Jose Huerta

Jose Huerta was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      Jose was born on October 17, 1914 in Mexico in Aguascalientes. His parents were Sabino & Magdalena Huerta. Jose was raised in Aguascalientes. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Huerta household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Jose was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Jose was raised with 4 brothers and 4 sisters. His brothers names are Franscio, Pedro, Alfonso and Clemente and his sisters names are Jesus, Maria, Carmen and Felix. Jose was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Jose and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Jose was always consistently loyal to his family.

      As a young child, Jose was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Jose developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. In his spare time he liked to play cards and pool. However, what Jose enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Jose was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Jose was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Jose to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Adres Castaneda, Don Luis Lopez, and Sebastine Salazar. Later in life, he became friends with Alfredo Nevarez.

      In September, 1938 Jose exchanged wedding vows with Maria Ordorica at the Guadalupe Church of Aguascalientes, Mexico. Compassionate and devoted to Maria, Jose held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Maria and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Jose brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Jose was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Jose was blessed with 5 girls and 1 boy, Lupe, Luz, Teresa, Maria de Jesus, Juan and Juanita. They were also blessed with 16 grandchildren, Yoly, Patsy, Ruby, Sandy, Dianne, Lucy, Rene, Danny, Yvette, John, Gaby, Rosalie, Claudia, Juan, Christy, and Jessica.

      Jose greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Jose enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Jose was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was in construction. He was employed for 40 years. Jose worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Jose liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Jose always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were playing cards, and playing pool. Jose was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      He enjoyed going to his daughters houses and wash dishes and gardening. He liked to watch whatever was on tv.

      Jose was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Raymonds for 35 years. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

      Jose enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Jose appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Jose always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included going to Mexico and Texas.

      When Jose’s retirement finally arrived in 1975, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to Downey, California. Even in retirement, Jose continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

      Jose Huerta passed away on September 22, 2009 at at home in Downey, California. Jose fought a hard battle with pnemonia in the end. He is survived by his wife, Maria; his children, Lupe, Luz, Terry, Maria de Jesus, Juan and Juanita; 16 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren and 8 great-great-grandhchildren. Services were held at Whites Funeral Home Chapel. Jose was laid to rest in All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach, California.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Jose Huerta. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.