Family remembers Folsom’s Tondra Madruga after SF boat tragedy as ‘wild, strong’
Tondra Madruga’s family jokes they’ll have to wear cheetah print to her celebration of life, her niece Breanna Crouch said. The 58-year-old Folsom woman, who died after a boat capsized in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday, loved to wear the pattern with big hair, as if she were still living in the 1980s.
But her fashion sense represented more than her wardrobe, family members said. It reflected who Madruga was as a person.
“When I think of Tondra, I think of a cheetah,” her sister-in-law Kira Madruga said. “Really a wild, strong, independent woman.”
She was a big sister, mother and friend who always showed up for those she loved, Crouch said, a quality that ultimately took her to San Francisco Bay on Tuesday to help one of her best friends spread the ashes of a family member who died roughly a decade ago.
On Tuesday, a group of 20 close family and friends from the Sacramento and Stockton areas, including Tondra Madruga, was aboard a nearly 49-foot pleasure boat when the Stockton-registered vessel was struck by a wave and capsized. All 20 people aboard were thrown into San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said.
A nearby boater saw the incident unfold, Crouch said, and told the family the boat sank in less than 10 minutes.
“He had told me that there was a bunch of people on (one) side, and it was causing the boat to like tilt and lean, and then they got as many people off the boat as they could, which made it go like right side up again,” Crouch said. “But by that time, so much water had already gone in.”
Two fishermen and a kiteboarder witnessed the capsizing and alerted authorities about 3:37 p.m. Tuesday. The Good Samaritans helped pull victims from the water before first responders arrived, authorities said.
An immediate search-and-rescue effort was launched by the U.S. Coast Guard, San Francisco Fire Department and San Francisco Police Department. Rescuers located 13 people and transported them to Gas House Cove, where they received medical attention before returning home by Wednesday afternoon.
However, after a “very difficult and challenging rescue operation” spanning 950 square nautical miles that failed to locate additional survivors, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search at sunset Wednesday. The San Francisco Police Department resumed search and recovery operations Thursday.
Madruga’s body was recovered during the resumed operations just west of Treasure Island.
Who was the Folsom resident?
On Wednesday, Madruga’s family traveled to San Francisco to learn more about the incident before returning to the Sacramento area. Madruga’s body will return to Folsom within the next couple of days, Crouch said, giving the family a sense of peace because she will return home.
As funeral preparations continue, loved ones are considering how Madruga would want to be remembered, bringing the “wild, strong” sentiment into focus.
“She just wants people to celebrate her, and not be sitting around sad,” Crouch said. “She was not that kind of person. She was always doing something and for something.”
Madruga’s younger brother, Quin, remembers his sister as someone who is protective yet a jokester. If anyone gave him any trouble, Madruga had his back. One of his earliest memories came after a horse almost ran over his head. Although he suffered major injuries, Madruga jumped into action.
“One of her friends accidentally ran over me with the horse, and she lost it,” Quin Madruga said. “(Tondra) jumped off that horse, ran over me (and) picked me up. Her friend felt horrible, and they thought that they killed me, but I was fine.”
That same level of protectiveness followed her into adulthood, family members said, especially when it came to her son, Chais Detres.
“She loved being Chais’ mom,” Kira Madruga said. “Not necessarily she loved being a mom, but she loved being Chais’.”
“That was her meaning in life,” her brother added.
What to know about other victims
Those who know Madruga might also know her by the Miller last name, according to Kira Madruga. She most recently worked as a provider network manager at Western Dental and previously sold homes.
Madruga is the second confirmed victim of the boat sinking, after Clifford Boisa, 79, of Sutter County, was pronounced deceased by first responders Tuesday.
The brother of boat owner and operator John Boisa, Clifford Boisa was a retired reserve deputy who served with the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office from 1987 to 2001. He was rescued from the water by first responders during Tuesday’s rescue effort but later died from his injuries.
Clifford Boisa, like other members of his family and community, had been aboard the vessel to scatter the ashes of his niece — the daughter of his brother Ralph Boisa, who could not attend the voyage — after she died in 2016, Ralph Boisa told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Clifford’s wife, Jackie Boisa, and his sister, Carol Boisa, remained missing Friday.
A GoFundMe campaign was launched by a family friend to support Mary Ann Boisa, the daughter of Clifford and Jackie Boisa. By Friday afternoon, nearly $6,000 had been donated toward a $10,000 goal.
“Mary Ann has a kind heart, a listening ear, and is always there for others. These funds will allow Mary Ann to focus on honoring her father and celebrating the incredible person he was,” Michelle Fales, a family friend, wrote in a GoFundMe statement. “Let’s remind her she is not alone in facing this overwhelming heartbreak and is surrounded by a community that deeply cares for her.”
Clifford and Jackie Boisa would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in November, according to Fales.
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 2:10 PM.
