Manuel Padilla

Obituary of Manuel A. Padilla

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday in Santa Cruz for Manuel Padilla who passed away at his Aptos home on March 27, 2011 at the age of 91. His beloved family was at his bedside when he passed. Born in Madera, California, Mr. Padilla served his country in the US Army during WW II, receiving the Bronze Star Medal for ground combat fought at The Battle of the Bulge in the European Theater of Operations. In 1958, he moved to Aromas and began his career in agriculture. He was a talented orchard foreman and began his career in 1961 when he was brought to Aptos by Alan H. and Dorothy Nittler who operated the avocado orchard, where they gave Manuel the opportunity to teach him the art of growing avocados. As orchard foreman for the Nittler Ranch in the Aptos foothills, Mr. Padilla earned a reputation for his hard work and beautifully maintained orchards. His family will forever cherish the many memories of his ability to grow anything from vines to trees, and his love for the cultivating the land. His love for gardening continued as he was the maintenance groundkeeper for Cabrillo College for 10 years before retiring at the age of 62. He was a member of V.F.W. Post 10110 and proud member of the American Legion. Mr. Padilla held the American Flag for 10 years of the Aptos "World's Shortest Parade" on July 4th as a member of the American Legion Post in Aptos. He is survived by his sons, David and Mario Padilla of Aptos, his grandchildren, Nicholas Padilla and Stacy Silvey; his great grandson, Madaxx Diaz; his three sisters, Frances Lugo, Ida Velasquez, and Margaret Gutierrez; and his two brothers, Joseph Serrato, and Eliseo Padilla. Services will be held at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel on Tuesday, April 5th beginning at 9:30 a.m. Burial with military honors will be at 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Gustine, where he will be laid to rest beside his wife Mary, who preceded him in death in 2000.
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A Memorial Tree was planted for Manuel
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel
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