Obituary of Jose Luis Avila

December 26, 1948 – January 4, 2019

Longtime Resident of Santa Cruz, California

Funeral services will be held in Santa Cruz on January 28,  for Jose Luis Avila who passed away unexpectedly at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno this past week.  Mr. Avila had recently celebrated his 70^th birthday.  Born in Sonora, Texas, he was very proud of his Native American heritage.  His family will forever cherish the many memories of his activity on the Kickapoo Reservations and his passion for attending numerous pow wows on other reservations throughout California and the southwest.

As a child Mr. Avila and his family moved from Texas to Santa Cruz in 1960. He began a career working for Diablo Landscaping in San Jose.  Working for various other companies and eventually going into business for himself, his career in Landscaping spanned over 20 years. In 1992, he and his family moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, and later to Manteca, California.  He and his beloved wife Mae recently moved to the San Joaquin Valley in 2016 to be near their children and grandchildren.

He was a fan of sports but none more than football, his favorite team was the Oakland Raiders, his second sport was baseball.  He was an avid Giants fan, he also enjoyed watching wrestling, WWE, on TV. His family was of paramount importance to him, and he dreamed of someday returning to Santa Cruz and to have a home for his wife and loved ones.

Mr. Avila is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Lorraine “Mae” Avila, his four daughters and their husbands; Rhiamreah & Joe Bega, Marci & Jamie Tetzlaff, Angela & Gary Briones, Barbara & Jose Limon; his son and his wife Jeremiah & Destiny Yazzie; his brothers: Silverio “Sam” Avila Sr.; Carlos Avila Sr.; Guadalupe “Lupe” Avila; and his sisters; Leonela “Nellie” Garcia, and Maricela “Mari”, “Connie” Garcia.  Mr. Avila also leaves 15 grandchildren one of which he will only be able to see from up above.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Albert Avila, and his parents, Luis Avila and Patricia Noriega Avila.

The viewing and funeral will be held on at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, beginning on Monday, January 28, 2019, beginning at 10 a.m. He will be laid to rest beside his parents Luis and Patricia at Holy Cross Cemetery in Santa Cruz, immediately following the ceremony.