Miguel Mendoza, beloved father, husband and grandfather, passed away peacefully in his home on March 29, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones.
Miguel was born Feb. 28, 1934 to Enrique and Josefina Mendoza. He lived to be 91 years old.
Miguel was a man of great values, his strong work ethic being one of them. He started work at Community Municipal Golf Course as a greens-keeper, then moved on to become an electrician at Raytheon, where he was employed for 35 years until his retirement.
Miguel had two great passions in his life — his family and his music.
At the age of 21 he married Antoinette, the love of his life. They lived a wonderful life together for 56 years until her passing in 2013.
Together they had six children, countless grandchildren, as well as great grandchildren, and a lifetime of memories, some of which include many family vacations to places like Reno, Nevada, and Tijuana, Mexico, and countless holidays spent in his home on Chino Street in Santa Barbara.
Miguel had a strong passion for music, especially mariachi. His love for the genre was seen by everyone who knew him. It led him to establish his own mariachi group Los Reyes de Santa Bárbara, where he played for many people and celebrities for over 35 years, including then-Gov. Ronald Reagan.
Miguel is preceded in death by his parents Enrique and Josefina Mendoza; brother Rafael Mendoza; sisters Henrietta Mendoza, Eulalia Gomez, Delfina Marquez; his loving wife Antoinette Mendoza; daughter Marie Corral, and son Larry Mendoza.
Migue is survived by his sisters Esper Mendoza, Sally Sanchez, and Maria Lugo; four of his children Michael Mendoza (Sofia), Kenneth Mendoza (Delfina), Debra Richardson (Charles), and Richard Mendoza; as well as his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Rosary service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday April 10 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 21 E. Sola St., Santa Barbara.
Funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday, April 11 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church with burial services immediately following at Calvary Cemetery. A reception will be held at the Eagles Lodge, 923 Bath St., Santa Barbara.
A special thank you to the staff at Valle Verde Santa Barbara and Central Coast Home Health for their help and support over the last couple of months.
Funeral services are being arranged by Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapel.