Jan. 5, 1934 – May 1. 2010
Luisa Ezquerro, a native of San Francisco, lost her long battle to cancer at home with family on May 1, 2010.
Luisa, a lifelong educator, community activist, leader and mentor spent her life serving the San Francisco community. She taught for 43 years in the San Francisco Unified School District impacting the lives of countless young adults throughout the City she loved so dearly. Luisa started her student teaching at Polytechnic High School. She also taught at Lincoln High School, Lowell High School, and retired while teaching at McAteer High School. Those who knew Luisa know that she never really retired but kept active helping others in the community.
Luisa was a community activist for most of her adult life helping to found the Mission Coalition Organization and serving on its board of directors. She helped create other community organizations which continue to enrich the lives of so many today, including the Mission Housing Development Corporation where she was a member of the Executive Board, Mission Model Neighborhood Corporation, Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, Mission Economic Development Association, The Mission Reading Clinic now known as the Mission Learning Center, the Mission Tutorial Program, Arriba Juntos, Mission Neighborhood Health Center, Mission Community Legal Defense and Mission Hiring Hall.
Luisa was very active in the Teachers Union, and a member of their Executive Board, where she also served as president for approximately six years. In 2001, she was awarded Teacher of the Year by San Francisco State University.
In 1976 Mayor George Moscone appointed Luisa to the Recreation and Parks Commission. In 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed her to the Commission on the Status of Women. Throughout her lifetime she was appointed to and served on the transition teams for three San Francisco Mayors.
In addition, Luisa was active with the United Educators of San Francisco, Jamestown Community Center, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR) and was a consultant for the San Francisco Board of Education.
Luisa is survived by her brother Manuel Ezquerro, her sister Carmen Ezquerro Fletcher, and by many nephews and nieces.
Viewing will be at Duggan’s Funeral Home at 3434 17th Street, San Francisco, Thursday, May 6 from 3pm to 6:30, followed by a rosary at Saint Anne’s Church of the Sunset at 850 Judah between 14th Avenue and Funston at 7pm. Funeral services will be the following day, Friday, May 7th at St. Anne’s Church at 10:00 a.m. and the buria follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Contributions can be made in Luisa Esquerro’s name to Mission Learning Center.