While weed eating or mowing Crown Hill, you have time to think. Namely about the souls you are moving amongst. I made a mental note to let the board/volunteers know we need to raise/level Bonifacio Ontiveros’s flat grave marker, as it was sinking and threatening to be lost to grass and time.
With Mr. Ontiveros on my mind, I dived into Ancestry dot com to try to find anything I could to learn about him, his family and their time in Pasadena in the 1940’s. I was stunned to immediately discover a photo, a very handsome young man in a suit and tie. Hair combed and parted, and shoes shined. It is rare to find a photo of a person buried in Crown Hill, so I am posting this in the hopes that descendants will see it and confirm that YES. . . .it is him.
Bonifacio was born May 14, 1889 in Sabinas, Coahuila Mexico. There is a border crossing record dated November 4th 1934 in Laredo Texas. I don’t think this was his first arrival to the United States as his 2nd marriage to Jovita was 8 years earlier in 1926 in Harris Texas. Perhaps this was a trip to visit home. Bonifacio and Jovita went on to have many children, perhaps 8 or more. Sadly they lost a couple as infants.
Bonifacio and even most of his children worked as laborers in Pasadena. At the time of his death his occupation was listed as a laborer for “the City of Pasadena”. I can’t tell that any of Bonifacio’s children are buried in Crown Hill, his wife is not either. However, he has a sister buried very near him. Eusebia Ontiveros DeOrtiz is on the same row only separated by the drive between sections A and E.
Sadly both siblings died young. Bonifacio’s death certificate tells a tale of a horrific accident to his leg when he was 56 yrs old. And Eusebia passed from complications from a surgery she had 3 yrs prior to her death at the age of 43.
If you are reading this and know of a descendant of the Ontiveros family, please ask them to reach out so we may correct any facts we may have mixed up. We always want to be perfect in our story telling in order to bring attention to these very deserving people. And perhaps, the family would like to tell this story at one of our events at Crown Hill.
Sarah White ~ Vice President of Crown Hill Cemetery Association
