Ofelia Sumano; Longtime Oxnard Restaurateur

Ofelia Sumano, co-owner of the Bahia Restaurant in Oxnard, died Friday after a brief illness. She was 46.

Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Sumano came to the United States in 1971 and settled in Ventura County. She worked for several years in a lemon-packaging plant in Montalvo before opening a Mexican restaurant in La Colonia named Bohemio Cafe.

She operated the cafe for 22 years with her husband, Adan, but recently sold the Cooper Road eatery and bought the Bahia Restaurant on Oxnard Boulevard.

“She was a very hard-working woman who would help anyone in the world,” Adan Sumano said of his wife.

In addition to her work at the restaurant, Sumano volunteered her time teaching Oxnard High School students to avoid fights and confrontations.

“Her work with the children was very important to her,” Adan Sumano said. “She wanted to help them deal with discrimination and learn to solve their problems peacefully.”

Sumano is also survived by four daughters--Hilda, Veronica, Irma Hernandez and Patricia Sumano--and two sons, Adan Jr. and Armando Sumano.

A service will be held today at 7 p.m. at the Garcia Mortuary of Oxnard. Mass will be at 9 a.m. Monday at the Santa Clara Church in Oxnard.

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