Elena Quiroga
September 4, 1933 – February 23, 2025
Rosalia Elena De La Ossa Quiroga was born on September 4, 1933 in Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico. She was a descendent of two pioneer families: the De La Ossa family, who migrated from California in 1880 to the San Rafael Valley, and the Elias family, who lived in the San Pedro River valley in the 1700s.Â
Elena lived her pre-school years in Santa Cruz enjoying the company of her maternal grandparents and the farming community there. Angelita, Elena’s mother, was a strong proponent of education, so Elena’s family moved to La Noria, Sonora, to be close to the Lochiel Schoolhouse for Elena’s first year of education.
Her family lived in the two-story building that was once the De La Ossa barn, but in 1893 the International Boundary Commission established the border boundary through the De La Ossa property, leaving a considerable amount of acreage that was intended to be homesteaded in Mexico.
The next year her family moved into the United States, occupying her grandfather Osvaldo’s former garage that is about 60 feet from the international border. Elena enjoyed her school years in Lochiel and the company of many cousins who were close to her age. Elena was the oldest girl in her family and therefore childcare and housing keeping duties kept her busy. Elena had very many fond memories of Lochiel, including the time the Buffalo Soldiers camped nearby during World War II.Â
Elena enjoyed a gap year after completing 8th grade, as her mother would not allow her to ride the high school bus into Patagonia because of reported unacceptable behavior among the students. During that time Elena accompanied her father Avelino and her younger brother George, who was studying to make his first holy communion, to a rental property in Patagonia. It was during this time that she caught the eye of a young man, Ramon Quiroga.
Elena and Ramon eloped to Bisbee in 1950 with the blessing of their mothers. Elena and Ramon lived in Patagonia with their two children, German and Rosalina, until 1958 when the family moved to Tucson. In 1965, a third child, Maria Julietta, blessed the family. After Julie became of school age, Elena worked part-time as a housekeeper in various households in Tucson.Â
For many years Elena was a volunteer with the Saint Mary’s Auxiliary and the Catholic Daughters of America.Â
In 1997, Ramon and Elena returned to Patagonia, seasonally occupying the home on Santa Rita Avenue that Ramon had built in 1948 for his mother.Â
Elena shared her fantastic memory of family history and community events that can only be considered marvelous to the very end.
In 2009, Ramon and Elena were elected as board members of the Patagonia Museum in an effort to preserve the Lochiel Schoolhouse. In April of 2022, Elena celebrated the completion of that effort in Lochiel, surrounded by many family and community members.
Elena passed away suddenly on Sunday, February 23, peacefully at home.
Elena is survived by her children German (Bea), Rosalina and Julie (Federico) Quiroz; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; sisters Lydia Dojaquez, Dora Treadwell, Cleotilde Megariz, and Constanza De La Ossa; brother George De La Ossa; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral Services will be on Saturday, March 1, beginning at 11am in Our Mother of Sorrows Church, 1800 S Kolb Road in Tucson. Burial will follow at Holy Hope Cemetery with a luncheon reception at Trails West Activity Center, 8401 S Kolb Road. Friends and family are encouraged to carpool. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Patagonia Museum.