Ana María Moseley de Conesa dreamed and accomplished much in her life. She was selfless, dedicated, hard-working and loving to all who knew her and knew of her.

Establishing a warm home in the Crestline community, she worked hard to help each of her five children launch their own burgeoning lives. She envisioned their wondrous futures as motivation to keeping her shoulder to the wheel, despite the struggles.

Ana María Moseley de Conesa passed away suddenly on July 28, 2023, while briefly visiting her most beloved home in Crestline, where she single-handedly raised her five children to all graduate from university as well as attain master’s and law school level degrees, now pursuing careers in architecture, law, education, technology and business.

She was beloved Mom and Abuela to her five children and eight cherished grandchildren. Her loving children and grandchildren stayed by her side with appreciation and devotion. She continuously inspired and supported them to bring their dreams and ambitions to fruition. She was always turning magnificent, loving and unrealistic opportunities into realities for their lives.

Ana (Anita as she was known to her parents and siblings) was born on Aug. 7, 1943, in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. Daughter of Arturo and Raquel. Beloved sister of Consuelo, Lucia, Arturo and Clara. She is survived by her sons and daughters – Howard, Raquel, Michelle, Steven and David – and her loving grandchildren Rachel, Sarah, Roger, Ashley, Emanuel, Kevin, Maya and Mateo.

An independent, devoted, loyal and curious middle child, Ana was drawn to sports, friends, singing and learning when growing up. She competed in volleyball and her team even placed first to represent her region. She followed her sisters and brought along her little brother to the movies, dances and any event involving music, friends and laughter when growing up in the bustling city of Tucumán. The city was rich in culture and dignity and a lifelong source of delight and pride for Ana. She carried her city of birth and family origins close to her heart.

Ana María Moseley de Conesa’s parents, Raquel and Arturo

Ana spent her young life in a loving and close family. Her father was dedicated to multiple jobs to support the family. He was a political beacon, a traveling salesman and a radio personality known for his deep voice and ability to speak multiple languages (Spanish, Catalan, French and Arabic). Working multiple jobs, he sometimes returned home late only to have to commence again early the next morning. Ana had poignant memories of her father reviewing their homework at night. After his long day and while they slept, Arturo sat at the kitchen table looking over each child’s homework. The next morning the children found pesos monedas nacionales beside their work as a reward. Ana remembers the joy of buying little candies or small toys with those coins.

Ana’s mother, Raquel, ensured the home was running smoothly, end-to-end. Raquel’s love, devotion and endless sacrifice are a theme from her maternal ancestry continued by Ana, her daughter. There was nothing Raquel, nor Arturo, wouldn’t do for their children. No task was too large nor too small. When Ana needed a new dress for her first job after graduating college, Raquel stayed up all night to make it for her. When Ana wanted to celebrate Dia de la Madre (Mother’s Day) for the mother of a school-aged friend, Raquel spent much time baking a beautiful cake so Ana could present it.

Ana lived in a home where education was central to everyday life. Her mother, Raquel, was the daughter of Lebanese (Beirut) parents who immigrated and lived in Tucumán (Yusuf Abdul and Ofelia). Raquel was the first of eight children. She lost a brother when he was 15 to sunstroke, while he was playing fútbol.

At 16 Raquel was invited to teach a class at a local college helping the less economically advantaged women of the community to learn skills to help them earn wages. She did not charge a fee to teach this course. At such a young age she successfully instructed 30 women how to sew, embroider, knit and dressmake. Her mother taught her basic sewing skills and then Raquel self-taught to mastery. She was a seamstress and expert knitter since very young.

Raquel met her future husband at the college where she taught.  He was also teaching classes as a professor of Castellano and French. Within the year, they were married.

Raquel sewed her own wedding dress with her students, each student snipping a piece of their own hair to include within the bottom hem of the dress, as a sign of their support, esteem and wishes for a future of good fortune.

Ana’s father, Arturo, grew up in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain. He studied in Barcelona, France and Argentina. His parents met and fell in love in high school/boarding school in Barcelona, from where the family-origins stem. Arturo’s mother, Consuelo, died while delivering her first and only son. She was remembered when Arturo named his first child, a daughter.

Consuelo, the eldest, as a young woman, volunteered to devote two years of her life to missionary work.

After graduating from college, Ana worked hard at her first bank job to pay for Consuelo’s mission. With an accounting degree, Ana gave up her weekly pay with pride and love.

Ana was chosen from hundreds of applicants to work in the National Bank of Tucumán. Graduating with honors, Ana was one of four women and 29 men selected.

She loved music, all of it. Everything from Jorge Cafrunes, to Elvis and Celine Dion. Ana loved movies – the original 1955 Sisi, The Sound of Music, Disney’s Snow White. Her favorite actor was Natalie Wood. Ana attributes her love of the United States to movies she saw as a young girl with her mother, sisters and brother.

Ana was teaching the toddler-age children at the Sunday school when an elder from the United States was caught off-guard by her beauty and the nurturing way in which she engaged with the young children. He stated his desire to meet her, and one day marry her. After returning to the U.S., he mailed continuous love letters and poems before returning to Argentina a year later to ask her hand in marriage.

Ana’s father, Arturo, did not want her to leave and live so far away. At the time international travel was very expensive and very rare. Despite this, he gave Ana his blessing and missed her absence each day thereafter.

They married on March 22, 1966, in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.

Ana left her family, friends and entire paradigm to move to the United States for married life. She practiced her English and learned to navigate an unfamiliar world in the U.S. at only 23 years old. Ana had no family safety net in this new place. Phone calls were too expensive, letters took two weeks to receive and deliver and the Internet was not yet accessible.

After a year, Ana’s first son was born in 1967. Two years later a first daughter was born and, in 1970, a second daughter. Each of these deliveries was done by cesarean at a time when the operation prioritized the child’s life over the mother’s. It was dangerous and life-threatening for her. Ana was told she should stop at three children due to the impact on her body.  Ana loved children and bore another son in 1975 and a final son was born in 1979, regardless of the warnings. Each child was endlessly loved. With five children, the family was complete.

The family’s first home was on Highland and Walker Streets in San Bernardino.

Ana took a trip to visit the church missionary president who lived in Crestline (up a 5000-foot mountain visible from their San Bernardino house). This visit left a lasting impression on Ana. She learned there were better schools, safer neighborhoods and more opportunities for thriving. Ana appealed to her parents-in-law for the better life their children could have in this place and they offered a loan for the Crestline house. Thirty years later, it was Ana who paid off all the loans to own the home.

The move to the mountains changed the lives and futures of each of her children. Without Ana’s effort to move out of the broken neighborhood, the circumstances would have effectively been detrimental.

Ana’s days were full. She worried over and deeply cared for each of her children until the end, mostly to the exclusion of her own needs.

Ana was a free spirit; she believed in education, independence, the uninhibited pursuit of dreams, perseverance and hard work.

Ana had a pure heart and could sense the innocence in others. She valued loyalty, honesty, dedication and authenticity. She believed that education, a second language, international travel and independence as well as collaboration were the key to success and gave of herself in every way so her children could continue their education and thrive in their lives.

She always worried about being a burden to each child and, therefore, denied her single wish, which was to be by their side in any mundane, trivial or fantastic moment.

Ana created a clean, beautiful, loving and happy home for her family. Although she initially did not know how to drive a car and spoke minimal English, she would find all ways to support the schools, as her father had done. On certain days when parents were required to be at school for meetings or to participate, Ana would walk the mountain roads to get there or ask neighbors for a ride, to be present.

Ana was given a choice when her eldest son turned 18 and was offered a scholarship to attend a chosen university. Ana increasingly realized she would be solely responsible for the well-being of her children. It was at that moment Ana saw her entire future and the future of her children. She knew that by choosing her children, she would walk into the unknown. Ana knew she would have to be the glue to keep the new, smaller family together and moving forward. After much difficulty, physical duress and personal suffering over the years to keep the family together, Ana chose her children and never looked back.

Ana’s focus was for her children to follow their dreams for higher education. Due to Ana’s close relationship to her parents-in-law, they agreed to help pay for college, but only for the eldest. Ana appreciated the support. She also worked hard to pay for the complete education of all her children to finish their university careers with her own hard work and student loans.

Despite the lonely nights, fear and sometimes disabling sacrifice of her own body at work at all hours of the day, she continued. Ana cleaned homes for neighbors, worked at the local grocery store (Goodwin’s) and translated English to Spanish in odd jobs. Ana was tireless. She never gave up despite the uphill climb. She didn’t share her sufferings so her children did not have to endure and inform their own paradigm with troubles and strife. Ana did this in faith that there would be a better day for her children and their children.

Ana danced ballet as a young girl and wished she could play an instrument herself. She was desirous that her kids learn to play instruments, engage in sports and dance. This resulted in the talents of all her grandchildren. Rachel with acting, dancing and singing; Sarah with gymnastics; Roger with piano and swimming; Ashley with singing, dancing and the violin; Emanuel with skiing, singing and art, guitar and boxing; Kevin with cycling, photography and skating; Maya with singing, acting, dancing and soccer; and Mateo with basketball, soccer and piano.

Ana had a quick wit and a shy laugh. She was humble. Most didn’t understand the depth of her intelligence, which she often kept hidden to remain understated; her parents’ teachings.

Ana was sure and rarely wavered. She knew her own opinions and was unafraid to express her feelings. Ana did not tolerate disrespect and forgave silently and often. She loved her entire family, despite possible angry words or conflict. She worried about, rooted for, protected, and forgave each. She always loved them, every moment of every day.

Ana was kind, generous and compassionate. She believed in autonomy and dignity and a person’s right to choose the life they wanted. She understood the concept of tough love and was fiercely independent and private.

Ana María Moseley de Conesa in May 2023

Ana lived with her eldest daughter for the last 16 years of her life. She knew her second grandson, Emanuel, in a daily way from the moment he was born until she left their home in Truckee, Calif., to visit the family’s childhood home in Crestline that fateful July.

Emanuel, her grandson, referred to  her as “La” because it sounds like “Ma” and that’s what he considered her to be, a second Ma. Many moments, days and years were shared between them as Ana had another chance to help raise a child but this time without the worries of finances, and with much fun and travel included. There’s no love like the love of a grandparent in the home and Ana was no exception. She was the source of foundation here too.

“I love you, be safe” is a phrase that was often uttered to her by her grandson, Emanuel. Ana asked her daughter, Raquel, why he said those words each time anyone departed. Raquel told her, “He’s worried it might be the last time he sees this beloved person and wants to make sure they know how significant they are to him.” Ana nodded in understanding and said, “I wish I was able to say that to my mother before she died.” Those words of love and safety were the last words Emanuel spoke to his Abuela, Ana. And now Ana is with her mother, father and sisters to share in their eternal bond.

Ana will be desperately missed by all those she has left behind. Her impact was quiet but fierce. The hearts of Ana’s loved ones are so broken by this unexpected loss. She was a one-of-a-kind angel. Each day missed engaging in her light as Mom or Abuela is a dark day. No other human who has walked this earth will ever be so blessed to have such a mother. She has never been and will never be duplicated on this earth. Her ability to love, sacrifice, and give so deeply of herself surpasses all. To be loved by her was to be truly blessed.

We invite you to join us, Ana’s children, grandchildren, family and friends, to honor and celebrate her on Nov. 25, 2023, at her place of refuge, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church located at 23079 Crest Forest Drive, Crestline. The liturgy is from 11-11:45 a.m. and will be followed by a celebration of Ana’s life. Our gathering in remembrance of Ana is specifically requested by her. Crestline was significant to Ana and as important to us, because of her.