It’s been 100 years since Erminia Rodriguez was born but she isn’t counting. The Culver City resident, who celebrated her birthday on Dec. 10, spent a week celebrating with friends, family and even with the Culver City City Council who recognized her during their Dec. 8 meeting.
“I was happy,” Rodriguez said. “It’s all a blessing from God. I was very happy. I felt overwhelmed by such a blessing.”
The oldest of eight children, Rodriguez was married at age 19 to Vicente Rodriguez and had 10 children, of which five are still alive today. Rodriguez was left a widow at age 67 after having made plans to come to America with her husband. So for Rodriguez the decision to leave her native El Salvador and migrate to the United States was not an easy choice. With the encouragement of her daughter Enriqueta Gaitan, who was already in America, Rodriguez made the trip to the U.S. embassy to apply for a visitor visa.
“She (Gaitan) finally convinced me and we went to get the passport,” Rodriguez said. “They were issuing them within eight days (back in El Salvador) but I actually received it that same day. Once we were in the embassy (U.S.) I wanted to turn back and asked myself ‘what for?’ but at that moment an embassy employee approached us.”
Initially Rodriguez applied for a 15-day visa but much to her surprise she was granted a five-year visa.
“Almost all of my kids were here but I didn’t really want to come,” Rodriguez said. “But they gave me five years and so we began arranging the trip. I would travel back and forth between here and El Salvador and eventually I became a citizen.”
For this devout Christian woman, whose birthday celebration went on for a week, life has been a blessing and she is grateful that she came to America, a place she says she loved the moment she arrived.
“It was marvelous to have come here,” Rodriguez said. “Since I came here, I liked it so much that I did not feel like going back.”
Rodriguez’s birthday celebration began Dec. 6 with a party, continued on Dec. 7 when she was able to celebrated at her church Iglesia Christiana Antioquia (located on Adams Boulevard and 5th Avenue), extended to Dec. 8 when she was recognized at City Hall by the Culver City City Council and finished off on Wednesday, Dec. 10 with a mariachi-led celebration at home.
Described as brave, strong and a hard worker, Rodriguez has always been devoted to her children Enriqueta Gaitan, Sary Rodriguez, Jose Moises Rodriguez, Carla Rodriguez, Lucy Calles and Liliana Rodriguez, who passed away not long ago and prays every night for her entire family, which includes 16 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.
When asked what her secret was to live to be 100, her answer was simple and without hesitation.
“It’s all thanks to God,” Rodriguez replied.
