September 24, 1944 – August 2, 2024
Dolores Cuerva, born September 24, 1944 in Bakersfield, passed away on August 2, 2024 at her home with family in San Rafael, California. She was preceded in death by her mother Josefina Serna, stepfather Frank Serna, beloved husband Frank Cuerva, and sister Carmen Dodd. She is survived by her sons John and Francisco (Kelley), siblings Alice Long, Emmett Miranda, and Margaret Pedersen and their families, and granddaughters Cecilia and Laurel.
The first of five siblings, she grew up in the Central Valley in the small town of Los Banos. After high school, LBHS, Class of ’62, Dolores moved to San Francisco to attend Golden Gate University, where she met and fell in love with Frank who hailed from Manila, Philippines and was studying for an MBA. They married and started a family in San Francisco, eventually settling in San Rafael.
While working as a Registered Nurse and raising a family, Dolores returned to school to earn her BS in Nursing from Sonoma State in 1992. For thirty-one years, she worked as an RN for Marin and Sonoma Kaiser Permanente. Her natural proclivity for caring for patients and her attention to detail helped her to develop a reputation as a “go-to” nurse and valued colleague.
Dolores was a devout Catholic and an active member of the St. Isabella’s Parish in Terra Linda where she found peace, inspiration and community. Over decades, she volunteered in the Parish Youth Council, Eucharistic Ministry, CASA Group and St Vincent de Paul Society. Her altruistic bent combined with her nursing experience, led her to venture on one of her most rewarding life experiences: traveling to the Guatemalan highlands as part of an eye surgery team to help provide much needed care. She also traveled to Mexico as a member of the Lions Club of Las Gallinas to distribute eyeglasses to locals in need.
Dolores loved to garden, cook, read, swim and root for the SF Giants. She traveled the world delighting in new experiences and cultures. Most of all she cherished spending time with her family and many friends, sharing food, stories and laughter. She will be dearly missed by many but especially by her family who relied on her for advice, friendship and an uncompromising love.
Donations in her honor can be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Rafael and to St. Isabella’s Maintenance Fund, 1 Trinity Way, San Rafael, CA 94903.
Her services were held at St. Isabella’s on Saturday, August 17, 2024.
