Fireworks may be the one thing most often equated with the Fourth of July holiday, but for one local woman the holiday brings to mind something of greater personal importance — her American citizenship.
    Arriving to Wellington as a Mexican immigrant in 1946, Geronima L. Mendia celebrates 62 years in this community and her 98th birthday this month.
    Mendia was born in 1911 in San Julian, Jalisco, Mexico and in 1944 she married Gregorio L. Mendia, a railroad brakeman. Two years later he moved his family — including their first son — by train to Wellington.
    At that time the railroad was recruiting many workers from Mexico, and the immigrants in Wellington became a close-knit group, with several sharing the same home towns, states and even last names.
    Mendia said the women bonded in support of their husbands, including some hard times when layoffs were experienced.
    It was during these first years in Wellington the Mendia family grew even more, with a total of six children born over an eight year time span.  Alfonso, Raul, Erasmo, Umberto, Aurora and Maria Mendia were all raised in Wellington.
    As their family grew, so did their church family and the St. Rose Catholic Church in Wellington was hand-built by the nearly 300-member local Mexican community.
    Mendia remembers cooking long-hours with one of her young daughters sitting by her side, she said.  The women made hundreds of dozens of Mexican meals for both the community, as a fundraiser, and for the men building the church.  Her children also remember this time too, but not for the work — for the dancing they would have as they hosted traditional Mexican fiestas to support their church.
    “Those were the good old days,” she said.
    Mendia expresses some sorrow over the recent loss of her home church, St. Rose, which at different times she had lived either across the street from or only a couple blocks from. 
    It’s her faith that she attributes getting her through everything from living 1,500 miles from home, raising six children on her own, and enduring the years of the Vietnam War where all four sons were enlisted at the same time, three serving in Vietnam and one in Germany.
    Now, she’s happy in her Wellington home where she’s routinely visited by family and friends, including many grandchildren.
    In 1996, at the young age of 85, she was ready to mark the 50th year of her residency in Wellington with one of the most important occasions of her life — becoming a U.S. citizen.
    As she and family attended the services in the Federal Courthouse in Wichita, she was happy to have a front-row seat in the crowded room, she said.  She took the event seriously, took it all to heart.
    Her family tells the story of her naturalization test when she was asked who the first president of the United States was and she answered Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    Although that was the wrong answer, when the examiner realized Roosevelt was president when she immigrated to Wellington, he let the error slide.  FDR remains her favorite president to this day, she says emphatically.   
    As her family surrounded her this week with an early celebration for the Fourth of July and her upcoming birthday, discussion rolled around to a famous Mexican singer.
    “He’s from your home town, mama,” one of her daughters called from the kitchen.
    “No, this is my town,” Mendia answered.
    Not making big plans for the holiday this year, Mendia says she would be happy just watching the neighborhood kids safely enjoy some fireworks in the park across the street from her home.