Ambrosio Cantu III

Ambrosio Cantu III, age 71, of Pasadena, by way of the Valley, passed away Sunday December 13th with his loving wife by his side. Ambrosio, “Papa” was a beloved friend, husband, father, but he was a grandfather above anything else. He was a fighter and spent a lifetime over-coming hardship to provide for his family. The cancer needed a stage four head start, and even with the odds stacked against him, he never stopped fighting. He is survived by his loving wife, Maria Cantu, sisters Lydia Wales and Rosemary Kurtz, brothers Juan Antonio Cantu and Andres Cantu, daughter Maria Ward and her husband Dan, son Ambrosio Cantu IV, grandchildren Kylie and Dylan Ward, and numerous cousins, second cousins, and close friends.

Ambrosio was born December 20, 1949 to father Ambrosio Jr and Lydia ‘Nena” Cantu. He was born the eldest of twins, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. He married Maria Del Socorro January 8, 1972, and was blessed with two children, aptly named Ambrosio and Maria. They remained married for 49 years and that is an amazing feat and should be recognized. They loved and supported each other and were best friends through good times and bad.

Growing up, Ambrosio went out of his way to support his kids, Maria and Bo…. sometimes that meant taking on 30 football helmets and painting them black, so Bo’s Pasadena Recreation football Steelers looked like the pro team for picture day…. On numerous occasions it meant getting thrown out of Maria’s basketball games because he was giving the referees the business. His love had no boundaries. Regardless of running his own contracting business, he always made time for school functions, fund raisers, booster clubs, and anything he could do to support his kids. When he became a grandpa with Kylie and Dylan, he quickly realigned his universe and made them the center. The time he spent with his grandkids meant more to him than anything in the world, and truly brought him pure happiness.

His jobs bounced around from steelworker, to plumber, to contractor before finally settling in as a home builder. Regardless of job, he applied the same work ethic to it and made sure it was done right. He was a perfectionist and would take as much time as needed. During his time working, he forged strong relationships that turned into friendships. This became apparent with the outpouring of love sent to the Cantu’s after news of Ambrosio’s passing.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to his best friend Richard Malloy and his family. Ambrosio and Richard were best friends for 40 years and were “brothers with different mothers.” A special thank you to Kelsey for keeping Ambrosio company during his final hospital visit, it was truly appreciated.

Due to restrictions, a private urn service will be held at Grand View Funeral Home on December 27, 2020 at 2:00pm.