Jose "Pepe" Luis Lopez

On August 23, 1932, in Venta del Moro a little village in the province of Valencia in Spain, Jose “Pepe” Lopez came into this world, likely screaming, since he was never shy about voicing his opinions. He grew up during the Spanish civil war, which left an indelible mark. Saying he was strong is an understatement. Jose was an indomitable force, a paragon of strength and integrity. He made his own destiny. He enlisted in the Spanish foreign legion at the ripe old age of 17 because he was mad at his uncle, becoming a paratrooper in their special forces. Death had his eye on Lopez the senior for quite some time: He was shot in the spine while on peacekeeping rounds in the Spanish Sahara and attempted to walk it off; He broke his leg in a motorcycle accident, and walked on the compound fracture to get himself and the bike back into town; he had three heart attacks, a double stroke, a heart valve replacement, bladder cancer (that he beat), and a sarcoma that metastasized. These are just some of the highlights. He was tough.

Intending to move to Australia, Jose did a brief stint in Germany where he was persuaded to try Canada instead. That choice landed him in his adopted home. Despite not knowing the language he found work as a framer, building grain elevators for the Alberta Wheat Pool and homes in Calgary and BC. He met his wife Millie at a dance, they wound up having a daughter. He was a reluctant cat enthusiast, carrying his 19-year-old tabby around like a Bond villain. There’s a lot of other interesting stuff that happened too, but it’s hard to synopsize a life that spanned almost 93 years. He had a sharp wit and humour. He hated Mick Jagger. He was a character. He will be so greatly missed. On Thursday, April 3rd, 2025, death finally caught up with and brought his old friend Pepe home.

A public viewing will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Friday, April 11, 2025 from 6:30 p.m – 8:30 p.m.

A Celebration of Jose’s Life will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at 2:00 p.m, with interment to follow at Queen’s Park Cemetery.

Jose's Celebration of Life will be livestreamed and can be joined with the following link: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTc0MzkwNTQ1MzM1NzI4MSZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==