Alfonso "Poncho" Negrete

Alfonso dejó su hija Laura Negrete; su hija Sylvia Negrete; su hijo Night Sky Negrete; su hijo Rudy Negrete; su hijo Jesus Negrete; su hijo Armando Negrete y su hijo Raul Negrete.

Nietos: 9

In honor of our dad:

His smile was deep. Even his eyes had their own smile. The wrinkles on his face showed the marks of life experience, hard work, heart breaks, endurance, regrets, memories of past, and peace with God’s callings. Alfonso was a proud Mexican man who loved his family, loved the land, loved his capability to work to earn a living. He grew up poor, and like his wife, life required him to be creative, strong willed, and physically capable of knowing how to be safe to survive in Mexico and thrive in the U.S. When he spoke of his mother it was full of love and regret for causing her hardships as fighting and rebellious young man. Thankfully, he put that energy to use where perseverance and his physical strength would allow him to manifest safety, security and passed on to his children the importance of having faith in your decisions, perseverance, and gratitude to the creator every morning. His wife would share she was grateful he worked so hard for the family. He relied on plants, herbs, teas, and tinctures to strengthen the body. To strengthen his spirit he attended church, went to pow wows, and prayed on his beautifully decorated altars to Jesus and La Virgen de Guadalupe for aid and forgiveness. You could hear him nightly passionately praying for his family, and on special moments, he would bless the family with holy oils.

Memories include him being a hardworking man at Nutrilite in the granulation department, working late nights, early mornings, overtime shifts, and coming home in his white uniform, sometimes with his hair net on. Various times he would bring the company’s products of vitamins, protein powders and protein bars (which he called candy) as extra offerings to feed his family. We grew up on protein bars like chocolate rice crispies and peanut butter chocolate, chocolate protein shakes, and powder packets to make our own energizing fruit drinks. As a retired and accomplished man, he would share work stories from his childhood up to his retirement. His whole life was work and when it came time to slow down, it was a challenge. He would keep busy, even cutting trees on his own, do yard work, and other labors at home when his body allowed. He loved to see the fruit and vegetable harvest and share the crops with his family, especially when it came time to harvest the avocado. Every time he would eat one, he would say in delight, you can’t get these avocados from the store, these are special and taste like no other. Then his eyes would drift off into his past, working on the fruit stand with our uncle, or towards times when he would pick crops, waking up before the sunrise to walk or hitch a ride to his destination. He also liked his privacy and would drive to find places to eat or rest. Sometimes, on colder days, we would find him napping under the sun in his car. He was a true Negrete loved to sing. He enjoyed being in the garage playing the radio, having a beer, and singing along with his favorite rancheras. He loved to sing any time it felt right, during karaoke, in the living room, during a shower, or doing laundry. Alfonso enjoyed being with his family, watching westerns, sci fi, horror, and classic cartoons with his family.

Language barriers didn’t stop him from communicating with coworkers and strangers in the street. His smile and humble vibrations shined bright in a universal language. He was described by many as a hardworking, sweet, funny, and cute man. Those of us who lived with him saw how his experience as a migrant, Mexican, working man, with little schooling showed up on his body and spirit. Throughout the years we witnessed struggles on him that included body pains from his hard work, work injuries, racism, painful yet beautiful memories of his origins, anxieties, and difficulty in sharing his vulnerabilities. Sadness, joy, and strength were present in his eyes. Yet there was pride in having a strong body for physical work and pride in his accomplishments to provide for his family. He recalled being pushed out by various landlords where he, his wife, and young children were tested until faith and community would help them find a home to call their own. To this day, we meet people that have resentment and disbelief a migrant Mexican man and woman, with little to no schooling, would own the biggest house on the block. He and his wife offered their spirit, body, and hearts to give their children and grandchildren what they both longed for in their youth, a safe place to call home where we could all be together should we choose to.

Podrá compartir sus gratos recuerdos y expresar sus condolencias en www.funerariadelangelanaheim.com para la familia Negrete.