Teresa Spiva
Feb. 18, 1942-May 30, 2024
Redwood City, California

Teresa Najera Spiva passed away at the age of 82 on May 30, 2024 at her home in Redwood City with her husband of almost 60 years by her side.

Born in 1942 to parents Cristina Ledesma and Carlos Najera, she lived in multiple desert and coastal locations in California as a child, before settling in the Bay Area. While studying to be a dental hygienist at San Jose City College, she met the love of her life, Everett Spiva. They married in 1965 and in 1975 she welcomed the joy of her life, her son John. While raising him in Menlo Park, she worked as a medical assistant and billing specialist for medical practices at Stanford, jobs that well matched her talents for organizing things and putting people at ease.

With her wonderful taste and eye for beauty, she created homes that were warm and inviting. She and Everett shared a love for antiques and art and enjoyed finding and refinishing treasures. She was known for the colorful flowers which bloomed in her garden and adorned her living room and for her needlepoint creations. She enjoyed listening to opera, completing jigsaw puzzles (without looking at the picture!), mystery stories, art museums, watching Warriors games, and family history research. She loved to travel, particularly to the California central coast and to the religious, art and history centers of Europe and Mexico, and to document her experiences in meticulously made photo albums.

Teresa will be remembered for her kindness, her perception and, above all, her expression of love through her hospitality. A talented cook and baker, her friends and family think fondly of the many meals shared, of her enchiladas, chocolate cake or homemade limoncello, of the gatherings on the back patio of her homes in Menlo Park or Redwood City, and the laughter and support.

A breast cancer survivor, she faced her diagnosis of leukemia with the grace and positivity which were hallmarks of her personality. She is predeceased by her parents, her sister Christina Spraker, her brother Carlos Najera, Jr., and her son John. She is deeply mourned by her husband Everett and leaves behind her brother Joseph Najera, her daughter-of-the-heart Chauntyl McGuire, and numerous cousins who will miss her dearly.

A long-time parishioner at Church of Nativity in Menlo Park, her funeral Mass will be held there on Thursday June 6th at 11am.