Cob bench a tribute to late siblings

The new earthen structure on Sunnyslope Road is part functional art piece, part memorial.|

Rebuilding life after a tragedy is a long, difficult road, but cob builder Miguel Elliott hopes the memorial bench he built will help one Petaluma family with their journey toward healing.

In 2014, Arturo and Mary Hinojosa lost both of their adult children within six months of each other. Their daughter, Ritta Hinojosa Smith, lost her battle with breast cancer in early 2014. Their son, Arturo “Tootie” Hinojosa Jr., was killed outside his home last September.

Elliott, a friend of the Hinojosas who lives across the street, wanted to do something positive for the family and for the close-knit group of neighbors who live on Sunnyslope Road. He decided that building a bench that could be shared by everyone in the neighborhood would be a great way to honor the memory of Mary and Arturo Jr., who grew up on Sunnyslope.

“The corner of Sunnyslope and Suncrest was just a great spot to have a bench - and I thought having a bench at the top of the hill would be really nice for walkers coming from both sides,” Elliott said. “The mailboxes were also falling over and looked tacky, so I wanted to improve and beautify those, too.”

Elliott, founder of Living Earth Structures, specializes in building structures out of cob, a prehistoric technique where clay is mixed with sand, straw and water to make bricks. The memorial bench and mailbox were built using this technique out of adobe clay that came right from the property.

“People assume it’s cement, but it’s all adobe brick,” said Elliott. “It’s the first permitted cob structure in the city and the first permitted earthen structure in California.”

The finished curved bench features sunflowers, which were Ritta’s favorite, and an “ohm” symbol in memory of Arturo Jr.’s tattoo, he said. The mailbox sits next to the bench and includes a planter box on top. A little library is planned next to the bench, as well.

The response to Elliott’s functional pieces of art has been positive.

“People in the neighborhood love it,” said Elliott. “I think some folks still don’t know that it is a public bench and they are welcome to come sit on it.”

The Hinojosa family expressed thanks to Elliott for creating a lasting memory of their children that will be used for the benefit of the neighborhood and community.

“It’s a positive thing for all of us, especially for our street,” Mary Hinojosa said. “And it’s a memorial for my two losses. It’s been a pretty rough year, but I’m very happy with the memorial. It helps to heal. It’s a little bit of a release for me to see the bench there and know it was meant for them.”

A dedication ceremony for the memorial bench will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. There will also be a community pizza party from 5 to 7 p.m. across the street at 393 Sunnyslope Road. Elliott will be firing up an adobe pizza oven. Those attending are asked to bring a favorite topping for pizza.

“We are calling it celebrating ‘Neighbor Day’ on Labor Day,” said Elliott. “We’re hoping it will become a Petaluma tradition.”

“It’s a memorial that’s full of love and remembers all of the good things,” Mary Hinojosa said. “I’m thankful to Miguel from the bottom of my heart. It’s a beautiful piece of art. This has been an outlet for something positive.”

For information on the pizza party and to attend, contact Frances Frazier at 484-8229.

(Yovanna Bieberich at yovann.bieberich@arguscourier.com. On Twitter at Yovanna_Argus.)

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