Jose “Joe” Camarano, 76 years old and he always considered Bakersfield, California his home, passed away unexpectedly and quietly in his sleep on the evening of Saturday, June 22, 2024 in a loving small group home in Phoenix, Arizona.
Joe was born in Monterrey, Mexico on July 3, 1947 to Nicolas Camarano and Josefina Camarano. At a young age, he learned the value of money and started working by selling Chiclets gum at school and an entrepreneur was born. His family moved to the US when he was a young child. They first moved to Texas for a short time and then later, they moved to Missouri due to his father seeking job opportunities there. The family moved back to Texas where Joe attended Vernon Junior High School in Harlingen. His family decided to seek employment in California and they moved to Bakersfield in the mid 1960’s. Joe attended and graduated from East Bakersfield High School in 1966 where he ran track, played soccer and earned very good grades in his classes. Go Blades! He then attended Bakersfield College and studied business and engineering, all while working to help support his family. Go Renegades!
Shortly after graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and he met the love of his life - Maria. His romantic character led him to propose and she said YES! Ironically at that time, the US Army relocated and stationed Joe in Fairbanks, Alaska for weapons training as a Sharpshooter. He was in Fairbanks for 6 months and he and Maria wrote countless love letters back and forth. He returned to Harlingen to marry his stunning bride on April 11, 1970 in a beautiful and traditional Mexican wedding attended by many friends and family. Afterwards, the groom whisked his bride away for a honeymoon at the beloved South Padre Island, Texas in his 1968 Chevy Impala before starting a new life together in Fairbanks where their beautiful first-born daughter was welcomed into the world - Maria Angelica aka Marie. The US Army then relocated his family to Washington DC, Virginia Beach, back to Texas and then they decided to plant roots in Bakersfield. Soon thereafter, their second bundle of joy was born - Jose Gabriel aka Gabe. Joe and Maria built a great life together, raised their kids, traveled often and weathered the ups and downs for over 20 years. Joe was a dedicated father of two, grandfather to four amazing grandkids and friends with many.
Joe started a lifelong career at Kern Oil & Refining Co. on July 14, 1975. He poured his heart and soul into his work and he was promoted to many positions over the years until his retirement on January 3, 2014. There truly wasn’t any job that he couldn’t do at the Refinery during his career. One of his greatest achievements at the Refinery was having a Prominent Role on the development of a new environmentally friendly diesel additive and to recognize his efforts, it was named after him and labeled JC-747 which is still used to this day. Anyone that knows Joe, knows that he couldn’t just sit, relax and go play golf after retiring. He just couldn’t stay away from the Refinery so he was rehired due to his knowledge and skill set until he retired once again on June 30, 2018.
However, while working at the Refinery, Joe was also always interested in real estate and knew he could spend his free time working on his properties, fixing everything from any electrical issues to servicing coolers and AC units to installing new windows and so much more! He was known as the self-made DIY and had a stockpile of so many tools, gadgets and supplies that Home Depot and Harbor Freight would be envious of! He loved building and creating workout equipment, trailers and various wood projects that he would flip and sell and he took great joy in that.
Joe had so many hobbies which included traveling - over the years, he would travel cross country and in the recent years, if he wasn’t visiting his kids and grandkids in warm and balmy Phoenix, AZ, he was traveling up and down the PCH 101 or to various parts of Mexico. He would describe in great detail how much he enjoyed the Mayan pyramids in Cancun, specifically Chichen Itza, until the last days of his life. He loved photography - he always carried one of his many “fancy” cameras (as his kids liked to call them) with him and babied them as though they were a third child! If he asked one of his kids to hold a camera for any reason, he literally would take the camera strap over his head and put it over their head as if they couldn’t do it for themselves. It gave them a good laugh each time they pretended they were going to drop it. He didn’t think it was so funny. Joe enjoyed food and boy did he enjoy good food! If you knew Joe, you knew that he was already planning lunch at breakfast and dinner at lunch! He never met an Italian dish or a steak he didn’t like. Some of his favorite restaurants included Luigi’s, Rosa’s, Mexicali and any steak house that served a delicious, well done steak and/or any restaurant with cute waitresses. If you knew Joe, you knew he loved his Coca-Cola and always tried to convert Pepsi drinkers to Coke. He loved to read and you could find him in the aisles at B. Dalton which later became Barnes and Noble. If he loved a certain book, it was not unusual for him to buy 2 or 3 more copies to give as gifts. He loved barbecuing and could make a mean rack of ribs. In his younger years, he loved playing racquetball and softball. He loved his LA Dodgers and went to Dodgers Stadium any chance he could to watch his team with his kids, his best friend Bruce or his nephew Mingo, eat a Dodger Dog and drink a glass of cold beer. Most of all, Joe loved building his legacy for his family and took pride in that over the years.
Joe was many things including strong willed, thick headed, independent, active, resourceful, brilliant, funny and a beloved son, cousin, father, uncle, brother, grandfather and friend. He was a practical joker and his dad jokes were corny but would always make people laugh. He spoke both English and Spanish exceptionally well. Because he was so “guero”, most people were shocked when he would speak Spanish suddenly. He was also a Green Bay Packers fan and enjoyed watching the AZ Teams too such as the Diamondbacks and Cardinals.
Joe is preceded in death by his loving parents Nicolas (1900-1995) and Josefina (1918-1979) whom he missed every single day.
Joe is survived by his older sister Rosa, his younger brother Domingo Sr., his daughter Maria aka Marie, his son Gabriel aka Gabe and his wife Tara, his ex-wife Maria, his nephew Juan, his great niece Nicole, his nephews Domingo Jr. and Zenas, his great nieces Natalie and Bryleigh, his sister-n-law Marie, his grandsons Nicholas and Carl, his granddaughters Gianna and Samantha, his best friend Bruce and various other lifelong friends and family.
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