Rosanna D. Miranda 

Rosanna Miranda was called home to Papa on January 4, 2026. She died peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by her immediate family. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend to all. She was born in Lompoc on November 29, 1957, and was raised on the Santa Ynez Chumash Reservation. She was a respected tribal elder who was politically engaged in her tribal community her entire life. She was a community organizer who, in the late 70’s, led a small coalition that secured the funding to build the foundations of both the tribe’s cultural monitoring and education programs.

Rosanna was a jack of all trades who was fiercely committed to supporting her family. Among her many jobs, she worked for State parks and worked at Refugio and El Capitán beaches. She worked as a baker in Colorado, at the tribe’s first Bingo operation, and as an administrative assistant within the Chumash Enterprises. She worked for Bernie Taupin as a housekeeper, and she worked as a taxi driver in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Rosanna walked within her faith throughout her life, and she never stopped sharing the gospel. She was highly active in her church, and she especially enjoyed ministering within native communities.

Rosanna loved to travel and visited cities and national parks throughout the United States. Her international adventures included visits to Canada, Israel, Spain, Fiji, India, Haiti, and Italy. She was well known within her family for her love of bright colors, and she was an artist who could paint, draw, and create beautiful beadwork. She was well known for making homemade gifts for her children and grandkids. She was an amateur musician who enjoyed both playing the guitar and singing gospel music. She loved to play computer and video games and was highly competitive. It also brought her joy to play chair volleyball with the tribal elders.

Her hobbies included gardening, tending her chickens, making jewelry, trying new recipes, walking on the beach, and she was on a first-name basis with Amazon.com. She was never afraid to speak up in any situation, and she always told her truth. She was highly invested in her immediate and extended family and was engaged in their everyday lives and concerns. She was well known for her giant heart and everyone who knew her knew that she would give you the shirt off her back.

She was preceded in death by her parents Margaret and Joseph Miranda, her brothers Peter, Frankie, Cyril (Lips), Billy, Anthony, and Joseph (Nut).

She is survived by her sisters Clara Miranda and Cindy Martinez; her five daughters, Inez, Monica, Helen, Micki, and Rose; her six grandkids, LaNiecia, Ethan, Summer, Soleil, Hateya, and Tyee, and one great grandson Sebastian. She also had numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins.

A service was held on Saturday, January 10th at Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard. Followed by a reception at the Tribal Hall in Santa Ynez.