The life of Mother Esther

Esther Pauline Gomez was born March 10, 1930 in Detroit, Michigan to John S. Laughon (pronounced lawn) and Pauline Nunez. Esther considered herself Irish Mexican – with her father born in Mexico and her mother from Victoria, Texas. She was the fifth of eight children in a family of four boys and four girls. During the Great Depression, her family traveled around the country to wherever work was available, finally settling in California in 1939. The typically creative and imaginative Pisces met Ray Gomez when they were both nine years old in elementary school. The high school sweethearts married in May, 1951. Esther worked a few jobs in retail but mostly considered herself a homemaker since the birth of their first son, Kip, in 1954, followed by Steve in 1957, before their legendary “trip to Kmart” in 1966 for daughter Laura. Their first family home was a house in El Monte when they had Steve and Kip. They moved to a house in Arcadia on 10th Ave. in 1962. Ray and Esther bought a cabin in California’s High Desert on Cholla Road in Johnson Valley. Here the family spent weekends enjoying the quiet or campouts enjoy dirt bikes, playing horseshoes with and campfires at night with stories and singing family and friends. In the early ’80s, Ray, Esther and Laura moved to 725 Magnolia St. in Monrovia. In 1989, Ray and Esther moved again to their retirement dream home in Palm Springs. Unfortunately, Ray died February 28, 1991 from pancreatic cancer, so Esther moved back to Arcadia and a few years after moved to the current home in Monrovia. She enjoyed many years in the company of her friends from the Monrovia and Duarte Senior Centers and also volunteered for many local activities and events. Esther, who made it to the age of 92, is survived by son Kip J. Gomez and daughter-in-law Judy with granddaughters, Kristin, Allison Jillian and great granddaughters Ella and Zoe; son Steve Gomez and daughter-in-law Kathy; and daughter Laura Gomez.