Simon was born on October 28, 1959, in Raymondville, Texas to Florencio and Sabina Rosales. His family moved to California at the age of 3 and he was raised in Huron with his brother and sister, Albert and Margaret. He graduated from Coalinga High School in 1977 and then attended the University of California-Berkeley and Sacramento State, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Simon’s family was so proud of him attending university and earning his degree.
Upon graduating, he returned home and settled in Fresno, California. He built his first home in 1992, and what was so funny is that when he put it for sale 9 years later, it sold on the first day without even putting up the “For Sale” sign because the house looked as brand new as the day it was built. He hardly ever lived in it, because he loved his family so much that most of his time was spent at his parent’s or sister’s home. He had such a close bond with his sister and brother - they considered each other their best friends and have always remained close and involved in each other's lives. He deeply cared for his parents and always made sure they were taken care of. His three nephews considered him a role model and one of the most influential figures in their lives, and especially appreciated the emphasis he always placed on education. He was always there for his parents, siblings, niece and nephews and provided them with support, guidance, and unconditional love.
On October 29, 2000, he married his love, Heather Everard, in South Lake Tahoe. They met at work when she was hired in the area he worked, AUR. Simon was so shy that Heather had to pursue him, but she knew he was special and a gentleman, and he became her whole world. To her he was simply “Honey.” They bonded over a deep love of family and similar interests. They recently celebrated their twenty-year anniversary, and they had a very loving and happy married life. Beyond their sports rivalry - he being a SF Giants fan and Heather’s love for the LA Dodgers, their love and devotion to their family was unparalleled. Anyone that knew Simon, knew that his biggest accomplishment was his family. His beautiful daughters, Lauren (16) and Ava (13), were his world and he took great pride in doing anything that would make them happy, such as buying their back-to-school supplies and organizing their backpacks before the first day of school or taking them out to buy sports equipment for water polo, cross country, or soccer. He was at every school event, drove them around to friends’ houses, painted their nails when they were little, helped them with their homework or fixed their electronic devices. He would always ask them about school and loved to listen to the “school gossip” they would divulge. It was Simon who would rush out to wait in long lines to purchase the next great “must-have” item for the girls and he looked forward to the day when they would graduate and go to college as he did. They will remember him for the deep love of his family and for always helping and encouraging them to work hard to get a good education and for ensuring they were safe and happy.
Simon began working for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 1984, where he worked for 36 years. He was a Tax Examiner, Work Leader, Manager, and most recently served as a Systems Analyst for the Wage & Investment Division. He will be remembered as a wonderful co-worker and friend who enriched so many people with his kindness, patience, and consideration for others. He was also lovingly referred to as “the machine” because of his intelligence and intuitiveness and for knowing tax law, his job, and the computer system and programs so well.
Simon was always the “go-to” person. He always knew what to do, the best product to buy, the most reputable people to use and how to fix any electronic device. He was always there for his family and for helping others in need. He enjoyed weekend BBQ’s, birthday parties and holidays with his family. Just seeing his family happy made him happy. He rarely purchased things for himself but always gave to others and was happy to do so.
He loved traveling and planning for his vacations. He would plan the itinerary from top to bottom so he ensured his family had the best vacation. He loved going on cruises and enjoyed the cocktails he could drink. He loved Hawaii, going to Mexico to visit family, and traveling to San Francisco to see all his cousins that he adored. He was so proud of what each cousin accomplished in life and loved to speak of all the vacations he would spend with them each year as a child. He enjoyed attending his nephews high school football games, as well as professional baseball and college football games. He loved food and would say you could put anything in a taco, and it would be delicious. He also had a soft spot for his many pets, especially his beloved Pugs. There wasn’t anything he would not do for his dogs, bird, fish, guinea pig and rabbit. He was always giving the animals treats because he said, “it made them happy.”
Simon was an extraordinary man, a “once in a lifetime individual” that you do not come across very often. He lived a normal life but left a mark on all that knew him. His sweet, loving, and gentle spirit will live on in all that knew him, and we are better people for knowing him.
He is survived by his wife, Heather and daughters, Lauren and Ava Rosales; Father and Mother, Florencio and Sabina Rosales; Brother and sister-in-law, Albert and Celia Rosales; Sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Jim Irwin; Niece, Brenda Rosales, partner and son Raul and Diego Leon; Nephew, Albert Rosales and wife Faith; Nephew, Clayton Irwin, wife and children Priscila, Jameson, and Jentzen; Nephew, Paul Irwin, wife and children Haley, Maizie, and Daxton; and many cousins close to his heart.
He is preceded in death by his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Maureen and Gordon Everard.
Those wishing to share a memory may do so at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/fresno-ca/simon-rosales-9981549. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given at https://mealtrain.com/849m5n.
A live stream of the funeral service will be available on Saturday, January 16th, at 1pm.
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