Adrian Ralph Ochoa

Adrian Ralph Ochoa passed away peacefully in his home in Milpitas, California on June 15, 2016 at the age of 84 after a long illness. At the moment of his death, he had his oldest daughter and his beloved caregiver by his side, with his youngest daughter on the phone describing her view from her hotel room in Hawaii and sharing a memory of a time when she and her sisters were wearing their little Hawaiian dresses on a family vacation.

Adrian is survived by his 4 daughters and sons-in-law, Sonia Marchana (Steve) of San Jose, California, Monica Rodrigues (Steven) of Graham, Washington, Andrea Marley (Greg) of Milpitas, California, and Sabrina Albright (David) of Union City, California; sisters Lupe Stevens of Stockton, California and Sally Garcia of San Jose, California; 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; and many, many loving friends and family members. He is preceded in death by his loving wife Regina; his parents Selma and Augustine Ochoa; his brothers Raymond and Augustine Ochoa; his father- and mother-in-law, Albert and Mabel Oppenheimer; and many brothers- and sisters-in-law.

Adrian was born on May 16, 1932 in Redwood City, California. He graduated from Sequoia High School in 1949 and then joined the United States Navy. He served for four years and returned to California where he eventually met the love of his life, (Theresa) Regina Oppenheimer, originally from Jeanerette, Louisiana. They married in 1959 and bought a house in Milpitas where they raised and loved four daughters. Adrian worked for 41 years at Aeronautical Radio, Inc. as a radio operator/supervisor and retired in 1999. After retirement, his favorite activities were listening to and playing music, cheering on the Golden State Warriors, the San Francisco Giants, and the San Francisco 49ers, and doing anything with and for his grandchildren. He enjoyed attending their school and church events and their games, plays, and concerts and was their #1 fan.

Adrian will be remembered fondly by all who knew him as a family man of the highest integrity who made each person in his life feel special. He insisted on giving nicknames to so many of those he loved and was known by many nicknames himself: Andy, Ade, Uncle Oach, Papa Nino, etc. Most people just called him "Papa", though, even those with no blood relation and those he'd known for only a few minutes. He and his wife opened their home to all of his daughters' friends and extended families throughout their lives, and in his later years the number of "Papa-fans" increased exponentially. He passed on his love of music to his children and grandchildren. Sing-alongs and impromptu concerts were common occurrences at Papa's house, as were many parties and Sunday get-togethers.

The family would like to offer special thanks to Kalo Petelo who made it possible for Papa to stay in his home and receive excellent companionship and care for the last two years of his life. She was more than a caregiver to him and his family. She became part of the family. We would also like to thank all the nurses and doctors at Kaiser Santa Clara Hospital oncology as well as Milpitas Kaiser who provided excellent medical care to Papa. We would like to thank Kaiser Hospice nurses, especially Digna and Julie.

Friends and family are invited to a vigil at Lima Family Milpitas-Fremont Mortuary on Tuesday, 6/21/2016, at 6 p.m. and a funeral service at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in San Jose on Wednesday, 6/22/2016, at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your favorite charity in his honor.

Arrangements under the direction of Lima Family Milpitas-Fremont Mortuary, Fremont, CA.