Martha T. Zuniga; Mexican Restaurant Owner
Thousand Oaks resident Martha T. Zuniga, who opened Lupe’s Mexican Restaurant in 1947, died Saturday. She was 87.
Zuniga was born March 27, 1910, in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico.
Her family moved to California when she was an infant, settling in Los Angeles County. In the 1930s, the family moved to Ventura County.
In 1947, Zuniga went into business, opening what was then called Lupe’s Cafe, a small Mexican restaurant on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. At the time, her nearest neighbors were the wild animals of Jungleland, a tourist attraction located where the Thousand Oaks Civic Center now stands.
Zuniga’s restaurant drew loyal customers, as well as some unexpected guests. Zuniga once discovered a gorilla in a tree in her yard. Another time, an African lion found her chicken coop irresistible.
“She was very strong, very independent,” said her daughter, Lupe Zuniga.
Zuniga is survived by her daughters Mary Shaw of Newbury Park, LaLa Cristerna of Camarillo, Lupe Zuniga of Studio City and Barbara Zuniga of Moraga, Calif.; one granddaughter, and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at James A. Reardon Mortuary in Oxnard. A Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Paschal Baylon Church in Thousand Oaks. Interment will follow at Santa Clara Cemetery in Oxnard.
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