Maria Victoria Etcheverria

Maria Victoria Etcheverria (Maite) passed away peacefully in her home in San Rafael, CA at the age of 93, on August 10, 2021.  Maite was born on April 12, 1928, to Jean Baptiste and Josefa Anchordoquy, in the town of Erratzu, Spain.  She was the oldest of eleven siblings, having eight brothers and two sisters.  Maite was the beloved wife of 43 years to Manex Etcheverria.   She was the cherished Ama to her only son Jean Baptiste (Linda).   She was the adored Amatchi and Chi-chi to her three granddaughters and six great grandchildren: Judy (Danny), with children Sophia and Dominic; Stephanie (Joel), with children Elodie and Sebastian; and Katie (Jay), with children Joey and Evelyne.   Maite is survived by her brother Sebastian (Lourdes), sister Natividad (Pedro), sister Feliciana, and her sister-in-law, Rosario, along with her many nieces and nephews in California, France and Spain.  She will be sadly missed, but fondly remembered.  She is preceded in death by her husband Manex, along with seven of her siblings, Juan, Pedro, Jose, Leoncio, Alejandro, Miguel, Antonio and her brother-in-law Juan Perez.

Maite and her husband immigrated to the United States in 1970, where they lived in San Rafael, CA.  Her son came to join her in 1972.   In 1973, Maite and her husband moved to San Francisco and ran the Royal Hotel boarding house for 15 years before moving back to their home in San Rafael.  Upon her wishes she lived there until her death.  Maite was very proud of her Basque Heritage and was an active member of the San Francisco Basque Cultural Center and the Marin Sonoma Basque Club.  She enjoyed playing the card game of Mus, in which she was a very strong competitor, with her family and friends.  Maite was affectionate and kind.  She had a wonderful sense of humor, and she loved to laugh.  

Our deep felt thanks to the wonderful doctors and nurses at Marin General Hospital and the staff at the Petaluma Post-Acute Rehab for the care they gave Maite these past few weeks.  We are especially grateful to Marisa Velazquez-Gomez for the heartfelt care and comfort she gave Maite in her final days.   Thank you to Hospice by the Bay for their care and support. 

A rosary will be held on August 18th at 7:00 pm with visitation beginning at 6:00 at Monte’s Chapel of the Hills, 330 Redhill Avenue, San Anselmo, CA.  The memorial mass will be at Saint Rafael’s Catholic Church, 1104 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA at 10:00 am, on August 19th. The final resting place will be at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, San Rafael, CA following the mass.

Memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice or to the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at 501 St. Jude Drive, Memphis, TN 38105 in the memory of Maria Victoria Etcheverria.

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