Sylvia M. Yanez

We sadly announce the peaceful passing of 100 year old Sylvia Micaila Yanez. She was the first born to Melquiadez Barron and George Prado in San Felipe Guanajuato, Mexico. When Sylvia was young, they migrated to the United States settling in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Sylvia became a naturalized U.S. citizen August 14, 1956. She is preceded in death by her husband, Emmett J. Yanez, her sisters, Jessie Grijalva, Ascension Hayden, Sarah Flores, Julia Hale, her brothers, John and Louis Prado. She was the last of the siblings in the Prado and the Magana family.

Her first husband, Vincent Magana, was in the U.S. Navy for over 30 years. They had 3 children: Rita, Rebecca and Michael. Sylvia raised them mostly on her own.The family traveled and lived in Japan, Canada, and throughout the U.S..

In 1996, she reconnected and married Emmett J. Yanez of St. Paul. She moved back to Saint Paul, Minnesota where she lived until Emmett’s passing. Her daughter, Rebecca, and husband, Ron, moved Sylvia with them to Houston in 2017.

She was a strict Hispanic mother who protected her children fiercely. She believed in ‘tough love.’ Her teachings of discipline and respect will be with her children always. Sylvia had a long and blessed life. “She will always be with us—in our hearts and in the love she left behind.”

Sylvia is survived by her three children Rita Poulson, Rebecca Wilson (Ron), and Michael Magana. Her grandchildren Mike Belus, Natalie Koyama, and Jeff Cable (Ruthie). Her great grandchildren Vinny, Dominic and Danielle Belus, Jordan, Devin and Lawrence Koyama, and Amanda Tollett.

A service will be held Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery in Santa Clara, California. For details, contact Rebecca Wilson (281) 550-LOVE (5683)