Obituary - Lilly Rodriguez, sister of Benny Urquidez
Woman boxer, wife, mom dies at 59
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_5027989
SYLMAR - The world knew Lilly Rodriguez as a hardened fighter, but her husband remembers her as a striking, black-haired beauty.
Punching her way into the record books with karate, kickboxing and boxing, she was decorated as a champion and inducted into multiple halls of fame. But to Blinky Rodriguez, who fought alongside her in martial arts and relied upon her as his family anchor through long years of gang intervention, she was always the striking 21-year-old who caught his eye when he was a teenager.
He asked her out when he was just 14. She gave him a quarter and told him to go buy an ice cream instead. Within a year, they were dating. He lied about his age and married her when he was 16.
"Lilly was a woman, and I was a young punk, but she taught me how to be a man," he said. "There's just so much richness there - so much, so much. I lost the total love of my life."
After several months of poor health, Lilly Rodriguez died Saturday at UCLA Medical Center from renal failure. She was 59 and had nurtured a 36-year marriage, raised six children and built herself into a legend of martial arts.
Rodriguez lived for fighting. She was the daughter of a female wrestler and a boxer, sister of Arnold and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, both superstars of the martial arts world, and wife of a kickboxer. She rose to prominence in the late 1970s, far before the "Million Dollar Baby" era made it acceptable for women to try their hands at fighting.
"She was easy to talk to - a class lady and a good fighter," said Gene LeBell, a renowned instructor and judo champion. "When she did it, there weren't very many women fighters. She was as good as there ever was, in my book, when she was at the top of her game."
That earned her a place in the Martial Arts History Museum's Hall of Fame in 2003, preceded by Benny in 1999 and followed by Arnold in 2004 and Blinky in 2005. After retiring from competition in the early 1990s, she became a successful trainer and mentor to at-risk youths at the Sylmar-based Heart of Champions gym.
"She set the standard and became a top fighter and world champion when it was mainly for men," said Michael Matsuda, the museum's president. "Lilly was just a tremendous person, a great fighter and an amazing trainer."
But for all her pugilistic prowess, Rodriguez was remembered by her family as the consummate mom, grandmother and homemaker. Her holiday dinners, often with more than 100 guests, were can't-miss affairs.
She raised five sons and a daughter, nurturing them and calling them daily to make sure they all stayed in touch.
"I had insomnia as a kid growing up, and she'd stay up with me at 3, 4 in the morning, sitting and talking with me," said her son, Gabriel, 32. "You could put your head on her lap, and all your problems were gone and nothing else mattered."
Even before she joined her husband in his gang-intervention efforts, she became well-acquainted with tragedy. The couple's eldest son, David, has spent the last 26 years in Pelican Bay State Prison for murder. In 1990, their 17-year-old son, Sonny, was shot to death. The experience inspired Blinky Rodriguez to get involved with gang prevention and intervention, and he now serves as executive director of the North Hills-based Communities In Schools.
In 1993, he helped broker the Valley Unity Peace Treaty, a landmark accord that dramatically reduced gang homicides and won international acclaim. It was Lilly who supported him through years of dealing with grief on the streets, he said.
"People take things for granted, and we lose what's most important," he said. "Love your wife; give her your heart and soul."
