Jenny (Espinosa) Gilman

Jenny (Espinosa) Gilman’s journey on this earth ended in Dixonville, Oregon on March 21, 2025, over 1500 miles from where it began on July 9, 1938 in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Her parents were Antonio Espinosa Montgomery and Guadalupe Saenz Uranga. Although Jenny was born in Ciudad Juárez, she grew up in Ensenada, Mexico. She recalled attending school in Mexico and students were required to help clean the school. She learned English at the age of 15 when her family immigrated from Ensenada to Ojai, California where there were deep familial roots. Jenny married Dick O’Neill in 1955, later divorcing and putting herself through nursing school as a single mother of four. Jenny’s madre, Guadalupe, lived with the family. Times were lean but there are memories of many family outings such as picking up a watermelon and spending the day at the beach near Ventura and spending time at the Robinson Family ranch in Ojai. Jenny married Page Gilman in 1970. Jenny and Page moved from Ojai to Watsonville California soon after their marriage, when Page became the Business Manager of the Register-Pajaronian newspaper in Watsonville. When Page retired in 1985, they moved to Roseburg Oregon, moving their goat farm from Watsonville to Roseburg.  Jenny ran a second-hand children’s clothing store out of the barn. Jenny was passionate about family, music, gardening, art, cooking, and life in general. Everything she did was at 110 percent. She was very involved in her grandchildren’s lives supporting them in band, choir, and sports.

She was preceeded in death by her husband Page, brother Jorge Espinosa, and granddaughters Aislinn (O’Neill) Gillespie, and Zoe Gilman. She is survived by her children David A. Gilman, Andy Gilman, Maggie Gilman, Richard O’Neill, Emmy Gilman, David H. Gilman, Victoria Gilman, Don Gilman, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held in May.

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