April 1, 1935 ~ March 3, 2023
Born in: Corrientes, Argentina
Resided in:
Torrance, California
Sebastiana Aranda Montoya passed away peacefully on March 3rd in her home, surrounded by loved ones. She was 87.
Sebastiana, known as “Gigi” or “Yeya” to friends, was born on April 1, 1935 in Corrientes, Argentina. She was the tenth of 13 children. She immigrated to the US, arriving in Chicago on January 20, 1961, the same day John F. Kennedy was inaugurated president. In a few short months, she met her future husband, Juan Montoya, who was from Peru. They were married in October of the same year.
Their family began to grow in 1962 with the births of their children, Edgar, Grace, and John. The couple and their three children moved from Chicago to California in 1968, settling in Gardena where Gigi worked at home as a homemaker. The family moved to Torrance, California in 1976. In 1985, Gigi became a U.S. citizen.
Over the years, she enjoyed spending time with family, eating out, cooking, preparing asados with Juan, shopping at the Galleria and Del Amo Malls, doing needlepoint, and watching funny movies.
Gigi received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior in the mid-70’s while watching a Billy Graham crusade on television. She was introduced to Shekinah Fellowship (Brant Baker Ministries) in Long Beach, California by a close friend. It is through Gigi’s life and this ministry that her three children also came to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. She enjoyed reading her Bible, praying, watching Christian television and talking about and sharing the Lord whenever possible.
Gigi was preceded in death by Juan in October of 2019. She is survived by her son Edgar, daughter Grace, son John (Joanne), and grandsons, Samuel, Christopher, Ian, and Kyle. The family would like to give a special thanks to her caregivers, Ana, Felipe, Christian, and Alex for their help, love and friendship.
Mama will always be remembered for her love for family, her kindness, her hard work, her great food, her funny facial expressions, her Argentine accent (especially when mad), and most importantly, her love for Jesus.
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