Ernesto Antonio Encinas

Ernesto Antonio Encinas, a beloved father, grandfather, brother and friend passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on May 16th, 2026 at Kaiser Permanente Zion Hospital. A celebration of life will take place at a later date in Santa Cruz, California.

Ernesto, better known as “Ernie” was born in East Los Angeles, California February 3rd 1953 at Santa Marta Hospital to his beloved mother Consuelo Savedra and father Eduardo Encinas. He would eventually move and settle in Santa Cruz, California. He spent the later years of his life working proudly as a cook for College Ten at the University of California, Santa Cruz. During his time at UCSC, Ernie dedicated his free time engaging with the community as an active member of the union, fighting for higher wages and better healthcare for UC workers through peaceful protests, picket lines and walk out strikes.

Ernie’s most cherished role was undoubtedly as a father and grandfather to his two daughters and three grandchildren; Teshara, Andrea, Evalyse, Sofia and Ethan, beaming with pride any chance he could talk about them. Ernesto was known for his gentle heart, his thoughtfulness and his sincere words. His ability to stay present made whoever he was with feel like they were the most important person in the room. He could tell a simple story that could stop time- that’s how special he was. Ernie’s ability to listen without judgement and love without condition was just a small part of what made him so dear to us and everyone lucky enough to have him as a friend.

Ernie enjoyed cruising, cooking for his family, reading, sharing stories, and of course, partying. He always had a new joke or riddle to tell and took joy in making people laugh.

Despite his battles with addiction, our father never gave up hope or his faith in God. His energy would light up every room he entered. Ernie is survived by his daughters, Teshara Estrada and Andrea Ogden Brown, his sons-in-law Fernando Estrada and Tyler Brown, the mother of his children, Loren Encinas, his sister Mary Smith and his grandchildren, Evalyse Estrada, Sofia Estrada, and Ethan Estrada.