Ernest "Pop" David Alesso

Ernest (Ernie) David Alesso 90, known to many as “POP”, was born on August 17, 1930 in Bakersfield, CA. and went to be in the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on October 1, 2020 in Los Osos, CA.. Ernie’s Father, Giovanni (John) Alesso, emigrated from Italy and his Mother, Hazel Anderson, was from Tehachapi, CA. They had five children, Victoria, Isabel, Virgil, Johnny and Ernie.

As a child, Ernie attended Panama School. As a teen he attended Kern County High School (Bakersfield High School), where he met the love of his life, Fay Reynolds. Ernie graduated from KCHS in 1949 and in January of 1951, he and Fay married. They enjoyed 62 years of marriage and their endless love blessed them with three children, David (his wife Eileen), Mike (his wife Lynn) and Judy. Ernie also leaves behind two grandchildren, Mike Jr. (his wife Amber) and Paige Charpentier (her husband Cody) and three great-grandchildren, Jamie, Ephraim and Cecily…and a fourth appearing soon.

Ernie worked hard as a farmer until the early 1960’s, then began his employment in the oil industry. He worked for B.J Hughes, Tidewater, Getty and Texaco Oil companies and retired in1993. Ernie was a long-time member of the North Chester Church of Christ where he enjoyed attending Sunday morning and evening services. He would occasionally attend services at the Olive Branch Community Church with David and Eileen.

Family, friends and strangers describe Ernie as a “true gentleman”. He was a kind, sweet and generous man with a capacity to love that knew no boundaries. Ernie was a blessing to not only family and friends but, to numerous strangers that he saw needed help. Whether a stranger in need of money, a ride, a friendly smile or a stranded motorist that could benefit from his vast automotive knowledge, Ernie never hesitated to stop and help in any way that he could.

Ernie constantly showed his love for his family. No matter how tired he was after a 16 hour work day, he enthusiastically and lovingly participated with his children in, Boy Scout/Girl Scout activities, baseball/softball practices and games, school functions and various other activities. Ernie also loved animals and as a testament to his kind and gentle manner, animals loved him.

Ernie’s family would like to thank Central Coast Home Health and Hospice for their assistance, with a special THANK YOU to nurse Mary Pat for the love and care she consistently gave him. We also want to thank Shannon Shea for the exceptional love, support and endless care she gave to “Pop” for the past year, to make sure he was comfortable.

Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 11:00am at the Hillcrest Memorial Chapel. Due to the pandemic, our chapel will be limiting the amount of family and friends into the chapel. Masks are required to attend. For more information and to rsvp with David Alesso you can reach him on his Facebook page or by contacting him at 661-644-7040.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to an Alzheimer’s charity or Animal Shelter/charity of your choice.