Isabel Castro Atoigue

Isabel Castro Atoigue, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister

and friend, passed away on March 10, 2024 after a long battle with heart

disease. The second of eight children, Isabel was born on July 5th,1959 in

Tamuning, Guam to Vicente Castro and Soledad Rivera. In 1973 she moved

to California with her father and enrolled in Milpitas High School, where she

excelled in academics and acquired a love for soccer. Isabel enrolled in

Evergreen Community College in 1977, choosing the Administration of Justice

program which allowed her to participate in multiple ride-alongs with the

Milpitas Police Department. Through this experience she explored her love of

social justice and became an advocate for numerous causes. In 1978, she

married her husband, Gregory Atoigue Sr. and they welcomed the first of five

children.

The birth of her first child, who had albinism, focused Isabel’s advocacy on

children with disabilities, specifically those with an IEP in public schools.

Isabel became a fierce and outspoken proponent for this community and she

often attended school board meetings with professional consultants to push

for ADA accommodations and specialized support. On January 20th 1998,

Isabel’s world collapsed when her eldest son was brutally murdered and the

investigation mishandled by the San Leandro Police Department. The

subsequent harassment and illegal acts against Isabel and her family, coupled

with the hundreds of court proceedings compounded her suffering. But Isabel

never stopped fighting. This determination is what continues to motivate and

inspire her children.

In the years that followed, Isabel sought to continue her advocacy as a

volunteer for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and provided much needed

support to the unhoused community through food distribution. She also

worked as a security liaison for St. Leander’s church where she was tasked

with maintaining the integrity of the buildings for a variety of events.

Isabel is preceded in death by her two oldest sons, Gregory John Atoigue, Jr,

John Vincent Atoigue, her father Vicente (Big Ben) Cruz Castro (Familian

Siket), her mother Soledad Rivera Castro (Familian Gotgohu), her brother

Vincent Felix Castro, and her father-in-law, John Fox Atoigue.

Isabel is survived by her husband of 45 years, Gregory Atoigue, Sr, her

devoted son Christopher Allen Atoigue, her adoring daughters Angelica Marie

Atoigue and Jaclyne Darlene Atoigue, her mother-in-law Frances Mary

Atoigue and her doting daughter-in-law Rebecca Cisneros, as well as her

most prized treasures, her nine grandchildren: Elizabeth, Aidan, Alexandria,

Ethan, Landon, Ezequiel, Lorenzo, Benjamin and James. She leaves behind

her sisters Rosalyn Moreno of Hollister, CA, Lucelle Cox of Lancaster, CA,

Cathy Gresl of San Antonio, TX, Barbra Manibusan of Round Rock, TX,

Valentina Fortin of Sahaurita, AZ, and Evelyn Cox of Blanchard, OK; not to

mention dozens of cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and her best

friend, Sue Keever of Hayward, CA.

There are no words that fully encapsulate the immeasurable beauty and

generosity of Isabel Atoigue. For those who had the privilege to know and love

her she was a warrior, a teacher, a cheerleader and a friend. Isabel filled

every life she touched with warmth, laughter, and wonderment. To quote a

family friend “there has never been, and will never be anyone like Isabel.” Her

loss has been devastating but to focus on that alone would do a disservice to

her many amazing contributions to this world. Therefore, let me simply say

thank you on behalf of every person who was fortunate enough to laugh, cry,

sing, dance and be in your company. Thank you for filling our bodies with your

delicious food, our minds with your wisdom, our hearts with your unconditional

love and our souls with your goodness. We will carry your legacy forward with

the same devotion and spirit you modeled each and every day. We love you

(Mama, grandma wumsy, Izzy, partna) always, to infinity and beyond!

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