Loving wife of the late Melvin Ketchum Sr., Antonia Marie
Ketchum died Monday, July 28, at Saint Louise Hospital at the age
of 94.
Loving wife of the late Melvin Ketchum Sr., Antonia Marie Ketchum died Monday, July 28, at Saint Louise Hospital at the age of 94. She was born May 10, 1909, in San Juan Bautista and lived most of her life in Gilroy.
She is the granddaughter of Ascension Solorsano, the last descendent of the San Juan Mission Indians. The new middle school in Gilroy, Ascension Solorsano Middle School, is named after her grandmother.
She is preceded in death by her loving husband Melvin Sr., brothers Santos Corona of Carmel Valley, Tony Corona of Hollister, sisters Carrie Higueria of Pacific Grove and Margaret Serna of Hanford.
She is survived by brother Vincent Corona of San Jose, sons Donald Ketchum of Marysville, Harold and Melvin Ketchum of Gilroy, daughters Gloria Sordello of Reno and Martha Ketchum of Dublin, 22 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, 10 great-great-grandchildren and many friends and relatives.
For many years, she was involved in many jobs around the Gilroy area. In her early life, she was a farmworker with her grandmother. For a time, she attended Holy Cross Convent in Santa Cruz. She spent most of her mid and later years raising her children. Ketchum also did housework and babysitting for family and friends.
She was very proud when she was at the dedication ceremony for the new middle school. “If only grandma could be here to see this,” she said. Ketchum was also a Tribal Elder of the Amah/Mutsun Tribal Band of Ohlone/Costanoan Mission Indians of California.
She was a wonderful, loving and caring person and had a great sense of humor. Her family loved her tamales. She was a great wife and grandmother. She will always be in her family’s prayers and they will miss her terribly. Family gatherings will never be the same.
Services will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the San Juan Bautista Mission. There will be a gathering after the service in the community center at the mission.
