Diego S Espinosa

To our father, Diego S Espinosa, the entire world was a stage.To everyone around him, he seemed to be eternally happy, and he willingly shared that joy with anyone whose life he touched. For him, bringing out the best in any situation was as easy as offering a smile, a witty remark or the twinkle of an eye. And with just those simple gestures, he could evoke the most pleasant of emotions. He always says "I love you " and make the heart sign during his conversations with family.

His parents were Lope and Ruperta Espinosa. He was raised in Calmay Dagupan City Philippines with 2 brothers(Romulu and Lope Jr. both deceased) and 1 half brother (Marc Arcelona). They were raised to be warm, caring and friendly.The gift of being emotionally expressive and affectionate made him very easy to approach. He was fun to be with and easy-going. Perhaps the reason he related so well with his children and grandchildren was the fact that he has the ability to be" just kid at heart". His grandchildren tagged him as "the wacky grandfather" and was spontaneous with his activity with his grandchildren, making faces captured on videos, dancing and even drinking with them on family gatherings.

Our father Diego was going to Orient Colleges pursuing a degree in Business but did not finish college because he found the love of his life our mother. On June 26, 1954 our father Diego exchanged wedding vows with Martina Baniqued Vinoya at San Carlos Pangasinan Catholic Church of San Carlos Pagasinan , Philippines. Together they had 9 children, of which I am the eldest of 5 daughters, Vilma, Grace, Myrna, Sandra and Vivian; 4 sons, Teody, Levis, Engel and Joseph.They were also blessed with 24 grandchildren, Michelle, Jason, John, Ephraim, Iris, Adrian, Jed, Renzi,Jazer, Grexy,Tim, Genica, Christal, John Rae, Justin, Ramonchito, Christopher, Michael, Chloe, Erica, Enan, Krystelle, Christian, Airienne and 1 great grandchild, Ryder.

While growing up, some of his best friends were the people he worked with managing the Barangay Calmay basketball team. Later in life, he became friends with Atty. Cuison who he worked with at the Dept. of Land Administration formerly known as Register of Deeds. Our father loved sharing life and having his home filled with people he knew.

Our father felt excited and challenged by sports. Tops on his list were basketball, baseball and football. He was an avid fan of the Lakers and Golden State Warriors.Even in his final days he was still watching the NBA games.

Vested with a deep concern for spiritual development, he recognized that his faith was important to him throughout his life. He was a member of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Calmay , Dagupan City while in the Philippines. While living in Imperial Beach he was a parishioner at St. Charles Catholic Church and continued to be a member of that church even though he moved to Chula Vista with our mom. While still in the Philippines, he was a member of the Holy Name Society and Knights of Columbus.

He loved to travel and visited different places in the Philippines. His favorite vacation was a trip to Palawan at Puerto Princesa, Cebu and Cagayan De Oro where some of his relatives live. Las Vegas and his trips to the casinos in town were also some of his favorites. He also loved and enjoyed playing and petting Toby Cakes , his granddaughter Michelle’s dog.

Our father believed that you had to experience life, and his life in retirement was no different. His new life involved relocating to the the United States in 1986 and worked at Paradise Valley Convalescent Home for several years until retirement.Even in retirement, he continued to stay in touch with his old friends and, since he'd never met a stranger, he made plenty of new acquaintances as well. One of the families he touched sent a sympathy card that said,”Though our personal interactions with Grandpa Diego were few, he was always kind, welcoming and smiling.”

Our father passed away on May 4, 2021 at the house of his daughter Vilma per his request .He fought a brave battle against 2 cancers, and multiple medical conditions.Services were held at The Chapel of the Roses in Glen Abbey , Bonita California. Funeral mass and services were held at St. Charles Catholic Church in Imperial Beach. He was laid to rest at La Vista Memorial Park in National City.

Our father brought joy to all of those around him. He loved to have a good time and enjoyed eating out with family.Sadly he was not able to do that because of the pandemic.He loved to share his energy, wit, and his zest for all of his activities with family. Our father lived life to its fullest and made everyone around him happier just for knowing him. He will be remembered with a smile..He wanted us “to grieve if we must but we must let him go”; Though he could not be seen, his presence could be felt. We have to remember the memories that we have created with him.