Antonio Robles Velasquez

Antonio R. Velasquez, born December 6, 1922 in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, passed away March 25, 2012. He joins his beloved wife, Rosario and countless other relatives and friends. He is survived by his five children, Antonio (Rosa)Velasquez, Rosemary (Ramon) Velarde, Grace (Armando) Morales, Sandra (Frank) Aceves, Melesio (Claudia) Velasquez; twelve grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Our father was reared in a home with his mother, Natividad Robles and his sister, Carmen, but he always said the matriarch was his beloved maternal grandmother, Saturnina Gama. He credited their strength in supporting a household by selling homemade meals at the Mercado.

He left school at a very early age to help support the household. His first job was with Wells Fargo as a box boy. At the tender age of seventeen he married our mother and they began their marital journey which lasted sixty-six years. Our father and mother left Guaymas and started their trek north. They first made a home in Nogales, Sonora where he was employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad as an office worker and telegraph operator.

They continued to journey and in 1955 our father moved the family to Tucson, AZ. Our family also ventured to Sacramento and Stockton, CA and finally settled in the Los Angeles area (Lincoln Park). In 1966 they purchased a home in Highland Park.

Our dad was a proud member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America since May 1952. He was a member of Local 300 in Los Angeles. He made his living as a construction laborer until July 1975 when he retired. He worked on many freeways and structures in Los Angeles County. His most memorable job was Dodger Stadium at Chavez Ravine.

He was a proud man and family came first. He was a good friend and was always ready to extend a hand to those in need. He valued education and pushed his children to do their best in school. There was no telling him we were too tired to do homework. Not when he put in eight to ten hour work days only to come home and work on a home study course to become a radio and television technician. Although his English was limited he still managed to complete all assignments with the aid of a dictionary. He received his diploma in February 1963 from the National Radio Institute. Although he chose to continue in the construction field, that framed document was a constant reminder of his accomplishment. As years passed, he saw his children and grandchildren graduate from high school, some from college. Although, in retrospect, we can say that he was the first in our family to earn a diploma. He would say that the greatest parties he attended were those celebrating graduations. At eighty, he deserved a party for passing the DMV test, although we were starting to question his ability to drive. He was sure proud of himself!

Our father showed tremendous strength and endurance throughout his life. He was a recovered alcoholic and once he prevailed, he never relapsed. He did so without the help of any medication or counseling. He in turn counseled friends and relatives alike on the ills of alcoholism. He confronted his illnesses head-on with courage and dignity. In his last weeks he suffered discomfort and pain and yet showed no anger or discourtesy. The nursing home center always noticed his smile.

In their later years our father made sure our mother had the best he could provide. They celebrated many anniversaries. Our mother would say the 50th was the best because they traveled to Puerto Rico. They traveled to his beloved Guaymas several times. They visited relatives and friends in Arizona and Baja California. Both loved San Francisco, Las Vegas and enjoyed the casinos in the Temecula area; more recently, the San Manuel casino.

In October 2004 they could no longer remain in their Highland Park home and moved to West Covina. In February 2008 they moved in with their daughter, Sandra and son-in-law, Frank and in May 2010 it became necessary for our father to move to a nursing home.

His never ending love for his family will never be forgotten. His smile, his hand wave and the words, “God bless you” will always remain in our hearts.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Sanjay Khedia, dad’s primary physician, who showed such compassion and empathy for our father. Our thanks to Covina Rehabilitation Center staff where our father resided the past year. We would also like to thank the “angels” at Citrus Valley Hospice for the wonderful care they afforded our father and for the sympathy and support to our family in our time of need. Our gratitude to the staff at Custer Christiansen Mortuary for all their help with the funeral arrangements.

Dad, may you rest in peace. We love you