Richard Ornelas was born on April 3, 1923 in Mexico City, D.F. Mexico. He was an excellent student, proud to have received his education at French schools, and enjoyed speaking both Spanish and French until his final days. Raised deeply Catholic by his parents, especially his mother whom he adored, he joined the Franciscan Brothers Order at the age of 28 and remained in seminary with them for 13 years. In 1959, he emigrated to the U.S. to live and study with them at Roger Bacon College in El Paso, Texas. Those were powerful days for him, studying engineering, constructing a swimming pool by hand, and ministering at juvenile detention centers. Yet, he had always longed to have his own family. In 1964, he received formal Papal permission to leave the Franciscan seminary.
He relocated to California where he lived a very simple life in Stockton, California. There he learned accounting which secured him a position as a District Manager at Aero Mexico Airlines and allowed him travel, which he loved. His new career brought him to Los Angeles in 1965 where he met his future wife, Esperanza (Linda) Diaz at the age of 42. They married on April 3, 1965 and began a family which quickly grew to include the births of 5 children- Mary, Elizabeth, Linda, Laura and Rick between 1966-1971. The family lived briefly in Tucson, AZ, Mexico City, and eventually the family settled in Burbank, California.
There Richard obtained his long-time job as an accountant for Trans-Australia Airlines where he went on to become Chief Financial Officer. For the next 25 years his priority became educating his 5 children through Catholic schools. After retirement, Richard moved to Santa Maria, CA to live near his son in 2005. During this time, he began his routine of daily mass and enjoyed teaching traveling priests how to celebrate mass in both English and Spanish. As he aged, his family requested that he move closer to them in Los Angeles and he re-settled in Arcadia, CA in 2012. While in Arcadia he enjoyed attending daily mass at Holy Angels church, watching EWTN & soccer, reading, and embracing his new community at Arcadia Gardens Retirement Hotel.
His final month of life his children moved him to St. John of God Retirement & Care Center in Los Angeles. This gave Richard and his family great comfort as he lived amongst an order of Brothers.
Richard passed away completely at peace in his sleep at St. John of God on July 25, 2019. He was 96.
Richard is survived by Linda, the mother of his children; Mary, Elizabeth, Laura, Rick, and grandchildren-
Ciarra, Kinsey, Zachary, Hailee, Kieran, Madyson, and Teagan.
Any donations in Richard Ornelas’ name may be made to Holy Angels church in Arcadia, California.
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