Ruben was born on December 10, 1959, in Bakersfield, CA to Eusebio Duran and Vera Talamantez Reyes. He had two sons, Joe Paul and Ruben Jr., and one daughter, Darcie, along with four grandchildren: Gavin, Ramsey Jr., Nixon, and Everleigh Sun.
Ruben was always known for his friendly personality, his infectious smile, and his kind and compassionate spirit. He was an avid music lover, and he loved to dance. You could always find him with a Sonic Lemon Slush in his hands. On occasion, he enjoyed going to the casinos to gamble, but if there was one hobby he loved, it was sports. Ruben was a huge Cowboys fan. He always played various sports while growing up, whether it was pick-up ball in the Dover St. neighborhood, little league baseball or on his high school basketball team. Ruben loved sports whether he was playing, teaching or watching. Because he was a talented athlete in his youth, his ultimate goal was to help develop his grandson Gavin to become a star baseball player.
Ruben had a huge heart for family. Although he lived in Las Vegas most of his adult life, distance didn’t matter; he loved ALL of his family. He had a tremendous love for his mom and his dad, and he especially loved his kids and grandkids.
He fought the good fight these last two years and couldn’t have loved his mom more for all the sacrifices she made for him while he was ill. He used his stubbornness to keep fighting until he went home to be with the Lord; he passed surrounded by family.
Ruben was preceded in death by his father, Eusebio Duran. He is survived by his mother Vera Reyes, three children, Joe Paul, Ruben Jr. (RJ) and Darcie, his siblings, Caroline, Darrell, Darrick, and Gabriel, as well as several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, at Hillcrest Memorial Park at 10 a.m. Flowers may be sent to 9101 Kern Canyon Rd., Bakersfield, Ca 93306.
