Gilberto Horta

pancreatic cancer surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

Gilberto, fondly known as Beto, was born to Melquiades Horta and Aurora Pelayo on February

12th 1942 in Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico. Gilberto started working at a very young age to help

support his mother Aurora and his siblings. He started his first job when he was only 12 years

old. At the age of 14 he worked in the offices of the Minera Autlan and as a radio Dj for XELD

“La Voz de la Costa de Jalisco”. In 1964 while enjoying an evening in the Plaza del Grullo he met

the love of his life Rebeca Arechiga Guzman. While the boys walked in one direction around the

plaza and the girls walked in the opposite direction, he showed his interest by throwing a

confetti egg at her and a beautiful love story began. Through his beautiful and romantic poetry,

love letters and radio dedications he conquered her love and on November 30, 1968 they

married. They were ready to start a family and on October 3, 1969 their son Gilberto Horacio

was born. In June of 1971 Gilberto, Rebeca and Horacio came to California in search of

treatment for Horacio as he was diagnosed with Severe Hemophilia A, a rare blood disease that

causes prolonged bleeding as well as spontaneous bleeds in the joints and body. Gilberto

sought out the best treatment for Horacio which led them to the Los Angeles area. They had

been here for only a short time when Horacio hit his head while playing at the park, which

caused a bleed in his brain and ultimately, led to his death on October 8, 1971. During this tragic

time as they mourned the loss of their son, God sent them another one of His angels to care for

and raise. Monica Aurora was born October 20, 1971. As Gilberto's family prepared to return

to Mexico they found out that Rebeca was pregnant once again and they knew that there was a

possibility that if it was a boy he would have the same condition as Horacio, so they decided to

stay until Rebecca gave birth. On April 5, 1973 Oscar Alonso was born and as they feared, Oscar

was diagnosed with severe Hemophilia A and so they decided to stay in California to ensure that

Oscar could receive the treatment he needed for his condition.

In California, Gilberto worked as a quality control manager for Thermador. Once retired he

continued to work as a consultant for Thermador often traveling to their offices in South

Carolina. Gilberto was always very involved in his church, first at St. Martha's Catholic Church in

Huntington Park, where he was a part of the Hispanic church group, el Movimiento Familiar

Cristiano, and at Saint Raymond's Catholic Church in Downey as a Lector for the Spanish masses

as well as part of the finance committee for the church.

Beto was quite the do-it-yourself guy and could never stay still. He was always tinkering around

the house fixing things and if he didn't know how to do it he would look it up. One of his

passions was his family and its history. He was quite the family genealogist and was able to trace

his roots all the way back to the 17th century. His greatest passion was his three grandchildren,

Diego Horacio, his big boy, Sophia Rebecca, his muñeca, and Camila Carlota, his CC. He loved

and adored them and made sure they always knew that love. When asked to describe their

grandfather, they described him as being funny, loving, caring, sweet, loved to give and receive

hugs, daring, thoughtful, affectionate and enthusiastic.

Gilberto is survived by his daughter Monica, son Oscar, daughter-in-law Alicia, grandchildren

Diego, Sophia and Camila. He is also survived by his sisters Rosa Maria Horta Castillo, Marina

Alicia Horta, brother Carlos Horta, cousins, nephews, nieces and much more family. Gilberto

was predeceased by his wife Rebeca, son Gilberto Horacio, parents Melquiades and Aurora,

brother Victor Manuel Horta, sisters Alicia, Aurora and Rosa.

A visitation for Gilberto will be held Monday, January 8, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Miller Mies Downey Mortuary, 10229 Paramount Blvd, Downey, California 90241. A funeral mass will occur Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 10:00 AM at St Raymond Catholic Church, 12348 Paramount Blvd, Downey, California 90242. A graveside will occur Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at Resurrection Cemetery, 966 N Potrero Grande Dr, Rosemead, California 91770.