Raul Avelar Sandoval

Born in Delta, Colorado, the youngest son of 12 siblings, Raul is predeceased by his siblings and wife of nearly 65 years. He is survived by his three daughters, four grandchildren, three boys & one girl, Papa’s favorite granddaughter, and two great grandchildren, a girl, his favorite great granddaughter, and a boy, all to whom he is known as Papa.

When Raul was six years old, in 1938, his family relocated from Colorado to southern California, settling in Fullerton, where he attended the public schools. He wrote the Maple Elementary School song, demonstrating his budding artistry. He worked at the local bakery on Commonwealth and Harbor boulevards before and after attending high school. He took doughnuts to school, which made him popular, but he liked most that the doughnuts allowed him to meet girls. He was always a “ladies’ man.”

In 1947, at age 16, he dropped out of high school to join the military to see the world. Raul spent most of the next 28 years in USAF Air Intelligence, serving in the Korean Conflict, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, and the Cold War, flying seventy-two combat missions. He counts six Air Medals among his many decorations. During his military career, Raul completed his high school requirements and went on to pursue higher learning, earning credits in foreign language studies at the University of Maryland and Syracuse University, New York. His language studies included Russian, Japanese, and Vietnamese. His native language was Spanish, learning English as he assimilated into his community and attended public school. Spanish enabled him to quickly “pick up” other Romance languages: French, Italian and Portuguese as he traveled these countries. He was also a member of Toastmasters International, through which he honed his public speaking and leadership skills, facilitating his successful military career. When the USAF promoted him to Chief Master Sergeant (CMSGT), the top Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) rank, he was one of the youngest to achieve that rank.

In 1999, many years after Raul retired, at their annual anniversary event, the Air Intelligence Agency’s Freedom through Vigilance Association (FTVA) formally recognized the contributions he made to his profession by placing him in the Hall of Honor. At the Honor ceremony, they cited Raul as “…a pioneer and superstar in our business, Sandy brought us through many trying times as a Morse operator, printer specialist, and multi-linguist…. a chief’s Chief.”

Rockwell International, aerospace contractor, recruited Raul out of the USAF, from which he retired in 1975. His initial assignment with Rockwell was a civilian instructor and mentor, flying intelligence missions with the Iranian Air Force in its war against Iraq. Prior to when the Shah of Iran was deposed, Rockwell brought Raul back to Orange County, CA, in 1977. Back home, he earned an Associate of Arts degree from his hometown Fullerton College. He retired from his aerospace career after 17 years, in 1992.

After his second retirement, Raul and Helen, his beloved wife, relocated from Orange County, CA, to Las Vegas, NV, near Nellis AFB, where they resided almost 25 years, the longest they lived anywhere. They enjoyed Las Vegas, going to shows, testing their luck, and being tour guides for their friends and family. They even hosted an FTVA annual reunion in Las Vegas. Of course, they hosted their four grandchildren as well. They took them to Red Rock Canyon and to Nellis AFB to see the USAF Thunderbirds in their hangar as well as in flight. The grandchildren enjoyed a very “Vegas experience,” attending many shows, attractions, and concerts. And they went bowling, a lot. They also did many projects at home, like painting, baking, and learning to sew. And they went to the pool, a lot. One summer, they took the grandchildren on a road trip to Colorado, where they went river rafting and saw Papa’s birthplace.

In 2017, they moved back to southern California, to Cherry Valley, where they co-located with their oldest daughter, Dodie, and her spouse, Jean. While they did not want to leave their dream home in Las Vegas, they could no longer live independently, as neither were able to drive, and Raul’s dependency on his wife was becoming too difficult for her to sustain.

Raul met Helen, the love of his life, in 1956, while studying Russian at Syracuse University. He not only fell in love with Helen but also her family. Helen’s father and brothers sponsored Raul to become a brother in the Fraternity of Masons, of which he has been a member of the Scottish Rite Freemasonry ever since. Raul and Helen married November 24th, 1956, and were together nearly 65 years, when Helen died October 16th, 2020. Raul was heartbroken.

Raul took his bride around the world, to Japan and Okinawa in the Far East, to Iran in the Middle East, Europe, and the east, west, north, and south coasts of North America. Their two younger daughters were born in Japan, Tonia in the north at Misawa and Star in the south at Tachikawa. Each assignment provided opportunities to travel the region, and they did travel! They loved to travel, learning about the people, their customs and food. Their last trips were “bucket list” items. They finally made it to the Canary Islands, where they had talked of going for most of their married life. The Canaries were their last adventure alone, as a couple, and they enjoyed it more than they had dreamed. Their final travel adventure was a cruise with Dodie and Jean, departing from Florida, touring several Caribbean Islands, like Jamaica and The Cayman Islands, and stopping in three Central American countries: Columbia, Panama, and Costa Rica. Sailing through the Panama Canal was the primary attraction for Helen, whose father was stationed there when he was in the Army. After Helen died, Raul dreamed every night of them either planning or being on a trip. Raul’s greatest travel regret was not seeing Russia.

As a boy, he tried to learn violin from his father, who advised him to try something different. Instead of music, Raul penned poetry and prose, successfully publishing both. He was the family poet laureate, writing odes and elegies to commemorate family and friends’ birthdays, graduations, or deaths. His most coveted and proud work was his novel Between the Mountain and the Sky, which depicts multiple generations of a Hispanic family, much like his own, who escape the Mexican Revolution and poverty to come to America, where they labor to build the western railroads, harvest the fields of central and southern California, then served America in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War, from which the young men returned and used their G.I. benefits to obtain educations and go on to achieve the successes of the American Dream. Writing did not prove enough of a creative outlet and Raul took drawing and sculpting classes. Their home displayed family portraits he sketched, chalked, and painted. Daily, until his death, he drew character portraits.

Neither Raul nor Helen met their two great grandchildren, who were born in Arkansas. However, Raul enjoyed the photos and videos of the great grandchildren their parents posted. He would smile and laugh aloud at their antics. He regretted not being able to hug and kiss them. He loved them dearly, as he loved his grandchildren, children, and wife.

Raul was ambitious and persevered to work hard to enjoy the rewards of a good life with many accomplishments, contributions, and much love. He will be missed.

A visitation for Raul will be held Friday, October 7, 2022 at 9:30 AM at Weaver Mortuary, 1177 Beaumont Ave, Beaumont, California 92223. A celebration of life will occur Friday, October 7, 2022 at 10:00 AM. A light refreshments to follow will occur Friday, October 7, 2022 at 11:00 AM, 1177 Beaumont Ave, Beaumont, California 92223. A military honors and shelter service will occur Friday, October 7, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd, Riverside, California 92518.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.weaver-mortuary.com for the Sandoval family.