Carmen Vineyard

September 3, 1929 - November 29, 2018

Carmen was born September 3, 1929 in Los Angeles, California to Charles & Aurelia Roberts. She grew up in the Great Depression and married a young Marine, Harold Long at the age of 16 in 1945. She had two children, James & Carmencita Long while living on a farm in Algona, Iowa. Back in Los Angeles in 1950 as a single parent, she subsequently married Joe Sarabia in 1956 and moved to Downey. In 1967 they adopted a baby boy Dominic Sarabia. After an amicable separation in 1975, the couple proceeded to raise Dominic through joint custody, living on the same street, Cheyenne Street. Carmen built her own duplex and became a successful business woman in Downey before marrying Bob Vinyard in 1986. As President of the Downey Chamber of Commerce in 1992 she received Woman of the Year Award by the State Legislature. Bob and Carmen lived in the house she built for the rest of their days.

Carmen was preceded in death by her husband Bob in October of 2017. She is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren. She passed away quietly on November 29, 2018. Services will be held at Miller Mies Mortuary Downey on December 14 at 10:30 AM.