Joe "Pepe" Orona

Joe was born in El Paso, TX on October 14, 1933, to Juanita and Manuel Orona. Joe was 1 of 7 children; sisters: Juanita Orona, Margaret Gonzalez (Leonardo✝️), and Maria Rojas (Vicente); brothers: Arturo Orona✝️, Manuel Orona✝️, and Samuel Orona. They eventually moved to California during his teenage years. He was a proud veteran of the United States Air Force and served his country for eight years. From that experience, he had many amazing stories that he shared. He met the love of his life Herlinda and they married on July 3, 1959. They began their family in California and then moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1971.

Joe was a man who was always filled with so much life. He had tremendous love for his family and always welcomed everyone with open arms. He absolutely loved music; during family gatherings he would play the guitar and him and Herlinda would sing their favorite songs. Joe also loved dancing and in his younger days he won many dance competitions. He loved the outdoors, fishing and camping with his family. He loved playing dominos and cards and if you didn’t know how to play, he was happy to teach you. He also loved sports and his favorite teams were the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals.

Joe was blessed with a large loving family which included children: Julie Moreno✝️ (Ruben), Diane Orona, Emily Carranza (Adolf), Belinda Orona (Jose), Yolanda Vila (Manuel), Joe Orona Jr., and Aileen Orona (Gilbert). His 7 children then went on and blessed him with 26 grandchildren, 59 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. Joe took great pride in his huge family and absolutely loved each and every one of them.

He was always known for playing with the babies and keeping the kids busy whenever they came over. If there was a baby who was fussy, Joe would calm them, and they would fall straight to sleep in his arms. He was also very funny and enjoyed cracking jokes with all those around him. Everyone always laughed at the things he did or the things he would say, and he made the funniest facial expressions. He was also a very giving man.

Joe left behind a beautiful legacy in his family and will be deeply missed by all those whose lives he touched. As this is a difficult time for the family, we will continue to keep him alive in all our hearts.

Friends and family are invited to a visitation being held on Monday, February 1, 2021 from 12-1PM at West Resthaven Funeral Home, 6540 W Northern Ave, Glendale, with the funeral services beginning at 1PM.