Event planner, ballet and opera lover, beloved mother

Luzma Brayton of Claremont died peacefully in her sleep at home on June 19, 2014, with her family present, following a nine-year battle with cancer.  She was 71.

Mrs. Brayton was born in Mexico City on October 30, 1942 to Luis Rodriguez Villa, MD and Dolores Ezeta Rodriguez; she was the fourth of 11 children.

Following her education at the German School and the Oxford School, she worked for the United States Embassy in Mexico City and the public relations department of Eastern Airlines. She traveled to South America with her parents to medical conventions and with family and friends to Europe and the United States.

Luzma met her future husband, Thomas “Tim” C. Brayton, when he traveled to Mexico City in the summer of 1965 following his second year of law school, to visit his college roommate who was a Foreign Service Officer at the US Embassy. Luzma and Tim were married in a civil ceremony at the Faculty House of the Claremont Colleges on November 22, 1969, followed by a religious ceremony on March 13, 1970 in Mexico City. They moved to Claremont in 1979. She became a United States citizen in 2002.

Mrs. Brayton spent 23 years as the director of events for the president’s office at the Claremont Graduate University, during the tenures of John D. Maguire and Stedman Upham. She organized hundreds of events, including the annual Town and Gown receptions hosted by the CGU president. 

Mrs. Brayton was active in community and college-related activities, serving as a board member and president of the Assistance League of Pomona Valley, Inland Pacific Ballet and Curtain Raisers of the Claremont Colleges, as well as enjoying her memberships in Foothill Philharmonic, League of Women Voters and Claremont Heritage.

She was especially proud of her two sons, Tom, a musician, and Paul, a glass artist.

She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Tim Brayton; her son Tom (Katie) of Claremont; her son Paul (Kjersti) of Redondo Beach; her granddaughter Charley Brayton; her brother Jose Luis Rodriguez of San Luis Potosi, Mexico; her sister Margarita Josenhans of Newport Beach, and her sister Lourdes Rodriguez Lozano of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

She also leaves her sisters, Maria Eguenia Rodriguez Galindo and Delores Rodriguez, and her brothers, Francisco Rodriguez, Ignacio Rodriguez, Pablo Rodriguez and Miguel Rodriguez, all of Mexico City.

A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2014 at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, 435 Berkeley Ave. in Claremont, followed by lunch at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave. in Claremont.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Children’s Dental Center, Assistance League of Pomona Valley, 655 N. Palomares St., Pomona, CA, 91767.