Jesus A. Oseguera "Beto"

December 13, 1977-January 2, 2017

Jesus Alberto Oseguera, or “Beto”, was born on Tuesday, December 13 of 1977 at 5:00 am to parents Jesus Oseguera and Rosa Ramirez-Oseguera in Chicago, IL. Since the day he was born he displayed an active and energetic personality. He was happy, healthy, and incredibly hyper.

At 2 months old the family made their first move from Illinois to California. At 10 months old he took his first steps and was more than ready to be on the move. He embraced this new ability and always kept his mom and dad on their toes. His fast paced energy matched his fast paced mind. At only 3 years old he recited 13 different bible verses relying solely on his memory. It was evident how intelligent and enthusiastic Beto was the moment you met him. When he was 4 years old his first sibling, Abel Oseguera, was born. 1 year later came the 3rd of the bunch, Eric Oseguera. They would soon know the delights of being Beto’s little brothers.

By age 8 he started to acquire an interest in hobbies such as singing in church, playing piano, and preaching to his church family at the end of his concerts. He demonstrated a strong faith in God and an even stronger desire to touch the lives of those around him. This led to his decision in turning himself into Christ through baptism. Up to this age the family resided in Baldwin Park, CA where he attended East Valley Elementary School. Shortly after, Beto, his brothers, and parents made their move to a new opportunity in Loma Linda.

In Loma Linda, Beto attended Loma Linda Academy from 5th to 8th grade, At 14 years old he was sent to San Diego to study at San Pascual Boarding School for his first 2 years of high school. Upon returning to the Loma Linda area, he attended Redlands Senior High School. It was here that 16 year old Beto Oseguera made an inspirational impact on the Latino community in his area. On November 1, 1994 he led a peaceful protest against Prop 187. Joined by his girlfriend, Irene, he marched down Citrus Avenue in Redlands towards City Hall. “We are here to tell that punk Pete Wilson that the United States is a multi-cultural nation not just for whites and we are not here to do it with violence. We are going to do it with our minds.” These were the words of a 16 year old boy who believed in fighting for what’s fair. His leadership and everyone’s support and participation was published in the Redlands Daily Facts newspaper with Beto and Irene taking center on the front page. (Paper should be available for audience to view).

Beto continued his education at Orangewood High School where he completed his senior year. During his time there he received recognition for an essay so eloquently written that he was, again, published in the newspaper. (Also available for viewing). The paper is titled “Mi Cuarto” and it received the highest grade in the district and was used as primary example for future students. In his essay he pledges to one day succeed in the promotion of education to his people and he would not give up until he did just that. There was so much excitement that year and mom was about to deliver some more exciting news. A little sister was on her way. Beto was 19 years old when Karla was born in January of 1995. 2 years later Beto and Irene returned the favor. They were expecting a baby girl as well. In January of 1997 Vianey Divina Oseguera was born. His “first creation” he would say. The birth of his daughter motivated him so he further continued his education at San Bernardino Valley College and completed his general education. Beto was not just an efficient student but also a driven hard worker. He worked his way up from customer service at thrifty, to exceptional numbers at call centers, to finally landing a position of importance in the field of education. In 2002 he received an award for “Appointment setter of the month” and received an opportunity as Supervisor at Family First. This was the job that began his journey in the educational system. His abilities were limitless and his achievements reflected that. He continuously received awards and recognition for his impressive performance and keen sense of style.

In 2003 his second daughter Allyna Celeste Oseguera was born. Both girls were his world. His hustle didn’t stop there especially with the birth of his second baby. The following 10 years he had dedicated his time to promoting education to people of all ages at different colleges and universities. He worked as an Educational Advisor at numerous schools including Devry, San Joaquin Valley, UEI, Marinello, and a few others. During his time working at Devry he enrolled himself into classes and majored in business. Despite being a student at the University he worked for, he still managed to acquire 1st place NATIONWIDE in his Advisor position.

Beto had succeeded in keeping his promise at 18 years old. He inspired numerous people to continue their education and pushed his students to their full potential. His only desire was to see them succeed too. I only wish I could share the names of the many students whose personal and educational lives he touched.

Beto was a very driven and passionate person. His strength was admirable, his humor contagious, and his faith was powerful. Everyone he knew enjoyed his company and entertaining conversations. Beto was rich in health, blessing, and mostly friends. If there was one thing Beto did not lack it was friends. He was a strong believer of positive reinforcement or in other words “down time”. He believed that as long as you handle your business (work, school, etc) you have every right to go home and enjoy some time with family, friends, and an ice cold beer. Beto was a Godly man and what he was Godly he was equally a social man. He knew how to have an insatiable amount of fun. Everything was a reason to celebrate! He had a special way of filling up a room and spreading euphoria and laughter to every person present. His friends adored him and his crazy ideas. A best friend to any, his loyalty and friendship was truly treasured among those who knew him.

Beto was highly influential in the lives of his family and friends. Aside from raising his two daughters he was active in the up-bringing of his sister and spent a lot of time with his nieces and nephews guiding them whenever the parents were made unavailable. He had a special bond with the babies of the family, Lizbeth, Abel, Selena, Perla, Adeline, and Aubrey. He always loved the idea of family spending time together.

Beto was a unique individual. His character and personality, golden. 3 specific adjectives always seemed to be used to describe who he was: Strong, intelligent, and humorous. He was known for his love for Raiders Football, Lakers Basketball, Comic books and toys (his favorite being Wolverine since middle school), and weight lifting. His talents were far from limited. His uncanny ability to draw since he was a child was everyone’s favorite. It was mind blowing to experience his abilities through the art work he could create in a matter of minutes. My (Karla) personal favorite thing about him was his way with words. He was gifted in the talent of speech and language but not only in English in Spanish as well. He recognized our shared interest in writing and took it upon himself to teach me everything he knew. To this day he inspires me every time I pick up a pen and paper.

Beto reached a point in life where he was content with the life he lived and the goals he reached. He told the people around him “I’ve already done everything I wanted to do”, and that he did. He spread the love of God to those who seemed unreachable. He promoted education to his people like he once swore to do. He stood up for his Latino brothers and sisters. And finally, he made his mother proud of the Godly man he had become.

He spent his final years enjoying the beauties of life. He lived every single day like it was the last with positive words and a smile on his face. He knew what it really meant to be selfless, happy, and forgiving and he proved it to our Lord with his everyday endeavors. God knew his heart of gold and his priceless soul.

On January 2nd of 2017 our Lord called Beto home. He had fulfilled his destiny and did his job as a soldier of God.

Beto chose to lay his life for another in a time of need and God allowed him to die a real hero.

The family hangs on to hope that one day we will see our warrior angel again..

…. When God reunites us all.

Beto, you won the ultimate race. Your memory remains in our hearts, your influence continues to guide us, and your example will inspire us to do the best we can as the children of our God so that we may one day see your smile again. Till then, rest in paradise brother. We will forever love and miss you.

-Written by little Seester, Karla R. Mena