I am going to miss my dear friend. We started working together in 2001. A true gentleman, always caring and protecting his friends. Very knowledgeable in many matters, a representative of everybody at work. We had lots of fun after work. He will join the group of ladies that use to go to be lunch after work.  Last time I saw Jesse was at Applebee's. He woke up and met with me and other friends at midnight since we work nightshift.  He took each of us to our car and made sure we were safe. Missing him lots and still cannot believe he will not be able to join us for lunch and to enjoy life after work. 

I’ve just learned of our sad loss of a wonderful man. 
I knew Jesse through working with him for many years, not through his family, church or volunteer work.  He was a special man that through his loving generosity and boundless concern made a huge impression on us all. 
His huge spirit will be missed, but should be remembered as a gift to us all to be fortunate enough to have known and learned from him. 
Peace to Jesse

I would just like to say that even though what we had was short lived you have left me memories for a life time. I will forever be grateful for what you did for my children and I. Without ever being asked you were some one who just generously gave without out asking in return. You will always be remembered for the kind and big heart person you were. RIP  for you are home now 🙏🙏🙏

My condolences to Jesse's children, their Mother Alice, his grandchildren, and the Pena family. May he rest in peace.

I am lifting the family up in prayer during this difficult time.  Jesse,  was a Co-worker at the IRS, but we were more like family.  He worked mostly with woman, and he was always looking out for us.  His passing has been a great loss to us there.  He will be missed...Gone, but not forgotten. ❤

We have worked together for many years and  I will miss those hugs. My heart is heavy at your passing.  I pray for the family and wish my deepest condolences at the loss of such a great and kind person. Miss you...

I just want to say that Jesse was a good hearted man. He would do anything you asked with no problems. He would always be there to put a smile on your face. I worked with him at IRS and there was never a dull moment around Jesse. He will be missed greatly and to his family, you will always have a guardian angel looking down at you and his name is Jesse. RIP Jesse and thanks for being such a good friend and an all around good person. 

To the Pena family I had the honor to work with your dad for several years especially with the Union at the IRS until I retired. Jesse was always a person you could count on for help and support, he was a friend a real friend. He will be missed but he’s with his mother on the other side now resting in peace.... Well done Jesse well done 

Hi Pena Family , My cousin Jesse Pena , what an Awesome Person..... I remember us growing up together going to visit him and his brother’s and sisters , Girls would help my Tia Virginia and we would help my Uncle Lucio after shores it was time to play then we would get feed the best home cooked meals ever don’t know if my brother Felipe and I went there for the playing or the food but both were Gr8t .... After being there like all day we would shake hands and hug each other..... My Brother and I would head home and Jesse and my cousin’s would Yell ring the bell ring the bell , you see at the corner of 5th & Perdenales there was this train bell which rang when the train was coming to let car’s know  the train was coming so we would climb up the pole and manually make the bell ring , it was a lot of fun .

Then they moved out to Montopolis off Riverside Dr. where we would go Hunting for rabbits squirrel all so they had a pound and we would fish and shoot at cans with our 22 rifle.....

Great Memories that will stay with me and my brother and sister’s, cause we were a family that did a lot of things together as we we’re growing..... 

We will Miss my Beautiful Cousin Jesse 
But we will Never forget the fun and awesome things we did growing up.... God Bless You Brother, Until I see You And Ur Parents and Mine In Heaven....

Prayers For His Brother’s and Sisters 
Blessings to his Family , We Love You All......

My condolences to the family Jesse will be greatly missed by all who knew him he was a great person to work with.

As we all know, Jesse had a huge presence and the biggest heart. His work team will miss him dearly. Whether he was handing out donuts and tacos for the department or cooking for everyone in the building, he sincerely treated each person as a cherished friend. 

I had the pleasure of working on the same team as Jesse. He quickly became a part of my daily life, especially this past year when we worked 70 hours a week together. He was often the first person I spoke to in the morning, we would talk about our families and what we were up to the night before, while gulping our coffee and trying to wake up. 

Jesse completed our team there was never a dull moment with him around.  He kept the atmosphere up beat and silly, making you forget you were working. One-minute joking back and forth with a fellow coworker and the next jamming to his favorite song while adding in his famous Jesse dance move. We shared many of our days together and I always looked forward to our time together. 

What else can be said? Jesse was truly one of a kind!  A unique and sincere person I am honored to have called my friend. 

My deepest sympathies to you and the entire family. May he rest in peace. 

Jesse,  we want to say that we are going miss your great brisket you  use to make at your mom’s house. And of course we are going to miss you very much, one day we will see you again cousin. We all love you.

My name is Tammy Cunningham, I work with Central Texas Food Bank,  I'm a Mobile Pantry Driver and  Jesse was always the traffic controller,  so professional with his orange vest, gloves, whistle, you could tell he was Airforce or a cop 👮‍♂️.  He loved pushing the buttons and making the lift go up and down.  He would always stay behind and wait for me to finish packing and load up the trilor  so I would be safe. Now everyday we wait to hear his whistle. We miss you Jesse RIP  and you be the best Crossing Guard  for them Angel's.     Tammy Cunningham @ Central Texas Food Bank

I was saddened to learn of Jesse’s passing and extend my sympathy to the Pena family. I can only imagine the hardships you are enduring with his loss. 
 
Jesse served our country both in the United States Air Force, where he earned multiple recognitions for his commitment and conduct, and in the important, but often thankless job at the Internal Revenue Service for over three decades.  As a dedicated public servant, he was a proud and effective steward for Chapter 72 of the National Treasury Employees Union.
 
I always enjoyed visiting with Jesse and your family at community gatherings. His dedication extended to serving his community, whether with the food bank, Blue Santa, or at his beloved church, Santa Julia. Though he will be greatly missed, Jesse leaves behind a tremendous legacy, including the family he built with all of you. May you reflect on the many joys shared with him through the years. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

OMG! I was so saddened to hear of Jesse 's passing! I loved working with him at IRS. He was always friendly and helpful. I'm sure my previous fellow co- workers will truly miss him .
God bless you Family.

I want to share a news story where he was interviewed by KXAN while volunteering with the Food Bank. This video beautifully captures his spirit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkbIXseuwj4  

It pains me to write this message as I am still processing what has happened. Jesse was a very special person with an incredibly generous soul. Jesse was much more than a volunteer for our team at the Food Bank; he was our friend and our teacher. As an Air Force veteran, Jesse taught us so much about managing traffic and keeping ourselves and the community safe. He traveled to almost every distribution in our 21 counties to make sure we had a safe traffic plan in place. I often wonder where we would be if Jesse were not there to guide us in the beginning. Over the 9 months that I knew him, Jesse became our friend and our protector. He often talked about his family, and he always asked about mine. He cared for everyone at our events, from our managers to our drivers. He was one of the first to arrive onsite and the last to leave; making sure everyone was safe before heading home himself. He often brought snacks and drinks to keep our team nourished & hydrated during our longer events. When we saw Jesse’s name on our volunteer shift, we would be relieved and excited. I wish for his family to know that Jesse was truly loved by everyone at the Food Bank who knew him, and we are beyond appreciative that he chose to spend his time (even his PTO) with us. It was such a pleasure knowing and learning from him. Even though it was for a brief time, he touched everyone on the Mobile Pantry team, and he will be greatly missed.

Rest in peace, my friend. <3 

Jesse was always so much fun to have out at our Mobile Pantries. I would be sure to check out the distribution area and say hello to those few volunteers I've became good friends with. I truly value his dedication and work ethic. Even when he started back up at work over the summer, on his time off he'd be out there  helping us. Bringing breakfast and waiting until everything was packed up and making sure we got out safely. 

I know we had a few hours a week of time we spend together over the course since April, but it was such a pleasure knowing him and seeing the impact he's made not just on our team, but the whole programs team and others he worked with as well.  I will miss hearing his music as I walk by and seeing his smiling face!

I worked with Jesse for a little over 10 years. His department would bring my department work. I will miss him pushing a cart and letting it go and walk away with his head phones on a lot of the time dancing by himself . He loved his 80s music or when he would pass my desk and give the nod up of his head or across the room just the nod head up of hello .

Our joke at work he would draw a line with his foot and say come one Lisa let's go (play fight) I would say not now jesse it's almost break, I'm tired or on Sundays OT I don't fight on Sundays. He would laugh and he hugg me and say next time. He would text me hey I got snack or donuts,food come get some and if I didn't text back right away he would crank call me and hang up. Jesse was always a call or text away. He was very knowledgeable of anything you asked him about. He was a great friend. 
I am still trying to accept I will never see him. He was part of my work life saying good morning jesse or a nod and leaving for the day saying bye jesse a lot times he would turn around and say bye stay safe and be careful and if he was busy the wave of the back of his hand. 

I am so proud he was my friend. I will miss him especially on the weekends OT, and my  work day will not be the same . Rest in peace my friend ♥️

I met Jesse back in April 2020 when I started working at Central Texas Food Bank with the Mobile Pantry team. Jesse was off work due to COVID, and started volunteering full time with us. When I say full time, I mean 5-6 days a week! He would often drive 1-2 hours to volunteer, as the Food Bank covers 21 counties. We all got to know Jesse well, and I personally viewed him as a fun uncle, always prepared, always had fun music to play to keep everyone’s mood up, and typically had some sort of spirit in his truck “just in case”, not that we ever partook! 

A recent memory that sticks out to me is one of the last large food distributions we worked together at Nelson Field back in December 2020. He knew that our team would arrive very very early in the morning, and he also knew how long our days were. So he surprised us all with breakfast tacos from Rudy’s, and insisted that we all try a brisket taco. That was Jesse. Always thinking of others before himself. This is such a blow to the Mobile Pantry team, as we all valued his friendship and support.

I always enjoyed seeing Jessie.  He always had a smile on his face. He will be missed by so many. Some of his co-workers have left some memories on his desk here at work. 

My heart and condolences goes out to all my Austin family. Jesse was truly loved by many.  I will always cherish the good times we had.  Love, Tino, Nancy, Joseph and Julissa. 

OBITUARY

Jesse A. Pena

November 15, 1960 – January 24, 2021

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services

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