Gena Mederios

Gena Medeiros died on January 30, 2011 in Yucaipa. Born in Jackson, Kentucky on January 3, 1926. She moved to San Diego, California in 1957. After she married Gene Medeiros in 1966, she moved to Highland, but fell in love with Yucaipa, where the family moved to in 1971. Gena began serving as a volunteer at Dunlap Elementary School when her daughter, Melodye (Dee Dee) started school in 1972. Over the years she serves as the chairman secretary, president, and then welfare chairman of DECA, a school support group before it changed to PTA. She continued to volunteer in PTA and the Yucaipa School District until her daughter graduated from high school in 1985. Gena then joined forces with Lenore Will and the Yucaipa Valley Fire & Rescue Association. continuing to provide toys, food and clothes to needy families in the area, until her health started to deteriorate in 2000. She was also a daycare provider from 1980 until 2000, caring for children from infant to early adolescnece, a job she found very rewarding and loved the kids in her care as her own. The last eleven years Gena was plagued by multiple health issues including stroke, congestive heart failure and psedudomas pneumonia, which she succumbed to. The family decided not hold any services and her ashes will be scattered at a latter date. In lieu of fowers the family said Gena would have wanted a donation be made to the Yucaipa Valley Fire & Rescue with memo "Toy Drive" to continue to help needy children.