Maria Basilisa Gorrindo

A memorial mass is 11 a.m. June 26 at the Genoa Community Church for former Gardnerville resident Maria Basilisa Gorrindo, 91, who died Dec.19, 2009, at her home in Boise, Idaho. Lunch will immediately follow the service at the Genoa Park.

Born Basilisa Malle on Aug. 21, 1918, in Undues Pintano, Spain, to Mercedes Perez and Salvador Malle, she was one of 10 children and grew up with three of her older sisters, Teresa, Ramira, Felisa, and a brother, Santiago.

At the age of 13, Maria left her family to work as a nanny in Sabada, Spain. Later, she moved to Jaca, Spain, to help her sister run their Pension Espana.

In 1947, Lazaro Gorrindo returned from the United States to visit his family in Spain. Through family, Lazaro and Maria were introduced, and after a short courtship, they were married in Zaragoza, Spain, on Dec. 4, 1947.

Soon thereafter, they made the journey to America to build their home in the Antelope Valley in Southern California, where they lived and raised two children, Robert and Julia.

The couple founded the G&G Sheep Co., a successful enterprise that enabled them to sponsor the migration of many of their family members from Spain to California. 

The couple moved to the Carson Valley in 1973, to join their children who had recently relocated to the area.

Grandchildren Carlos, Maite, Tristan, Lance, Phillip, Izar and Kaitlyn were a great source of strength for Maria, especially after Lazaro's death in 1983.

Mrs. Gorrindo's world revolved around her children and grandchildren, and she enjoyed lending a hand whenever possible.

She moved from the Carson Valley to Boise in 2006, to be near Julia, Maite and Izar. Maria loved to cook and entertain friends, take long walks in her neighborhood, as well as fish and garden.

She enjoyed playing practical jokes, dressing up for Halloween, and telling stories.

Gifts may be made in Mrs. Gorrindo's memory to the American Hospice Foundation, www.americanhospice.org.