyes, and Abigail Reyes.
A Celebration of Life to honor Rebecca will be held at 3 p.m., on Saturday, February 26th at the Riverbank Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe Street, Riverbank.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
The Riverbank (Calif.) News
Feb. 9, 2022
Rebecca was born in San Jose, CA, to Miguel and Yvonne Ramirez. She began her education at Hillsdale Elementary School before relocating to Riverbank with her family in 1988. She attended Cardozo Middle School and Riverbank High School, graduating with the Class of 1994.
Rebecca had a deep connection to Modesto Junior College, first as a student where she completed her A.A. degree, and then in the division of Literature and Language Arts as the Division Technician under Dean Patrick Bettencourt and alongside Senior Administrative Secretary Judy Wagner, a co-worker turned friend over the years.
Encouraged by many within the division, Rebecca completed her BA in English at CSU Stanislaus and then her MFA at Sierra Nevada College. Her first teaching jobs were as a tutor for at-risk children with disabilities and then as a substitute teacher for both Stanislaus and San Joaquin Delta County School Districts. In 2016, Rebecca returned to the MJC Literature and Language Arts division, this time to teach English part-time, and then in spring 2019 Rebecca fulfilled her lifetime dream of being a full-time MJC English Instructor. She was proud to become a peer with the same faculty just a few short years prior had served as her mentors.
Those of us who knew Rebecca knew her to love life, her family, art and jewelry making, fishing, gardening, writing, teaching, and serving others. Rebecca was highly creative and spirited, and during the last two years, managed to display her personality in all her online classes, creating strong, humanized zero-cost-textbook courses filled with empathy and care for the success of her students. Rebecca embraced social justice, undergoing self-growth and professional development to expand her knowledge of historical and contemporary context in order to expand equity in her classroom. She was a member of MJC’s Latinx Communidad, participated in the MJC LGBTQ+ Advocates network, served as a Literature and Language Arts representative on MJC’s Curriculum Committee, assisted the MJC Celebration of Humanities annual contest as a presenter and judge, and recently became a part of Stanislaus County’s LeadHership team, helping to mentor teens and young adults in the community.
More than anything, everyone who knew Rebecca will miss her always positive spirit, her big smile, her love of color and quirky hats, and her ability to always have others’ needs at the forefront.
Rebecca was preceded in death by her brother, Gabriel Blanco; grandmothers, Mary H. Moreno and Victoria Marquez; and her grandfathers, Benito Moreno and Miguel Ramirez Sr.
Rebecca is survived by her parents, Miguel and Yvonne Ramirez, her husband, Jesse Reyes, and her beloved children, Alexandra Weaver, Andrew Weaver, Adam Reyes, and Abigail Reyes.
A Celebration of Life to honor Rebecca will be held at 3 p.m., on Saturday, February 26th at the Riverbank Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe Street, Riverbank.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
The Riverbank (Calif.) News
Feb. 9, 2022
