Ruben Becerra Aguilar

Ruben was shy and always had a ready smile. When people met Ruben they always commented on how polite he was. He saw the humor in things sometimes, sheepishly laughing at himself. He would also tell stories and little jokes because he liked to have fun. Ruben was "very" imaginative and had unusual insights and perceptions on things around him. He liked looking for unusual ways to do things and had that inventive side like his daddy.

Ruben liked everyone to get along and made decisions based on his feelings. He could be spontaneous but also liked to plan things out for birthdays, holidays and events. He really enjoyed the holidays and looked forward to them. He loved Thanksgiving and had to have a turkey usually before Thanksgiving. This past year Ruben said his favorite was the pumpkin pie. Ruben liked people and having company and spending one on one time with his friends and family. Ruben was always energetic, busy and ready to lend a hand and generous in every way.

Ruben was born to Margaret and Manuel Aguilar. He was the eldest boy and had two older sisters, Shirley and Alice and his younger brother, Michael.

As a child, Ruben's mom remembers him as being very slim and extremely bashful. He liked to draw, color and create pictures. He used to help her when she washed clothes and liked working in the yard. He was very energetic and would take the initiative. Ruben liked playing marbles with his sister, Alice and playing in the backyard. He loved riding his little blue car with the pedals down "bunco street" in the backyard. He also loved family movie night on Fridays at the drive in.

Ruben attended Roosevelt Elementary School, Franklin Jr. High School, followed by San Bernardino High School.

Ruben's favorite pet was Amo the dog. Ruben trained Amo and he could practically climb the tree in the backyard. I can still hear Ruben saying, "Amo!" and then laughing.

Ruben developed an interest in rocks, after visiting the Grand Canyon with his family when he was about 11 years old. He still liked rocks as an adult and collected them.

When Ruben was about 12 years old, he and his friend Wally Garcez saved a woman and her child from a burning house, which was published in the Sun Telegraph.

At 13 years old, Ruben received a set of drums, which he loved to play. Boy would he bang on those things! He also had a large collection of 8 track tapes with "Oldies but Goodies" I remember how much he loved listening to "Wolfman Jack" and his oldies. He liked listening to his music loudly too.

Ruben and his friends often liked hiking Little Mountain. Later he would hunt a little and bring home his rabbits and cook them up. He was a good shot. Some of his friends included Tony Limons, Richard Garcia, Alex Bernard, Steve Negette, Peter and Sal Ramirez. He also enjoyed riding his bike and remodeling bikes.

Ruben loved wrestling and especially loved watching the World Federated Championship. He even went to see Lucha Libre wrestling sometimes and would make it a must see event for everyone at home when wrestling was on. Ruben loved to share his experiences with his family.

Ruben attended San Bernardino High School but didn't like it too much. He used to dress really sharp wearing silky shirts and cool outfits. He went to job corp for about a year and was a lumberjack. The house wasn't the same without him and he was missed. Ruben was proud that he later also completed Guard Training and Baton certificate courses.

Ruben enjoyed his teenage years and as an early adult had a child, Ruben Aguilar, Jr.

Ruben's first car was a '53 Chevy, then a '57 and then a silver grey '62. He liked to drive it fast. Those were happy times for him.

As an adult, Ruben was a body builder, always reading magazines and using his creative side to build his own weight benches. We will all remember his arms of steel and how he would say, "feel my arms" because to us, he was the strongest man around. Sometimes Ruben spent his time creating imaginative drawings, some of which he teased were "priceless."

Ruben worked in food service at The Players Restaurant and El Rancho Verde Country Club. He also worked at McFarland's Boat Shop. Ruben is remembered for making great hamburgers and his cooking. He loved watermelon, ice cream and soda. His mom says, "He ate like a giant."

Ruben lead a very quiet life and had many happy times with his family. Ruben cared about people and in his best moments will be remembered for being a polite, shy soul who wanted to help others and laugh and have a good time