Manuel "Tata Meño" Avila Lopez

Manuel Avila Lopez, 85, was born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, on February 3rd, 1939, and passed away on Wednesday, June 12th, 2024. He lived the rest of his life in Perris, CA, under the care of his beloved daughter Yolanda and son-in-law Alex Ureña.

Manuel attended Jose Maria Morelos Primaria and completed school to the 7th grade level. As a young man, he was part of the Cuartel Militar, on Ave Michoacan, in Mexico. As an adult, he moved to San Bernardino, CA. He was an industrial sewing machine supervisor and operator, machinist, sewing machine tech and saw operator. He worked many years in textile manufacturing at Motto Day and Haley Brothers, in San Bernardino.

Manuel had a total of two marriages, which resulted in six children, Manuel, Rosa, Adriana, Gerardo, Yolanda and Reyes. From those six children, he was blessed with fifteen grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren.

He was a devout Catholic at Our Lady of Guadalupe, in San Bernardino, where he participated in the community events and Church Organizations.

Manuel Lopez was one of five children and grew up along the riverbanks in Mexicali, Mexico. One day, as a young child, he was swimming on the river’s edge, in the Colorado river delta, with his siblings. One of his siblings, Eva, had her new shoes stolen while she was swimming. Overcome with sadness for the hard work it took to purchase new shoes for all the siblings and overwhelmed with fear of what their father Don Reyes Lopez would do as punishment, all the siblings collectively, in an act of solidarity, decided to throw all their shoes in the river and walked home barefoot to be punished together.

As an immigrant in the 70’s, persecuted by immigration roundups, with agents posted at public places like supermarkets, he was challenged to find work and overcame many obstacles, but managed to provide for his family. He was able to purchase a home, in San Bernardino, CA, where he happily lived with his 2nd wife and consequent 3 children, Gerardo, Yolanda and Reyes, for 30 years.

There he enjoyed coffee breaks, watering his plants, and tinkering in the backyard. He loved going to swap meets at the National Orange Show, working on classic cars, napping under a walnut tree and enjoyed his time in the community he loved so much and saw grow around him.

A proud moment for Manuel was when he was able to purchase a new 1978 V8 LTD Camaro. He woke up the next day and saw his new car in the driveway. He said it felt like an American Dream come to reality.