Alfred Benjamin Ballejos

Alfred Benjamin Ballejos 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.

Alfred was born on April 21, 1941 at Winslow Health Care in Winslow, Arizona. His parents were Benny and Margaret Ballejos. Alfred was raised in Winslow, Arizona. 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 Ballejos 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, Alfred 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. Alfred was raised with six siblings Irene, Rudy, Danny, Richard, David and Patti (special Aunt Alice). Alfred was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Alfred and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Alfred was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Alfred 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. Alfred 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. Alfred took part in baseball. In his spare time he liked comic books. However, what Alfred enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Alfred as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Winslow High School in 1959. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was auto shop. Alfred was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Alfred always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Alfred 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, Alfred 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 Alfred 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 Peter Baca. Later in life, he became friends with Billy Gann, Ken Clark, Alex Espinoza, Rudy Garcia and Pete Hanaman.

On November 4, 1967 Alfred exchanged wedding vows with Mary Catherine at the St. Catherine's Catholic Church of Rialto, California. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment.

Alfred 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. Alfred 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. Alfred was blessed with three children, two sons (twins) Alfred, Jr. and Richard; and one daughter Cathy. They were also blessed with four grandchildren, Crystal, Jamie, Jessica and Richard, Jr.; one great granddaughter Sophia.

Alfred 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. Alfred 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, Alfred 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 as a machinist. He was employed for 20 years by Santa Fe Railroad. Alfred worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Alfred was an Army veteran. He was in the First Infantry from 1964-1966 and spent much of his military service in Vietnam; although he was also stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas for a period of time. Alfred saw action at Vietnam war. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of PFC. He received praise for his valor, including being awarded Rifle, blue ribbon badge of extra ordinary duty of heroism during war. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Alfred seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Alfred 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, Alfred always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were working on cars, fishing, hunting, riding his motorcycle. He loved midnight special best and found another one so that both his boys would have one. Alfred was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Alfred found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football.

Many organizations were grateful to have Alfred as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Alfred was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Alfred was a member of the machine shop. Throughout his later years, Alfred was an active member of the American Legion and VFW.

Alfred was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of Our Lady of The Cathedral for 40 years. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Alfred enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Alfred appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Alfred always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Arizona, home town and Utah for hunting, deep sea fishing out at Dana Point.

Alfred was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Alfred’s favorites was Roxy (Penelope), a German Shepherd Dog. They were best friends for 7 years. His family was rounded out by his dog Duke, many stray cats he took care of. Duke ran away to look for him after his last surgery. He always had away with animals, they love him.

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. In retirement, he found new pleasure in baby sitting his granddaughter Jessica, fishing with his sons and visiting relatives. He took care of great granddaughter while her mother went to school. He always helped anyone with their car repairs. Even in retirement, Alfred 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.

Alfred Benjamin Ballejos passed away on August 31, 2010 at V. A. Hospital in Loma Linda, California. Alfred fought a brave battle against cancer. He is survived by his wife Mary; children, Cathy, Alfred Jr., Richard, Jimmy; his 4 grandchildren, Crystal, Jamie, Jessica and Richard, Jr. and his great granddaughter Sophia. Services were held at Our Lady of The Rosary Cathedral. Alfred was laid to rest in Mt. View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Alfred Benjamin Ballejos. 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.