Jose de Jesus Padilla

“Give me a problem and I’ll hand you a solution.” Those who knew Jose de Jesus Padilla would agree that motto accurately described him. Jose was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Jose, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Jose placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

      Jose was born on January 5, 1938 at home in Tecolotlan, Jalisco. He was the son of Miguel and Rosa Padilla. His childhood found him in Tecolotlan, Tijuana, Los Angeles and San Diego where he matured into the independent person he eventually became.

      Jose grew up with seven siblings. Teresa, Guille,Rosalva,Amelia,Hilaria,Antonio and Rigoberto. Jose could be seen as being stubborn by his siblings. It was important to him that he was perceived as “right” when it came to his part in those typical family spats. However, this quality did not over power his caring for his family. This ability to balance his family, with his need to be seen as right, helped him to develop into a young adult while enjoying many good times with his family.

      During his grade school years, Jose was a very focused and serious student who actually enjoyed the challenge of many classroom problems. He was determined to succeed, and he drew upon his gifts of trust and perseverance to provide him with a competitive edge. While his first love might have been academics, Jose took part in soccer. Jose delighted in projects that required planning, critical thinking and resolution.

      Jose was loyal to his friends. He found that he was most in tune with people who had similar interests and thought about things much the way that he did. Jose sometimes had a tendency to be critical in his friendships but he was more interested in finding out what was right in a situation rather than in being mean toward others. He never intentionally set out to hurt any of his friends. Jose was a person who challenged others to fend for themselves and to be original in their thinking and evaluation of the outside world. While growing up, one of his best friends was Eduardo Moreno.

      In 1958 and in 1998, Jose exchanged wedding vows. His first wife was Hilda Padilla. His current spouse is Analilia Padilla. They were married at the court house of Tijuana, B. C. and in San Diego, California. Analilia's sensitivity to Jose's needs proved to be a wonderful influence on this man, who preferred to live in his “gut.” Analilia's influence brought Jose to a new emotional level, one that eventually enhanced all of his other gifts and abilities. Analilia was able to help Jose appreciate the fact that others made contributions and Jose became better at interacting with those around him. Because of this, Jose grew as a person.

      Jose often neglected his own feelings in order to give to others. This was very true when it came to how he dealt with his children. He was able to hand on to each child a number of strong values. He taught them to appreciate their abilities, gave them a desire to persevere despite obstacles and set within them a drive to succeed. He had four children; three sons, Jose Juan, Miguel Angel, Carlos Alberto and one daughter Sonia. He also had six grandchildren, Yesenia, Luis, Chantelle, Rene,Mia Sofia and Jason. They were always aware of how much Jose loved them.

      During Jose's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Jose was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. His primary occupation was Constructor Steel Fabricator. He was employed for 37 years in his own company Artimex Iron .

      Watching his favorite sporting events by himself was never a problem for Jose. It allowed him to indulge in his own individual interpretation of the event. It was not uncommon for Jose to know what the right play or move “should have been,” and he would vocally address these feelings even if there was no one around to hear them. And if there were others around, he would still state his feelings and gladly debate anyone on their opposing views. He enjoyed following his favorite sporting events. Tops on his list were soccer and football.

      Jose placed his interest wholeheartedly behind any project he took on. The “engineer” part of his personality pushed him to find out as much information as he could, to understand the practicality in a given situation. This was something that influenced his involvement in work, pleasure and volunteer activities. Politically, Jose was a strong supporter of the Republican Party.

      Jose's faith allowed him to better appreciate the gifts and opinions of others. This deepening aspect of his life helped him to accept his own feelings to a greater degree. He was a member of Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church 20 years.

      Jose's skepticism was visible when he found it necessary to place too much trust in one person. This was never clearer than when it was time for him to schedule a vacation or period of time away from his regular schedule. Jose loved the research aspects of planning a trip, but the actual process of relaxing was far more difficult. Still, he did manage to enjoy some time away. Favorite vacations included Guadalajara, Mexico.

      Jose was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. Twp of Jose's favorites were Katrina and Mandy, Chihuahua Dogs. They were best friends for 8 years. His family was rounded out by his two Chihuahua dogs.

      Jose de Jesus Padilla passed away on October 24, 2011 at home, in Chula Vista, California. He fought a brave battle against cancer. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and siblings. Services were held at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church. Jose was laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego, California.

      Jose de Jesus Padilla was always drawn to what was measurable, practical and factual. He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were supposed to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.