Rachel Guerrero Morales; Former Nurse, Teacher

Rachel Guerrero Morales, a former nurse and longtime educator from Oxnard, died Feb. 11 in Covina. She was 73.

A native of Oxnard, she volunteered at age 15 for the American Red Cross in World War II. After the war, she returned to Ventura County and worked for many years as a nurse practitioner at Ventura County General Hospital (now Ventura County Medical Center). She also worked for several local private practices, serving the Mexican American community.

In the early 1970s, she changed careers, becoming a teacher in the migrant education program in the Oxnard School District and later in the Oak View School District.

After she retired from teaching, Morales continued to work in the health-care industry with the Wilson Senior Citizen Center in Oxnard until 1995.

She is survived by her husband, Luis Morales of Oxnard; her children, Rebecca Gil, Stella Guerrero Perez , Alice Guerrero Beaty, Olga Elizabeth Luna and Johnny Lozoya, all of Oxnard; Mary Guerrero Garcia Castaneda of Long Beach; and Rachel Potts of Covina; her sisters, Henrietta M. Ramirez of Port Hueneme and Anona Sanders of Oxnard; her brothers, Max Guerrero of Long Beach and Paul Gonzales of Garden Grove; 25 grandchildren; and 34 great-grandchildren.

A wake will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Abundant Life Church, 166 S. Hayes Ave. in Oxnard.

Burial will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Forest Lawn in Covina.

Ventura County obituaries are published free of charge as a public service to readers. Obituaries are based on information provided by mortuaries.