Services Friday for Mi Rancho Tortillas owner Dorothy Cruz

Dorothy Cruz, credited as the glue that held the family company Mi Rancho Tortillas of Clovis together, died earlier this month.

She was 76.

Her memorial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church at 816 Pottle Ave. in Fresno.

Cruz and her husband, Gilbert, who died in 2003, led the tortilla manufacturer through years of growth and change. Dorothy Cruz was known as a good business woman who was loyal to her community and its schools.

“She’s going to be missed,” said Clovis City Council Member Harry Armstrong. “She was a very strong-willed individual, very opinionated in her ways. She was the glue that held that company together during some very trying times.”

The company was founded in 1948 and later bought by Gilbert Cruz and his brothers. Dorothy and Gilbert Cruz, who both grew up in Fresno, eventually became the sole owners. They ran the company together, with their sons and grandson joining them years later.

Mi Rancho expanded over the years and added jobs. In 2011, Dorothy Cruz was inducted into the Tortilla Industry Hall of Fame for her 65 years in the tortilla industry.

Cruz was a big supporter of Clovis High School sports teams and served on various boards and committees in Clovis, said Peg Bos, president of the Clovis-Big Dry Creek Museum in Old Town Clovis and a former mayor.

“She was very involved in the community, very responsible, a good business woman and was always really loyal to the city,” she said.

Dorothy Cruz

Born: April 23, 1936

Died: Feb. 5, 2013

Survivors: Sons Criss K. Cruz and Kirk Cruz, and grandson Cristopher G. Cruz

Occupation: President, owner of Mi Rancho Tortillas

Services: 10 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church at 816 Pottle Ave. in Fresno.

By Bethany Clough