Gilbert Ramon Yorba was born in Tijuana B.C., Mexico on August 31, 1945. His parents were Rudolph Yorba Gilbertt and Ramona Yorba. When he was 13 years old, his parents moved to San Diego. He attended Memorial Junior High School and graduated from Lincoln High School. In 1964, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and attended basic training at Fort Ord, CA. He continued his training at Fort Lewis, WA. with the 4th infantry Division. In 1965, he deployed to Vietnam with the “Big Red 1”, 1st Infantry Division and his main duty involved being a M48 Patton tank operator. He finished his military service in 1966 and had received the Vietnam Service Medal and Rifle Expert Medal. Gilbert attended Southwestern College under the Montgomery G.I. Bill and was taking automotive engineering classes. He worked for about 17 years with AT&T and then for about 15 years with Loomis Armored Transport. He retired in 2007. He had a half-brother, Samuel Acevedo, and two other brothers, Alfred Yorba and Hector Yorba. He had four sisters, Blanche Yorba Dick, Sylvia Rodriguez (deceased), Margie Diaz, and Norma Crouch. Gilbert is survived by three sons, Gilbert Durazo, Robert Yorba, and Gilbert Yorba; two daughters, Rina Villegas and Linda Yorba; and two grandchildren, Robert E. Yorba and Pablo Villegas.
Gilbert was a direct descendant of the Spanish California settlers. His grandfather six generations back, Jose Antonio Yorba, came to California in 1769. Jose Antonio was buried at the cemetery at the mission in San Juan Capistrano.
Gilbert was a quiet, reserved person. Only those who were very close to him knew that he had a great sense of humor. He was very spiritual and a family oriented person who believed in tradition. Gilbert enjoyed watching sports and favored his hometown teams, the SD Padres and the SD Chargers. But most of all, Gilbert enjoyed attending his youngest son’s high school football games and was very involved with his team. Gilbert was good at working with his hands and developed neat craftsmanship skills. He was also a gun enthusiast and would frequently attend gun shows. Gilbert was an extremely patriotic person and we thank him for his time in service. Gilbert will be greatly missed by many people who loved him.
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